Daphne
April 24th, 2007, 06:06 PM
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee guard Chris Lofton, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, announced on Tuesday he is staying for his senior season.
Lofton said he wasn't projected high enough in the upcoming NBA draft to warrant leaving school early.
"I think I knew all along I was coming back anyway. It was just a little part of me in my mind of waiting to see how everything shakes out. I'm not surprised by this," Lofton said during a news conference at the university with coach Bruce Pearl.
Lofton is one of the best long-range shooters in the country, leading the SEC in scoring at 20.8 points a game and in three-pointers per game at 3.42. Pearl said he envisions Lofton becoming more of a combo guard next season and even sharing some of the point guard duties.
He helped the Volunteers advance to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament before they were stopped short of reaching the final eight for the first time in school history. Lofton scored 24 points in the 85-84 loss to top-seeded Ohio State.
Source (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/sec/2007-04-24-tenn-lofton_N.htm)
Lofton said he wasn't projected high enough in the upcoming NBA draft to warrant leaving school early.
"I think I knew all along I was coming back anyway. It was just a little part of me in my mind of waiting to see how everything shakes out. I'm not surprised by this," Lofton said during a news conference at the university with coach Bruce Pearl.
Lofton is one of the best long-range shooters in the country, leading the SEC in scoring at 20.8 points a game and in three-pointers per game at 3.42. Pearl said he envisions Lofton becoming more of a combo guard next season and even sharing some of the point guard duties.
He helped the Volunteers advance to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament before they were stopped short of reaching the final eight for the first time in school history. Lofton scored 24 points in the 85-84 loss to top-seeded Ohio State.
Source (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/sec/2007-04-24-tenn-lofton_N.htm)