Arizona’s Caleb Love, GCU’s Tyon Grant-Foster make Jay Bilas’ preseason All-America team
Oct 24, 2024, 2:05 PM
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love and Grand Canyon Antelopes wing Tyon Grant-Foster were picked by ESPN analyst Jay Bilas as All-America Second Team members ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Love, who is a preseason AP All-American First Team selection, collected NBA Draft information before returning for his fifth college season and second with Arizona.
He said Wednesday at Big 12 Media Day that he’s attempting to evolve off the ball as a spacer to help his teammates and become more efficient as a scorer himself. Love averaged 18.0 points per game last year.
Writes Bilas:
The Pac-12 Player of the Year (the very last one, too), Love is in attack mode all game long. His efficiency improved last season and should continue to do so in 2024-25.
Grant-Foster likewise turned down an opportunity to go pro. The 24-year-old fought back from serious heart issues in his college career that includes stops at Indian Hills Community College, Kansas and DePaul before he landed at GCU.
He helped Grand Canyon to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season.
And Bilas has a bold prediction about Grant-Foster’s impact this year.
The Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year who started his career at Kansas, Grant-Foster is a natural scorer who hung 29 points on Alabama in the NCAA tournament. Don’t be surprised if he leads the nation in scoring.
Bilas picked North Carolina guard RJ Davis, Alabama point guard Mark Sears, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, Kansas center Hunter Dickinson and Duke freshman and likely No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg as his All-American First Team members this preseason.
The second team includes Love, Grant-Foster, Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV, UConn forward Alex Karaban and Auburn forward Johni Broome.
2024-25 AP All-American Team for men’s basketball
Mark Sears, Alabama, 6-1, 190 pounds, senior, 54 of 55 votes (17.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 50.8 fg pct, 85.7 FT pct)
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 6-0, 180, senior, 51 (21.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.5 apg, 47 steals, 86.7 FT pct)
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas, 7-2, 265, senior, 42 (17.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 54.8 fg pct, 47 blocks)
Johni Broome, Auburn, 6-10, 240, junior, 34 (16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 54.8 fg pct, 78 blocks)
Caleb Love, Arizona, 6-4, 205, senior, 24 (18 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 93 3-pointers, 44 steals)
Cooper Flagg, Duke, 6-9, 205, freshman, 24 (16.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.8 spg, 2.7 bpg at Monteverde Academy in Florida)
Others receiving votes: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton (15 votes); Alex Karaban, UConn (10); LJ Cryer, Houston (5); Braden Smith, Purdue (5); Kam Jones, Marquette (2); Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State (2); Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M; Johnell Davis, Arkansas; Norchard Omier, Baylor; Ace Bailey, Rutgers; Robbie Avila, Saint Louis; Tucker DeVries, West Virginia; Tre Johnson, Texas