Recruiting Report: Zach Loveday (2020)

Not only does Zach Loveday (2020) stand 6’11” as a 15-year-old, he can also play some basketball. The young prospect from Galia Academy in Southern Ohio, who plays with the Mid Ohio Pumas during the summer, has already shown enough early in his career to grab the attention of some premier Midwest programs. “I know the head coach here at Galia got called by the Ohio University coach. He’s talked with the assistant up at Ohio State, Purdue. I heard Notre Dame called the school. I did go on an unofficial visit to Xavier a couple weekends ago, which was really fun,” Loveday said. He went on to mention that he’s also been on an unofficial visit to Ohio State. Prep Hoops Ohio has also heard from a source close to the situation that Louisvlle made inquiries about Loveday. And in somewhat related news, Loveday did sub with the Louisville Magic team last weekend in Fort Wayne, with the Pumas taking a weekend off. Being so young, Loveday is mostly just enjoying the experience of soaking in all the recruitment stuff right now. “I’m just trying to take it in and figure it out. I think of it like this, I got three or three and half more years to officially decide where I want to go ... Just absorbing everything. When it starts to come around time to make a decision, I’ll go from there,” Loveday said. The truth is, there’s probably going to be a lot to soak in for this small-town center prospect. Loveday is incredibly gifted, and we’re not only talking about height. The kid blocks a ton of shots because of his length and ability to make up ground quickly with his feet. He moves around quite well, which also helps on his back-to-the-basket game. However, Loveday is also trying to add some versatility to his repertoire right now. “My trainer has like a work-out program that I go to every day after school, when I can. Get shots up and drills that I can do on my own to always improve my game and get better,” Loveday said. At the Court XIV training facility, Loveday and Nathan Conley (the trainer), have been experimenting with his perimeter skills. “Right now, it’s mainly ball-handling. That’s what he’s trying to get me to get good at. Which, honestly, that’s what I’ve been wanting to get good at. Trying to do as much of that ball-handling stuff as he can give me.” In the film below, you’ll notice one possession where Loveday gets the ball in the backcourt on a press-breaker. The team nearly immediately calls for a timeout. Whether that’s because of Loveday having it or not is impossible to say. Regardless of the reason for that particular timeout, we asked Loveday if he wants to be able to attack from there, or if he simply wants to develop a face-up game. “It’s kind of both. Because our guards on the Puma team are really good. They can all handle the ball. Eventually, when they start mucking up and stuff like that and I’m the only one open, it helps to be able to move up the court and advance the ball without having to worry,” Loveday said.   Last season, Loveday helped Galia Academy go from 7-14 the year prior to 16-6. The team was eventually eliminated in the playoffs, in part because of an unusual amount of ill players. However, he’s a high-impact guy who will continue making noise in Ohio year round. Loveday also carries a 4.0 GPA off the court and is a talented musician that plays multiple instruments.