{{refimprove|date=July 2020}} {{Short description|American basketball player and coach (1978–2020)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Justin Love | image = | image_size = | caption = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 2 | weight_lb = 210 | birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1978|11|6}} | birth_place = San Francisco, California | death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2020|6|23|1978|11|6}} | death_place = Mascoutah, Illinois | high_school = * Washington<br>(San Francisco, California) * Sacred Heart Cathedral<br>(San Francisco, California) | college = * Cañada College (1996–1998) * Saint Louis (1998–2000) | draft_year = 2000 | career_start = 2000 | career_end = 2015 | career_position = Guard | years1 = 2000–2001 | team1 = Kansas City Knights | years2 = 2001 | team2 = Gravelines | years3 = 2002 | team3 = St. Louis SkyHawks | years4 = 2002–2004 | team4 = Beijing Olympians | years5 = 2004 | team5 = St. Louis SkyHawks | years6 = 2004–2005 | team6 = BK Ventspils | years7 = 2005–2006 | team7 = Ludwigsburg | years8 = 2006–2008 | team8 = BK Ventspils | years9 = 2008–2009 | team9 = BC Odesa | years10 = 2009–2011 | team10 = MBC Mykolaiv | years11 = 2011–2015 | team11 = BC Odesa | highlights = * Latvian League champion (2005) * Latvian League Finals MVP (2005) * 2× Latvian League All-Star (2005, 2008) * Baltic League All-Star (2007) * Basketball Bundesliga All-Star (2006) * Conference USA Tournament MVP (2000) * First-team All-Conference USA (2000) }} '''Justin Love''' (November 6, 1978 – June 23, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach.
== College career == Love was born in San Francisco and attended Washington High School and then Sacred Heart Cathedral High School, where he was MVP when the school won the West Catholic Athletic League Championship in 1995.<ref name=Chron>{{cite news |author=Mitch Stephens |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/Justin-Love-whose-talent-shined-on-courts-from-15371349.php |title=Justin Love, whose talent shined on courts from SF to Ukraine, dies at 41 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=June 28, 2020 |orig-year=June 27, 2020 |access-date=June 28, 2021 }}</ref> He played collegiately at Cañada College, where he was a National Junior College All-American in 1998,<ref name=Chron/> and Saint Louis University, where he led the team to an NCAA Division I appearance and received a Conference USA First Team selection and Tournament MVP award in 2000. Love earned a bachelor's degree in Communication Disorders and a master's degree in Education at Saint Louis,<ref name=Riverbender>{{cite news |author=Colin Feeney |url=https://www.riverbender.com/articles/details/mascoutah-boys-basketball-coach-justin-love-dies-suddenly-on-campus-at-age-41-42687.cfm |title=Mascoutah Boys Basketball Coach Justin Love Dies Suddenly On Campus At Age 41 |website=Riverbender |date=June 23, 2020 |access-date=June 28, 2021 }}</ref> and was inducted into the university's hall of fame in 2009.<ref name=Merc>{{Cite news |author=Darren Sabedra |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/former-sacred-heart-cathedral-basketball-standout-dies-at-41 |title=Former Sacred Heart Cathedral basketball standout dies at 41 |newspaper=The Mercury News |date=June 24, 2020|accessdate=June 25, 2020}}</ref> He was also inducted into the hall of fame at Sacred Heart Cathedral<ref name=Chron/> and in 2016 at Cañada College.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://canadacollege.edu/halloffame/inductees2016.php |title=Hall of Fame: 2016 Inductees |publisher=Cañada College |access-date=June 28, 2021 }}</ref>
== Professional career == After graduation, Love went undrafted in the 2000 NBA draft, making him an unrestricted free agent. After participating in the Phoenix Suns' training camp, he signed a multi-year agreement with the team on August 1, 2000. On October 25, the Suns decided to waive him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Justin-Love/Summary/1302|title=Justin Love Player Profile, Saint Louis, NCAA Stats, International Stats, Game Logs, Awards |website=RealGM |accessdate=June 25, 2020}}</ref> Love went on to play for the Kansas City Knights, a newly-founded team that competed in the American Basketball Association's inaugural season.<ref>{{cite web |author=Gary Bedore |url=http://www2.kusports.com/news/2000/aug/17/aba_team_eyes/ |title=ABA team eyes ex-Jayhawks |website=KU Sports |date=August 17, 2000 |access-date=June 29, 2021 }}</ref>
In February 2001, he accepted BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque's offer to play in the LNB Pro A league, but was released a month later due to difficulties adapting to European basketball.{{cn|date=June 2021}} He returned to St. Louis, briefly starring in the local St. Louis SkyHawks of the USBL before moving to China.
In 2002, Love signed with Beijing Olympians and played two seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), locking in an Asia-Basket All-CBA Imports 2nd Team selection in 2004.{{cn|date=June 2021}} After briefly returning to the St. Louis SkyHawks, he moved to Latvia, signing with BK Ventspils. Over the next four seasons, he carved out a solid leadership role within his teams, consistently posting double digit scoring averages and maintaining a high three-point shooting percentage (40%). Despite his 1.88m (6ft 2in) stature, his remarkable rebounding skills yielded nearly a rebound every seven minutes of playing time in the ULEB Cup. He was Latvian League Player of the Year in the 2004–05 season.<ref name=Chron/>
He spent the last six years of his professional career in Ukraine, signing with MBC Mykolaiv for two seasons in 2009 and then with BC Odesa for another four seasons. He continued to show impressive consistency, even with age, averaging double figures in scoring, solid outside shooting percentages and rebounding averages until his last season (2014-15). He was all-time leading scorer in the {{ill|Ukrainian basketball Super League|lt=Ukrainian Superleague|uk|АБКУ «Суперліга»}}.<ref name=Chron/>
== Coaching career == After retiring as a player, Love became an assistant coach at Belleville High School-West in Illinois, and in 2017 boys' basketball head coach at Mascoutah High School. In his three years with the Indians, he coached the team to a 55-42 record, winning the IHSA Class 3A regional championship in 2019, and was subsequently named the Illinois Basketball Association's boys Coach of the Year.<ref name=Riverbender/>
== Personal life and death == Love married Katy Walter in 2006; they had three children.<ref name=Chron/><ref name=announcement>{{cite web |url=https://www.heraldpubs.com/2020/06/28/justin-charles-love/ |title=Justin Charles Love |newspaper=The Herald |location=Mascoutah, Illinois |date=June 28, 2020 }}</ref>
On June 23, 2020, Love was found unresponsive on the grounds of Mascoutah High School. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.<ref name=Chron/><ref name=Riverbender/><ref name=Merc/>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://slubillikens.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/justin-love/60 Saint Louis Billikens college bio]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Justin}} Category:1978 births Category:2020 deaths Category:American expatriate basketball people in China Category:American expatriate basketball people in France Category:American expatriate basketball people in Germany Category:American expatriate basketball people in Latvia Category:American expatriate basketball people in Ukraine Category:American men's basketball coaches Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball coaches from California Category:Basketball players from San Francisco Category:BC Odesa players Category:BCM Gravelines players Category:BK Ventspils players Category:High school basketball coaches in Illinois Category:Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Category:MBC Mykolaiv players Category:Riesen Ludwigsburg players Category:Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball players Category:Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory alumni Category:Beijing Olympians players