Lofton- the early days

[ponto]

No school other than Arkansas State and Tennessee offered Chris Lofton a scholarship.

Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl was beginning to see why in his first few practices last season as Tennessee's new basketball coach.

Lofton didn't do anything spectacular. He didn't catch Pearl's eye. He didn't stand out. But then, Tennessee scrimmaged for the first time. Pearl remembers the practice game with intricate detail.

"We were in practice for a couple of weeks, and he was just sort of fitting in like everybody else. Nothing special," Pearl said. "He wasn't real aggressive and he was sort of blending in.

Then, he went off for 40 in our first scrimmage. Once we started keeping score, and all of a sudden it mattered, there he was.

It didn't take long for him to surface."

Lofton has torched nets in Knoxville and around the Southeastern Conference ever since.

Read More (http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/01/05/razorback_central/010507rzbkb.txt)

[mark125]

Tubby is always mentioned when it comes recruiting Lofton where was the great Pitino?

[dpolley]

Tubby is always mentioned when it comes recruiting Lofton where was the great Pitino?
Everyone's too busy bashing Tubby (myself included).

[Chuck]

Tubby is always mentioned when it comes recruiting Lofton where was the great Pitino?

Just making it to Louisville stocking his desk. Quit passing the heat. LOL

[whodey9]

Just making it to Louisville stocking his desk. Quit passing the heat. LOL

Huh??

[Chuck]

Sorry, thought Pitino on got to U of L only a couple of years ago. About the time Lofton was starting College.

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Rick Pitino, one of the most brilliant minds in coaching, began a new era in University of Louisville men's basketball when he was named head coach of the Cardinals on March 21, 2001. And as he successfully accomplished at his previous three collegiate coaching stops, it is clear that there couldn't have been a finer choice to lead Louisville back among the nation's elite teams.
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[whodey9]

[QUOTE=Chuck]Sorry, thought Pitino on got to U of L only a couple of years ago. About the time Lofton was starting College.

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Rick Pitino, one of the most brilliant minds in coaching, began a new era in University of Louisville men's basketball when he was named head coach of the Cardinals on March 21, 2001. And as he successfully accomplished at his previous three collegiate coaching stops, it is clear that there couldn't have been a finer choice to lead Louisville back among the nation's elite teams.


---------------------------[/QUOTE

Looks as if he left that brilliant mind behind when he left Lexington and Kentucky Wildcats for attitudes and dollars with the Boston Celtics. He no longer can recruit like once could, and he has failed at trying to make the Louisville Cardinals the meca of basketball in Kentucky like I know he thought he could when he returned to Kentucky to take the reins of Louisville. Pitino always felt he was bigger than the state and I am glad he was proven otherwise.

[kdown]

Pitino arrived in Lexington at just the right time, under the exact situation and with the exact people he needed. Four underachiever home grown kids who wanted to play. The program was about as low as it could get so the only way was up. In my opinion he is a much better motivator than he is a coach. Later he left for the BIG money but proved for the second time that he can not coach in the pros.
His term at Louisville has been somewhat less then brilliant. Time will tell how long he stays.

[whodey9]

Pitino arrived in Lexington at just the right time, under the exact situation and with the exact people he needed. Four underachiever home grown kids who wanted to play. The program was about as low as it could get so the only way was up. In my opinion he is a much better motivator than he is a coach. Later he left for the BIG money but proved for the second time that he can not coach in the pros.
His term at Louisville has been somewhat less then brilliant. Time will tell how long he stays.

Maybe you will get a closer view of him next season as everyone knows the Knicks are going to can Isaiah Thomas as their coach, so maybe Pitino will jet back to New York to coach in the National Basketball Attitudes.

[kdown]

He's already tried that. Do you think he's go back for more punishment ?

[whodey9]

He's already tried that. Do you think he's go back for more punishment ?


He did that by going to the celtics, I hope for your sake that he doesn't but when can you ever believe anything the guy has said before. He said he would finish his coaching career in Louisville.....maybe he will surprise us all:rolleyes:

[kdown]

He was Knicks coach 1988-1989 and Boston 1998 - 2001.
His pro record is 192 wins and 220 losses

[whodey9]

Impressive I might add:rolleyes:

[mark125]

Just making it to Louisville stocking his desk. Quit passing the heat. LOL
about 4 years after the fact of 2001, fast forward to 2005 was when Pitino was at Louisville he was stacking his desk full of Sebastian Telfair papers, remember the player from the bronx in new york who shunned pitino for the NBA, and oh I forgot that was probably Loftons scholly.

[jdshep15]

4 all u tubby bashers, and pearl lovers, buzz was the one that offered chris the scholly, not pearl. i myself think he is wayyyyyyyyyyyy overated he came in with a very expierenced team, with chris, without chris this year they would be pooooop. i just wonder if all the idiots will go and ask for the key to the city back when chris graduates. Frank and kathlyn is the one that deserves the key not that dang idiot. he had nothing to do with chris lofton.

[mark125]

4 all u tubby bashers, and pearl lovers, buzz was the one that offered chris the scholly, not pearl. i myself think he is wayyyyyyyyyyyy overated he came in with a very expierenced team, with chris, without chris this year they would be pooooop. i just wonder if all the idiots will go and ask for the key to the city back when chris graduates. Frank and kathlyn is the one that deserves the key not that dang idiot. he had nothing to do with chris lofton.
So I take it your not a Bruce Pearl fan?

[whodey9]

4 all u tubby bashers, and pearl lovers, buzz was the one that offered chris the scholly, not pearl. i myself think he is wayyyyyyyyyyyy overated he came in with a very expierenced team, with chris, without chris this year they would be pooooop. i just wonder if all the idiots will go and ask for the key to the city back when chris graduates. Frank and kathlyn is the one that deserves the key not that dang idiot. he had nothing to do with chris lofton.


Sounds like you have either had a bad night or morning and I hope it gets better. Couple things here, I personally am a Chris Lofton fan(not a UT fan) and a die hard fan of UK....translate, I hope Chris drops 40 on UK and UK wins by 1 because that is all that matters is a blue and white win. In defense of Pearl, he is not overated, in fact prior to coming to UT, he led a mid major Wisconsin Milwaukee team to the Sweet16 of the NCAA where recruiting is hard to compete with all the D1 talent so the guy can recruit(top 5 class this year I might add) and in fact he has put a energy(like I wish Rupp has at UK games) back in Thompson Boling Arena at UT. Secondly, Buzz was the head coach at the time, but was a late comer in the recruiting process and would not of had Chris had a scholly not become available by virtue of another player opting out of his so probably shouldn't be a lot of kudos his way either.

Moving along, I wonder if you or anyone else would question the fact if Tubby had signed Chris at UK, would the question of who gets the key to the city come into play...I think not. Tubby would have it, and he wouldn't be coming to Maysville and giving a speech about BC(before Chris) I agree that the parents should hold the key as well, there are many keys to the city floating around the community so that is really not a issue as well.

[mark125]

4 all u tubby bashers, and pearl lovers, buzz was the one that offered chris the scholly, not pearl. i myself think he is wayyyyyyyyyyyy overated he came in with a very expierenced team, with chris, without chris this year they would be pooooop. i just wonder if all the idiots will go and ask for the key to the city back when chris graduates. Frank and kathlyn is the one that deserves the key not that dang idiot. he had nothing to do with chris lofton.

Sounds like you have either had a bad night or morning Hey shep.... Take 2 Ibuprofen, works for me!

[kybikertrash]

I personally think that Chris is much better off at TN. If he were at UK he wouldn't get to play his game because Tubby wouldn't let him.....I think Tubby has said that he doesn't like to recruit a Ky Mr. B-ball so he would have made Chris suffer (if he had been pressured to sign him on) by leaving him on the bench for most the game to prove a point. At TN Chris plays a lot and as a result has had many accomplishments....and BTW I am a UK fan but also Chris Lofton fan.

[spike91]

yea i agree kybikertrash i watch chris play his whole high school playing career he deserved to go to a place where he can play every game and show his shooting talent..coach wells deserves alot of credit too he coached chris and made him into the player he is today

[jdshep15]

i root for chris also, he is a great player, and way underated, no offense people, and yes there is no way that i would have signed chris at uk with the like of bradley, morris, crawford, and rondo. coming out of high school, with what we all know now, heck how nice would it have been. but it didnt happen if one of u tell me this u would be a darn liar. and no i didnt have a bad day or night, and yes i did take a ibuprofen because all the darn vols lovers since chris arrived there makes me sick. sorry just speaking the truth i actually have arguments with my 5 good friends, my son, and my wife about this crap and reading this crap on here for 3 years. just speaking my my mind does anyone on here back me just wondering. C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS WELL BYE

[whodey9]

i root for chris also, he is a great player, and way underated, no offense people, and yes there is no way that i would have signed chris at uk with the like of bradley, morris, crawford, and rondo. coming out of high school, with what we all know now, **** how nice would it have been. but it didnt happen if one of u tell me this u would be a **** liar. and no i didnt have a bad day or night, and yes i did take a ibuprofen because all the f----n vols lovers since chris arrived there makes me sick. sorry just speaking the truth i actually have arguments with my 5 good friends, my son, and my wife about this **** and reading this **** on here for 3 years. just speaking my my mind does anyone on here back me just wondering. C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS WELL BYE

shep, not sure why you are upset as I think everyone on this page is in agreement that Chris is better off playing for Tennessee, fits better in their offensive system as opposed to playing in Tubbys system. I am not sure I have read in this thread that there are Vol lovers, and if you have arguements with your family members and friends, then keep your anger and words towards them and not on this thread. Its obvious that you lack etiquette when posting or you wouldn't venture into the cussing like you have. Its a nice friendly basketball chat about our hometown kid excelling at Tennessee. Again I will make it known I am a die hard UK fan and glad to see them 2-0 in SEC and winners of 10 straight games. Go Blue!

[Foxy]

Jdshep15.
WOW, even drugged up from surgery today I see stars that are not a result of my pain meds.....
If you have been reading this stuff for 3 years, and you visit this site often, you will know that this is a family site. And you are in violation of site rules regrading language. You have a right to feel the way you want, but you cannot use that language here. Please in the future think before you type those words. My child pointed this out, she is a huge UK Cats and Lofton fan, and she reads these sports threads, SHE pointed out to me the language you used. Thanks! And come back all you want and post, just watch the language.


On a side note (not just to Jdshep15, but all those that do this) it is easier to read posts that use proper punctuation, by not using capital letters at the beginning of sentences it is hard to read posts.

[dpolley]

On a side note (not just to Jdshep15, but all those that do this) it is easier to read posts that use proper punctuation, by not using capital letters at the beginning of sentences it is hard to read posts.
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U MEAN LIK THis???? LOL!:drum:

[Foxy]

LOL... Another side note, I am a sorta UK fan...
I have a huge picture that is an artist's drawing of the blue wildcat with every basketball and football players signature on it from 1976. It is authentic, it was a "birth" gift to my parents given to them when I was born.