Former Canada Star, CCCMBCA HOF Inductee Passes at 43

Photo compliment of STLtoday.com

Justin Love, 41, a former star player at Canada College and a CCCMBCA Hall of Fame selection, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, June 23. Love, who was the boys basketball coach at Mascoutah High in Mascoutah, Illinois for the last three years, was a San Francisco native. He had a stellar career at Sacred Heart Cathedral before arriving at Cañada College. With two seasons under Cañada Hall of Fame Coach Mike Legarza, he was named the 1998 Most Valuable Player of the Coast Conference and California Player of the Year, all while making a trip to the Final Four.

Love went onto to St. Louis University where he is statistically among the top 10 in both season and career averages. He led the team to the 2000 Conference-USA Championship. He was selected to the Conference-USA All-Conference First-Team, Conference-USA All-Tournament Team, and named the Conference-USA’s Tournament Most Valuable Player. Following his collegiate career, Love was drafted in the 2000 NBA Draft, signing with the Phoenix Suns. Overall, his professional career spaned 14 seasons, playing across the world. Love held a BA in Communications Disorders and a master’s degree in Education.

In 2017, he was part of the largest CCCMBCA Hall of Fame class. He was one of eight individuals honored by the association, seven of them being players.