Returning players make Vols favorite

[Coldstream]

Returning players make Vols favorite (http://www.kentucky.com/276/story/125643.html)

By Jerry Tipton

JTIPTON@HERALD-LEADER

Based on returning players to a winning program, Southeastern Conference basketball coaches tabbed Tennessee as a favorite to win the league's Eastern Division. And UT Coach Bruce Pearl accepted that label.



http://www.kentucky.com/276/story/125643.html

[Will Lavender]

Quote from Pearl:

"Kentucky may have lost Randolph Morris," Pearl said, a moment before he described a de facto "trade" made by UK this off-season that included highly regarded freshmen Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion. "Morris for Patterson, Legion and an eighth-grader to be named later. I'd say that would be a good trade."

:)

And it's interesting that Chris Lofton didn't make the Pan-Am team. Here's the roster:

Selected for the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team roster were: Josh Carter (Texas A&M / Dallas, Texas); Joey Dorsey (Memphis / Baltimore, Md.); Wayne Ellington (North Carolina / Wynnewood, Pa.); Shan Foster (Vanderbilt / Kenner, La.); James Gist (Maryland / Silver Spring, Md.); Roy Hibbert (Georgetown / Adelphi, Md.); Maarty Leunen (Oregon / Redmond, Ore.); ; Derrick Low (Washington State / Honolulu, Hawaii); Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth / Fayetteville, N.C.); Drew Neitzel (Michigan State / Grand Rapids, Mich.); Scottie Reynolds (Villanova / Herndon, Va.); Bryce Taylor (Oregon / Encino, Calif.); Kyle Weaver (Washington State / Beloit, Wis.); D.J. White (Indiana / Tuscaloosa, Ala.).

Lofton's not better than Eric Maynor or Bryce Tyler? He's not better than Drew Neitzel? Wow.

[sardiscat]

Two players from Washington State, one from the SEC? I wonder where somebody on the selection committee is from?

[Will Lavender]

I wonder where somebody on the selection committee is from?

Looks like Tubby Smith is on the committee. Has he snubbed Lofton once again? :icon_mrgreen:

USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee
The USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee, in addition to chair Boeheim, consists of: NCAA appointees Fran Dunphy (head coach, Temple University, Pa.); Tom Izzo (head coach, Michigan State University); Ernie Kent (head coach, University of Oregon) and Tubby Smith (head coach, University of Minnesota); NABC appointee Bill Self (head coach, University of Kansas); NAIA appointee Bob Burchard (head coach, Columbia College, Mo.); NJCAA appointee Scott Schumacher (head coach, Kilgore C.C., Texas), and athlete representatives Steve Wojciechowski (1995 Junior World Championship team / assistant coach, Duke University, N.C.) and A.J. Wynder (1995 Pan American Games team / head coach, Nassau Community College, N.Y.).

Link. (http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/071507aaf.html)

The head coach is Villanova's Jay Wright. His assistants are Alabama's Mark Gottfried and Yale's James Jones.

[9thregionUKfan]

Quote from Pearl:

"Kentucky may have lost Randolph Morris," Pearl said, a moment before he described a de facto "trade" made by UK this off-season that included highly regarded freshmen Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion. "Morris for Patterson, Legion and an eighth-grader to be named later. I'd say that would be a good trade."

:)

And it's interesting that Chris Lofton didn't make the Pan-Am team. Here's the roster:

Selected for the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team roster were: Josh Carter (Texas A&M / Dallas, Texas); Joey Dorsey (Memphis / Baltimore, Md.); Wayne Ellington (North Carolina / Wynnewood, Pa.); Shan Foster (Vanderbilt / Kenner, La.); James Gist (Maryland / Silver Spring, Md.); Roy Hibbert (Georgetown / Adelphi, Md.); Maarty Leunen (Oregon / Redmond, Ore.); ; Derrick Low (Washington State / Honolulu, Hawaii); Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth / Fayetteville, N.C.); Drew Neitzel (Michigan State / Grand Rapids, Mich.); Scottie Reynolds (Villanova / Herndon, Va.); Bryce Taylor (Oregon / Encino, Calif.); Kyle Weaver (Washington State / Beloit, Wis.); D.J. White (Indiana / Tuscaloosa, Ala.).

Lofton's not better than Eric Maynor or Bryce Tyler? He's not better than Drew Neitzel? Wow.


He's definitely not better than Drew Neitzel. Better scorer, yes. Better all around player, no.

[DCWildcat]

All I can figure is that they based their selections solely on how everyone played there, and not on what they'd seen before, and Lofton didn't shoot well :shrug1:

[Will Lavender]

He's definitely not better than Drew Neitzel. Better scorer, yes. Better all around player, no.

We'll just have to disagree about that. Shoot and score -- that's what Neitzel does as well. He plays the point, of course, but he's really not a true point guard. He and Lofton don't have dissimilar games.

Neitzel's a nice player, but he's not Chris Lofton IMO.

[9thregionUKfan]

We'll just have to disagree about that. Shoot and score -- that's what Neitzel does as well. He plays the point, of course, but he's really not a true point guard. He and Lofton don't have dissimilar games.

Neitzel's a nice player, but he's not Chris Lofton IMO.

Sorry Will, I just totally disagree. Neitzel is a good PG, he mostly scores because he HAS to for a team lacking scorers. Lofton is a completely one dimensional player. Not saying thats a bad thing, because he can flat out fill it up. But Neitzel is a good defender and as hard nosed and tough as they come. I think hes a very good PG. Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. ;)