Chris Lofton means a lot to the University of Tennessee and the Vols' men's basketball program. He's a legendary VFL, and that goes without saying – simply because of what he accomplished as a player on Rocky Top and how much love he has for the school.
A four-year player at Tennessee from 2004-2008, Lofton – a Maysville, Kentucky native – put together a standout career while with the Vols and will forever be labeled as one of the top players to come through the historic program.
Over Lofton's career in Knoxville, the 6-foot-2 guard scored 2,131 points, grabbed 427 rebounds and dished out 220 assists. He shot 45% from the field and 42% from 3-point range over his four years to go along with an 84% clip from the free throw line. Lofton averaged double figures each season – scoring 13.2, 17.2, 20.8 and 15.5 points per game, respectively.
Now years after his stellar collegiate career, Lofton's No. 5 jersey will soon be hanging from the rafters inside of Thompson-Boling Arena as Tennessee will officially retire it on Saturday when the Vols host Kentucky.
Ahead of Saturday's event, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes met with the media to share his thoughts on Lofton's jersey retirement and what the VFL has meant to the program over the years.
"We all should be excited for Chris," Barnes said. "I've never met anyone that can say one ill thing about Chris. When you come into a situation like we did eight years ago and you want to build something special, but you also know you need past players and people involved with you to help you do that, he embraced us – from the time he came around. ... One, because he loves this University so much. The second thing is he loves being in the gym, so I think our players had the chance up close to see a real professional go at his craft and do what he needs to do.
"But, lay that aside, the kind of person he is, what he stands for, his love for the Lord. ... I mean, he's real. He's as real as can be. And then throw in the fact that he had to fight cancer. He's such a great person, and the way he loves the program – I don't know of any era that doesn't love him because of the way he loves this place."
Although Barnes wasn't at Tennessee when Lofton played, he did get to coach against the guard on multiple occasions while serving as the head coach at Texas – highlighted by an all-time classic matchup in Knoxville back on December 23, 2006.
In a battle between a pair of top teams, the Vols and Longhorns went back-and-forth throughout the game before Tennessee ultimately recorded a 111-105 win in overtime. While Lofton led the way for the Vols with a game-high 35 points with seven 3-pointers, his deep ball with 18 seconds left in regulation gave Tennessee its first lead of the game at 88-87.
Lofton hit the iconic shot over Texas star Kevin Durant. Barnes will never forget that moment – and what it did for KD's career moving forward.
"Well, I know it was a deep one," Barnes said. "Again, I tell people all the time – all they have to do is look at the tape. The fact of the matter is – I was telling someone yesterday – it was a major turning point game for Kevin Durant. He had played great, made a couple of decisions at the end of the game that weren't good. After that game, he really had a whole different focus on college basketball. He actually came back after Christmas and said, 'Coach, I want to really learn how to play this game. Not just from the physical standpoint, but from the mental standpoint.
"And then within about a week, he took off like a rocket and won every National Player of the Year (award). ... That's what really stands out to me."
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