Love gets honor as family rejoices

PHOENIX -- Stan Love chews his nails until they bleed, puts teeth marks in his wrist, paces, climbs stairs up and down, and almost always has an opinion about how his son, Kevin, played.

But Saturday, after Kevin was selected the most outstanding player in the NCAA West Regional, Stan Love was left (almost) speechless. “It’s unexplainable,” a teary-eyed Stan said.

Stan played college basketball at Oregon and for four years in the NBA but said he never experienced such emotion. “Such joy for the whole team,” he said. “Such pride in Kevin. Such a thrill for UCLA.”

UCLA fans at US Airways Center were chanting, “One more year,” when Love cut down his part of the net and received the most-outstanding-player award. It has been assumed from the start of the season that Love would only play one season in college before leaving for the NBA.

“We still have two more games to play, I hope,” Love said later.

Stan wouldn’t offer any hint about what the future holds for his son either. “Just enjoy this now,” Stan said.

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Junior point guard Darren Collison was holding a piece of the net that had been cut down. Junior Josh Shipp said his mother, Debbie, keeps his net souvenirs. Senior Lorenzo Mata-Real has his framed.

Collison can’t remember where the net he cut his freshman season has been left. The piece from last year, he said, was stuck at the bottom of his equipment bag.

“I don’t want this net,” he said. “I want another net.”

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Mata-Real has been to the Final Four twice, but even though he was a starter then whereas now he has played only 14 minutes in the last three games, his actions after the game were very much those of a player soaking up the last days of his college career.

The net from one basket draped around his neck, the senior made his way into the crowd, hugged his mother and friends, posed for photos, then accepted a video camera and shot footage of his teammates and coaches celebrating and cheering Bruins fans.

“It’s my last [season] so I want to enjoy it,” said Mata-Real, who had a rebound and a block in six minutes Saturday in UCLA’s 76-57 victory over Xavier.

Later, in the locker room, he did some reflecting.

“Third straight time going, that’s something you don’t see a lot,” he said. “We just want to finish the job.”

UCLA lost to Florida in the 2006 final and to the Gators in last year’s semifinal.

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Freshman Chace Stanback made a three-point shot with 37 seconds left for UCLA’s final points -- and the only points in 24 minutes logged by Bruins’ reserves.

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Collison and Russell Westbrook joined Love on the all-region team, along with Tyrone Brazelton of Western Kentucky and Josh Duncan of Xavier. . . . Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s 13 rebounds were a game high and the most taken by an Xavier opponent this season. . . . Also, UCLA’s 53.8% shooting was best against Xavier this season.

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

mike.hiserman@latimes.com