ponto
February 15th, 2006, 09:34 AM
It’s been said everyone has a story to tell.
It just so happens that Chris Lofton’s begins and ends on the basketball court.
Or so it seems.
Lofton’s basketball tales have been plenty exciting over the past two years, but particularly this season.
The Tennessee sophomore from Maysville, Ky., is coming off national and SEC player-of-the-week honors as the Vols (18-3, 9-1 SEC) play Auburn (10-11, 2-8) tonight at Thompson-Boling Arena. The games starts at 7:30 and will not be televised.
Last Tuesday against Kentucky — the school that ignored him during the recruiting process — Lofton dropped 31 points on the Wildcats at Rupp Arena in a 75-67 victory. On Saturday, he was even more effective, scoring 33 with a school-record 9 3-pointers to single-handily lift the road-weary Vols to an 83-78 victory at Georgia.
Fact is, it’s hard to imagine a more exciting player in college basketball right now than Lofton.
Good thing: The guy is pretty boring off the court.
How boring?
His favorite food is mashed potatoes. Just plain ol’ mashed potatoes. He does, however, dare to put cheese on his broccoli, according to his mother, Kathy Lofton.
But he won’t chew gum.
"Never seen him with it in his mouth,’’ father Frank Lofton said.
You won’t catch Chris Lofton with his foot in his mouth, either.
Lofton was asked, baited and hounded for nearly 30 minutes after the Kentucky win by media chomping at the bit for Lofton to aim an "I told you so’’ in the direction of Wildcats coach Tubby Smith.
It never came. Instead, Lofton, who was the state’s Mr. Kentucky in 2004, said he understood the Wildcats’ decision not to offer him a scholarship and was very happy where he ended up.
Bor-ing.
So maybe you’re thinking the wild side of Lofton is reserved for teammates, who see him out of the public eye.
Think again.
"The most interesting thing about Chris that doesn’t have to do with basketball?’’ UT center Major Wingate asked rhetorically. "Nothing really. He’s just simple.
"He does smile every once in a while.’’
Usually, after victories.
Frank Lofton, a mechanical repairman at a coal-burning electrical plant, said that’s just the way of his only child.
"Chris is all about winning championships, and that’s it,’’ said Frank, who coached his son’s youth teams from kindergarten through fourth grade. "In the big games, he shows up. If he’s not making his shot, he’ll do something else, like the Florida game when he stole the ball from (Corey) Brewer.’’
Lofton also burned the then-No. 2 and unbeaten Gators for 29 points that night.
That type of performance didn’t surprise Steve "Truck’’ Warner, who coached Lofton in AAU basketball for three years of 12- and 14-under ball.
"Nothing ever rattled him,’’ said Warner, who led the Mason County Hornets to a 52-0 mark and a Kentucky state title during Lofton’s second year in the program. "Chris doesn’t say much, he just shows it to you.
"And he doesn’t get excited about anything.’’
Well, maybe chocolate chip cookies or brownies.
"He always keeps a fresh box of them in his room,’’ UT guard JaJuan Smith. "When I get hungry, that’s where I go.’’
Likewise, when the Vols need a bucket, they turn to Lofton.
"It doesn’t matter if he’s covered,’’ UT forward Dane Bradshaw said. "He’s just something very special. At this point, you have to look at him at the All-American level.’’
ESPN.com’s Andy Katz said Lofton should at least be considered front-runner for SEC Player of the Year.
Not that it would do much for Lofton. He has a basement full of trophies and hallways full of plaques at his home.
"Doesn’t care anything about them,’’ Frank Lofton said.
It turns out Chris did care about going to Kentucky.
"He never did say that for a long time; I found out when it was over after he signed with Tennessee,’’ Frank Lofton said. "I said ‘Chris what were you waiting on? He said ‘Kentucky, dad.’ ’’
When former UT coach Buzz Peterson came calling, the Loftons were pleased. Peterson was viewed as a good Christian family man, a sure way to score points with sixth-grade language arts instructor and Sunday school teacher Kathy Lofton.
"We’re a Christian family, and we think things happen for a reason,’’ Kathy Lofton said. "We moved on and realized Tennessee was the place Chris was supposed to be.’’
Kathy Lofton reminded her son of that when he called home after Peterson was fired last March and discussed transferring.
The next notable phone call from Lofton came the day after Bruce Pearl was hired.
"He called me that morning and said ‘I was late for study hall, so guess what I’ve been doing? I’ve been running.’ ’’ Kathy Lofton said. "He said ‘I was late, and coach Pearl doesn’t play; he made me run.
"Chris was used to a disciplined team, and that’s what he was looking for.’’
Smith was a partner in crime with Lofton in the study hall incident.
"Coach Pearl wanted to meet with all the players when he got hired, so we scheduled our meeting with him the same time as study hall,’’ Smith said. "With Buzz, you’d get one warning. But Coach Pearl said that was the oldest trick in the book and made us get up at 5 a.m. and practice for two hours without a basketball.’’
So, Lofton is asked, what does he find to be the most exciting or interesting thing about himself?
"I don’t know; basketball is my life,’’ Lofton said. "That’s all I know. Growing up in Kentucky, it’s always been like that.’’
Playing collegiate basketball in Tennessee, it still is.
source (http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/gvx_vol_baseball/article/0,2682,KNS_25293_4467702,00.html)
It just so happens that Chris Lofton’s begins and ends on the basketball court.
Or so it seems.
Lofton’s basketball tales have been plenty exciting over the past two years, but particularly this season.
The Tennessee sophomore from Maysville, Ky., is coming off national and SEC player-of-the-week honors as the Vols (18-3, 9-1 SEC) play Auburn (10-11, 2-8) tonight at Thompson-Boling Arena. The games starts at 7:30 and will not be televised.
Last Tuesday against Kentucky — the school that ignored him during the recruiting process — Lofton dropped 31 points on the Wildcats at Rupp Arena in a 75-67 victory. On Saturday, he was even more effective, scoring 33 with a school-record 9 3-pointers to single-handily lift the road-weary Vols to an 83-78 victory at Georgia.
Fact is, it’s hard to imagine a more exciting player in college basketball right now than Lofton.
Good thing: The guy is pretty boring off the court.
How boring?
His favorite food is mashed potatoes. Just plain ol’ mashed potatoes. He does, however, dare to put cheese on his broccoli, according to his mother, Kathy Lofton.
But he won’t chew gum.
"Never seen him with it in his mouth,’’ father Frank Lofton said.
You won’t catch Chris Lofton with his foot in his mouth, either.
Lofton was asked, baited and hounded for nearly 30 minutes after the Kentucky win by media chomping at the bit for Lofton to aim an "I told you so’’ in the direction of Wildcats coach Tubby Smith.
It never came. Instead, Lofton, who was the state’s Mr. Kentucky in 2004, said he understood the Wildcats’ decision not to offer him a scholarship and was very happy where he ended up.
Bor-ing.
So maybe you’re thinking the wild side of Lofton is reserved for teammates, who see him out of the public eye.
Think again.
"The most interesting thing about Chris that doesn’t have to do with basketball?’’ UT center Major Wingate asked rhetorically. "Nothing really. He’s just simple.
"He does smile every once in a while.’’
Usually, after victories.
Frank Lofton, a mechanical repairman at a coal-burning electrical plant, said that’s just the way of his only child.
"Chris is all about winning championships, and that’s it,’’ said Frank, who coached his son’s youth teams from kindergarten through fourth grade. "In the big games, he shows up. If he’s not making his shot, he’ll do something else, like the Florida game when he stole the ball from (Corey) Brewer.’’
Lofton also burned the then-No. 2 and unbeaten Gators for 29 points that night.
That type of performance didn’t surprise Steve "Truck’’ Warner, who coached Lofton in AAU basketball for three years of 12- and 14-under ball.
"Nothing ever rattled him,’’ said Warner, who led the Mason County Hornets to a 52-0 mark and a Kentucky state title during Lofton’s second year in the program. "Chris doesn’t say much, he just shows it to you.
"And he doesn’t get excited about anything.’’
Well, maybe chocolate chip cookies or brownies.
"He always keeps a fresh box of them in his room,’’ UT guard JaJuan Smith. "When I get hungry, that’s where I go.’’
Likewise, when the Vols need a bucket, they turn to Lofton.
"It doesn’t matter if he’s covered,’’ UT forward Dane Bradshaw said. "He’s just something very special. At this point, you have to look at him at the All-American level.’’
ESPN.com’s Andy Katz said Lofton should at least be considered front-runner for SEC Player of the Year.
Not that it would do much for Lofton. He has a basement full of trophies and hallways full of plaques at his home.
"Doesn’t care anything about them,’’ Frank Lofton said.
It turns out Chris did care about going to Kentucky.
"He never did say that for a long time; I found out when it was over after he signed with Tennessee,’’ Frank Lofton said. "I said ‘Chris what were you waiting on? He said ‘Kentucky, dad.’ ’’
When former UT coach Buzz Peterson came calling, the Loftons were pleased. Peterson was viewed as a good Christian family man, a sure way to score points with sixth-grade language arts instructor and Sunday school teacher Kathy Lofton.
"We’re a Christian family, and we think things happen for a reason,’’ Kathy Lofton said. "We moved on and realized Tennessee was the place Chris was supposed to be.’’
Kathy Lofton reminded her son of that when he called home after Peterson was fired last March and discussed transferring.
The next notable phone call from Lofton came the day after Bruce Pearl was hired.
"He called me that morning and said ‘I was late for study hall, so guess what I’ve been doing? I’ve been running.’ ’’ Kathy Lofton said. "He said ‘I was late, and coach Pearl doesn’t play; he made me run.
"Chris was used to a disciplined team, and that’s what he was looking for.’’
Smith was a partner in crime with Lofton in the study hall incident.
"Coach Pearl wanted to meet with all the players when he got hired, so we scheduled our meeting with him the same time as study hall,’’ Smith said. "With Buzz, you’d get one warning. But Coach Pearl said that was the oldest trick in the book and made us get up at 5 a.m. and practice for two hours without a basketball.’’
So, Lofton is asked, what does he find to be the most exciting or interesting thing about himself?
"I don’t know; basketball is my life,’’ Lofton said. "That’s all I know. Growing up in Kentucky, it’s always been like that.’’
Playing collegiate basketball in Tennessee, it still is.
source (http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/gvx_vol_baseball/article/0,2682,KNS_25293_4467702,00.html)