I know this is off the wall, but let's talk about Chris Lofton for a minute.

[JWORLD]

With all the great accomplishments Lofton has accomplished in his career at Tennessee, he should thank the University of Kentucky.

Had we had signed Chris Lofton, would he be were he was at today?He would have had to come in and sit behind some very good guards at the time.He could of also taking a mindset that he had reached the mountain top and became relaxed and happy just to be at Kentucky.

This is why i say he should thank UK for giving him the drive and motivation to get him to where he is at today.From day one, it has always been about him proving UK wrong and playing with that chip on his shoulder which has helped him succeed.........


It has and will always be about UK..........................

[CatFanInTheBathtub]

chris lofton can bite my ... and think about why no other good schools offered him a scholly either.

[graham51]

chris lofton can bite my ... and think about why no other good schools offered him a scholly either.


Maybe it was because their coaches were no better than OTS in judging talent.

[matt colvin]

chris lofton can bite my ... and think about why no other good schools offered him a scholly either.

Wow, that's kinda harsh. All he did was utilize his talents quite well. I imagine a ton of hard work has went into that, and I really respect hard-workers. I have no ill against Chris. But, hind-sight is, well, better than 20/20. So it's not that big of a deal to me.

At the time, we made the right choices.

[CatFanInTheBathtub]

didn't mean to be harsh. just messin around really. but I had gotten entirely too sick of hearing about how we passed on him every time we played ut over the last 4 years. The fact is that the kid was not that highly rated in high school.

but no, I have no ill will towards him.

[CatKroboth]

Rhondo, JC, Bradley.. All Higher Rated, 2 McD boys.... over...

Lofton was only shooter at that time that was not highly recruited He then developed more of a game over, and became a good college player. Good for him.

Yeah.... I would have turned down JC or Bradley for him... NOT. I defiantly would not trade either one's SR season for Lofton's

[Dawood Khan]

With all the great accomplishments Lofton has accomplished in his career at Tennessee, he should thank the University of Kentucky.

Had we had signed Chris Lofton, would he be were he was at today?He would have had to come in and sit behind some very good guards at the time.He could of also taking a mindset that he had reached the mountain top and became relaxed and happy just to be at Kentucky.

This is why i say he should thank UK for giving him the drive and motivation to get him to where he is at today.From day one, it has always been about him proving UK wrong and playing with that chip on his shoulder which has helped him succeed.........


It has and will always be about UK..........................

biggest bunch of bull I've ever read in my life

Lofton was misjudged by many. That is their fault not his.

Lofton worked hard because the kid wanted to succeed. That's drive and personal ambition. Personal pride.

It's also motivation from a coach who from all (non-prejudiced) accounts is an excellent motivator.

Sometimes, I get to knowing exactly what they mean when they talk about the radical UK element. And it's ugly.

[Will Lavender]

Lofton has no one to thank but himself. He made himself who he is. He's performed well under two different college coaches, so that tells me that it isn't one coach who motivated him to be great. He's just busted his butt, that's all.

He is a GREAT offensive player. Not good, great. Tubby messed up; if we needed one thing this season, it was offense. It happens. But Tubby's decision -- and Pitino's, and Donovan's -- had nothing to do with Lofton being where he is. By all accounts the kid doesn't hold a grudge.

I hope this is the last Chris Lofton thread I ever reply to.

[Rockober]

I wander how many people in the Carolinas and the rest of teh country are kicking themselves for not recruiting Stephon Curry? The kid comes from NBA bloodlines and was not heavily recruited by Carolina, Duke, etc...

[JWORLD]

biggest bunch of bull I've ever read in my life

Lofton was misjudged by many. That is their fault not his.

Lofton worked hard because the kid wanted to succeed. That's drive and personal ambition. Personal pride.

It's also motivation from a coach who from all (non-prejudiced) accounts is an excellent motivator.

Sometimes, I get to knowing exactly what they mean when they talk about the radical UK element. And it's ugly.


You can say what you want. The Lofton versus Kentucky highlight film before the Tennessee game at Tennessee didn't really sit to well with me. I don't remember us showing Ron Mercer ,Tony Delk highlights when we played Tennessee back in the day .........

This is why Lofton owes Kentcuky a big "thank you "for helping in paving his way by giving him the drive and motivation to prove everyone at Kentucky wrong.......

It always has and will always be about KENTUCKY:widcat::widcat::widcat:

[wildcatcrazy]

Some of you guys really need to get a life IMO.

Will, you said it perfectly.

Any awards, recognition or accomplishments that Chris has achieved are a result of hard work, character, integrity and effort. He has used his God given talent to the fullest.

As I have posted many times on this board and others, Chris Lofton is a terrific basketball player--and he is an even better person.

Before some of you guys post about these kids (and they are kids), how about given it some thought and asking "would I want that posted about my kid".

Believe me, Chris and his family have no hard feelings towards UK. Perhaps some of you guys should give Chris the same?

Go ahead, bash away.

[trublueintenn]

Jesus, when are some people gonna let this lofton crap die. I mean he is a great player for tenn, not ky, we didn't recruit him, let it go. Why don't you also bash the coaching staff for not talking lebron james out of the nba, and coming to uk. This is rediculus.

[TrueblueCATfan]

I like Lofton..is a great kid and has proved himself at Tennessee ..like another poster said he played under 2 coaches.....but colleges were not knocking down his door when he was a senior in high school..UK and UL already had full lineups....UK...rondo.bradley and crawford..UL well they were hoping to get Telfair and that back fired in Pitino's face....
I am sure Chris Lofton is happy with where he went and he seems to be fine with it..he has had a great college career

[Buck_Naked]

Believe me, Chris and his family have no hard feelings towards UK.

I doubt that this statement is 100% accurate. It would be nothing more than pure human nature for there to be a slight bit of resentment, regardless of what he and his family say.


Jesus, when are some people gonna let this lofton crap die. I mean he is a great player for tenn, not ky, we didn't recruit him, let it go. Why don't you also bash the coaching staff for not talking lebron james out of the nba, and coming to uk. This is rediculus.

LOL, that's good. I agree though, let it go. Heck, we didn't even bash Bill Curry this long for deciding that Shaun Alexander "wasn't good enough to offer a scholarship"!
:shrug1:

[UKBOO]

UT was the proper situation for Lofton. I do not think he would have done nearly as well at UK. Lofton established himself prior to Pearl and Pearl did what he should, which is to ride a hot hand.

[JayB]

I wander how many people in the Carolinas and the rest of teh country are kicking themselves for not recruiting Stephon Curry? The kid comes from NBA bloodlines and was not heavily recruited by Carolina, Duke, etc...

Bingo !!!!! Stephon Curry is the ****.... You cant pass up those bloodlines :) just like the horses I guess? thats a blind statement I have no idea how horses work lol :icon_surprised: Thats why I posted that stuff about Shawn Kemp Jr. He could be great.

[Backrate]

its easy to look back and know what to do. We would have been better off to take chris .

[JWORLD]

its easy to look back and know what to do. We would have been better off to take chris .


I would have loved to have had Chris Lofton here at Kentcuky.

The whole point of this thread was not to bash our past coaching staff or anything like that. I just believe that it has made Chris Lofton work harder and that he has been on a mission to prove the folks here at Kentuky and Louisville wrong.

I wish him all the luck in the world. I think it's great to see in state players compete at a higher level on a national stage.

[JOHN BLUEBLOOD]

No blame for anyone on this one. You can't blame Tubby for overlooking him (Rondo, Sparks, Bradley, Crawford), even Pearl has said this. You can't blame Lofton for going to UT.

No doubt, the SID at UT or someone there decided to take a shot at us on the video when they had Lofton thank UT for "believing in me". The thing UT doesn't understand is most of us don't care, don't blame Tubby for not taking him and have wished him the best.

[catdmd]

Chris Lofton has had a fabulous career at UT. We'll never know what he would have done at Kentucky. He has certainly done a fabulous job. I think he'll be a great pro as well. Having said that, I'm certainly glad he's gone and we don't have to face him anymore.

[countrycat]

In case anybody was not aware of it, UK DID NOT recruit Chris Lofton. :icon_mrgreen:

[Josh]

Why don't you also bash the coaching staff for not talking lebron james out of the nba, and coming to uk. This is rediculus.

LeBron should be thanking us for his success!

[Gummo]

To hell with Chris Lofton.

I'm sick of UK and UofL apologizing to him, to his family and to their respective fans for not recruiting him. As far as I'm concerned, after he and UT pulled that "make the hostage say something to the enemy" speach at the UT-UK game in Knoxville, saying something to the effect of "thanks tennessee for believing in me" makes me wretch. Punk is what I would say. His credibility with me died at that instant. The orange PR tripe of showing that video message looked and sounded like some POW denouncing the USA, while the enemy sat off camera snickering at how clever they are for upstaging the "great satan". It wasn't senior day. It wasn't his last game for the Vols. It wasn't even his last game in Knoxville. It was a gig and poke at UK, which has inexplicably apologized to this punk at the expense of Bradley and Crawfored AND Rondo for that matter, for four years. Enough. He wasn't offered the scholarship. He went to UT. And it appears he'll graduate. That's where my congratualtions ends. He will not be playing in the NBA, at least not more than one year. He may be a Globetrotter or and ABA all-star, but his star is dimming by the second. I am through with this chump. I am through with UT and their pithy, Pearl-induced PR, and once he leaves them, they'll be left holding their crotches wondering where their stones went.

Goodbye, good luck, and good riddance, Chris Lofton.

[cnice11]

Chris Lofton has had a fabulous career at UT. We'll never know what he would have done at Kentucky. He has certainly done a fabulous job. I think he'll be a great pro as well. Having said that, I'm certainly glad he's gone and we don't have to face him anymore.

The only thing I have said about Tubbys recruiting/ not recruiting of Lofton is IMO there is always a place on the team for a good shooter. I think he would have sit a lot his freshman year though, because Tubby wanted lots of effort on D too. And if you watched him the first year or so at UT, he was a horrible defensive player. I am not sure how he will be as a pro. He has improved other parts of his game- ball handling being one. But he still is a little slow on D. He will turn out to be a decent pro player, IMO. I think he will be Steve Kerr, Craig Hodges, type of player. He will be a 3 pt specialist, just dont see him doing much more than that. But I still wish him well because he is a KY kid.

[JOHN BLUEBLOOD]

Who would've helped us win more games this year Lofton or Crawford and Bradley? That sums it up for me.

[teamchemistry09]

The only thing I have said about Tubbys recruiting/ not recruiting of Lofton is IMO there is always a place on the team for a good shooter. I think he would have sit a lot his freshman year though, because Tubby wanted lots of effort on D too. And if you watched him the first year or so at UT, he was a horrible defensive player. I am not sure how he will be as a pro. He has improved other parts of his game- ball handling being one. But he still is a little slow on D. He will turn out to be a decent pro player, IMO. I think he will be Steve Kerr, Craig Hodges, type of player. He will be a 3 pt specialist, just dont see him doing much more than that. But I still wish him well because he is a KY kid.

Coming out of high school Lofton was a streaky shooter. Hed have games where hed hit 7 3s and score 35 and the next game hed go 1-10 and score 4. He had no consistency at all in games. Ramel Bradley was the better player for us to get because he offered so much more than what Lofton offered. And it wasnt just his first year that he didnt play D, he very rarely played D during his career. Lofton isnt the player we needed. Bradley was. If we could do it over, knowing what we know now, Im sure the majority of us would pick Bradley. I know I would

[wildcatcrazy]

As I said in my original post, some of you guys needs to grow up (Gummo!)

To hell with Chris Lofton? Chris Lofton is a punk?

Also, you can doubt all you want that the Lofton's harbor no malice towards UK--but you would be incorrect. They are strong Christians and well aware that Chris ended up where he was intended to be.

Wow, how sad that some feel totally free to post junk like that on any board.

To paraphrase a former Vice-Preisdental candidate:

"I now Chris Lofton and you sir are no Chris Lofton".

[jkeller]

It was a darned if you do darned if you don't situation. Which McDonald's All American would you have passed on to take the 3 star home town kid? Say it was Joe Crawford and he went on to have an excellent career at Michigan and Lofton became the next Josh Carrier. Or say Rondo had ended up at Louisville and we lost the Patrick Sparks game instead of winning it, or if Bradley had gone to another school and played with the heart that he has and been a great success while Lofton was becoming the next Josh Carrier.

My very last intention is to turn this thread into yet another Tubby discussion/hate fest, but people wanted him to sign McDonald's All Americans. He signed 3 at one time and still people complained he should have passed over 1 to sign the hometown hero (the same people who would be complaining had we signed Lofton and he had turned out to be a bust). A textbook definition of darned if you do darned if you don't.

I sincerely believe that the keys to Lofton's success are the motivation he obtained to stick it to his homestate schools that passed him up and the opportunity he had at UT to play as a freshman despite his lack of defensive ability. He would not have had those things at UK and that's why UT was a much better situation for him.

[CABVOL]

To hell with Chris Lofton.

I'm sick of UK and UofL apologizing to him, to his family and to their respective fans for not recruiting him. As far as I'm concerned, after he and UT pulled that "make the hostage say something to the enemy" speach at the UT-UK game in Knoxville, saying something to the effect of "thanks tennessee for believing in me" makes me wretch. Punk is what I would say. His credibility with me died at that instant. The orange PR tripe of showing that video message looked and sounded like some POW denouncing the USA, while the enemy sat off camera snickering at how clever they are for upstaging the "great satan". It wasn't senior day. It wasn't his last game for the Vols. It wasn't even his last game in Knoxville. It was a gig and poke at UK, which has inexplicably apologized to this punk at the expense of Bradley and Crawfored AND Rondo for that matter, for four years. Enough. He wasn't offered the scholarship. He went to UT. And it appears he'll graduate. That's where my congratualtions ends. He will not be playing in the NBA, at least not more than one year. He may be a Globetrotter or and ABA all-star, but his star is dimming by the second. I am through with this chump. I am through with UT and their pithy, Pearl-induced PR, and once he leaves them, they'll be left holding their crotches wondering where their stones went.

Goodbye, good luck, and good riddance, Chris Lofton.



Sounds as if someone needs a little anger management training.

And as for Pearl leaving, if he does, he does. Don't count on it anytime soon, though. His salary is getting ready to double AND he just won the ADOLPH RUPP award. http://www.ruppawards.com/ Can life get much better?

[Lexvol]

The Chris Lofton saga will soon end one way or another. If he had signed with UK or U of L I think he would have always been the sixth or seventh guy off the bench, or used as a sharpshooter, similar to the way Pitino used Mills and Tubby used (or tried to use) Carrier.

With his defensive liabilities it would be hard to imagine him earning Tubby's or Pitino's trust.In that case it worked best for all involved, most importantly for the student athlete himself.

As far as the bad feelings and name calling.....I would venture to guess that Lofton could care less about what any of us think about him. That is what makes him a special college basketball player.

[JWORLD]

Listen folks, the whole point of this thread is to point out that UK did not recruit him and said no. I believe that it has been part of the motivating drive for him to work his tail off and become what he is today proving both UL and UK wrong.

[BigBlue75]

UT Coach Bruce Pearl said it's unfair for fans to blame Smith and Pitino for not securing Lofton.
Kentucky, for example, offered scholarships to Joe Crawford and Rajon Rondo,
who were five-star recruits, according to Rivals.com. Ramel Bradley, a three-star recruit,
also accepted a scholarship from Kentucky.
But Lofton, a three-star recruit as well, wasn't as polished as Bradley, Pearl said.
"Louisville and Kentucky have both taken hits for not recruiting Chris Lofton,"
Pearl said. "Coming out of high school, the guys that they got instead of Chris
were better than Chris. That's not a knock on Chris, and it should not be a knock on Tubby or Coach Pitino." Recruiting, after all, is more art than science, Pearl said, and Louisville and
Kentucky couldn't have anticipated the player Lofton would ultimately become.

[colonelcatfan]

Some of you guys really need to get a life IMO.

Will, you said it perfectly.

Any awards, recognition or accomplishments that Chris has achieved are a result of hard work, character, integrity and effort. He has used his God given talent to the fullest.

As I have posted many times on this board and others, Chris Lofton is a terrific basketball player--and he is an even better person.

Before some of you guys post about these kids (and they are kids), how about given it some thought and asking "would I want that posted about my kid".

Believe me, Chris and his family have no hard feelings towards UK. Perhaps some of you guys should give Chris the same?

Go ahead, bash away.

No bashing from me....very well said. I don't know Chris or his family, but have a friend who does and she supports what you say. The kid's career is nearly over...lets just be happy for his success.

[DougieBlue]

I live in Maysville and taught Chris and worked with his mother. I guarantee you that you will not find any nicer people or family anywhere. The poster that said he was a chump................... you are so clueless.
I also would say what someone else said................ would you want to see or hear someone say those things about your child

Grow up!

[Catdaddy24]

Amen. Lofton is a true blue collar all American. He played where he was wanted the most and worked his tale off to be what he is today. Kudo's to Chris Lofton. I hope he makes it to the NBA and has a successful career.

[nikkiesntn]

Hello,Uk fans. I suppose I'm one of the few Vol fans that actually respect Kentucky. If not for u guys,the SEC would'nt have been very respected for many years. I truely wish u guys were still in the tourney,it seems odd without the passionate following UK always has. Anyway,I love my Vols,and I'm very proud of them. I've watched,actually listened,as very few of our games were televised until Coach Pearl came here-and yes,we have had a couple of good years,and this one in particular,is a great one. However,I am not delusional,I don't consider UT a dynasty or any of that nonsense. UK is that. Alot of Vol fans feel this way,so I hope I'm welcome here to discuss our sport. I love UT,I enjoy watching UK,unless ur playing us. Anyway good luck next yr,and I hope u wish some luck for the SEC tomorrow night against Louisville. Gosh,wrong thread...anyway,Lofton is a great player,and alot of great players come out of Kentucky,but I think the tale has been told much to often as well. Thanks for ur time,Wildcats.

[JWORLD]

Hello,Uk fans. I suppose I'm one of the few Vol fans that actually respect Kentucky. If not for u guys,the SEC would'nt have been very respected for many years. I truely wish u guys were still in the tourney,it seems odd without the passionate following UK always has. Anyway,I love my Vols,and I'm very proud of them. I've watched,actually listened,as very few of our games were televised until Coach Pearl came here-and yes,we have had a couple of good years,and this one in particular,is a great one. However,I am not delusional,I don't consider UT a dynasty or any of that nonsense. UK is that. Alot of Vol fans feel this way,so I hope I'm welcome here to discuss our sport. I love UT,I enjoy watching UK,unless ur playing us. Anyway good luck next yr,and I hope u wish some luck for the SEC tomorrow night against Louisville. Gosh,wrong thread...anyway,Lofton is a great player,and alot of great players come out of Kentucky,but I think the tale has been told much to often as well. Thanks for ur time,Wildcats.


First of all,

If you are a UT fan i would say it would probaly be best for you to get on down the road and leave us alone here.No need for you to be here when were in the middle of recruiting one of our states own(Hopson) with rival Tennessee.Your team is still playing and ours is not:tongue3::tongue3:This is a sore subject..........

Second,

It was very very classless for UT to show the Chris Lofton highlight film against Kentucky when we played in Tennessee.I don't ever remember UK showing Delk and Mercer highlights when we were beating UT by 20 plus points year in and year out.

Finally,

I wish Lofton well for the simple fact he is Kentucky born and he has worked his tail off to get to where he is at. I just feel that the whole Kentcuky overlooking him situation perhaps lit a fire in him to make him better and drove him to where he is at today.If he had came to Kentcuky, he could have relaxed and just been glad to have made it.He would have had to sit for a year or two until he was defensively ready.Let's also take into account that there is alot more pressure here at Kentucky than there is at Tennessee.........................

[KYISSUPREME]

How many times is this horse going to be exhumed for some more beatings?

[BigBlue75]

Hello,Uk fans. I suppose I'm one of the few Vol fans that actually respect Kentucky. If not for u guys,the SEC would'nt have been very respected for many years. I truely wish u guys were still in the tourney,it seems odd without the passionate following UK always has. Anyway,I love my Vols,and I'm very proud of them. I've watched,actually listened,as very few of our games were televised until Coach Pearl came here-and yes,we have had a couple of good years,and this one in particular,is a great one. However,I am not delusional,I don't consider UT a dynasty or any of that nonsense. UK is that. Alot of Vol fans feel this way,so I hope I'm welcome here to discuss our sport. I love UT,I enjoy watching UK,unless ur playing us. Anyway good luck next yr,and I hope u wish some luck for the SEC tomorrow night against Louisville. Gosh,wrong thread...anyway,Lofton is a great player,and alot of great players come out of Kentucky,but I think the tale has been told much to often as well. Thanks for ur time,Wildcats.

Welcome and thanks for a classy first post! We (well, the majority of us, anyway) are always glad to welcome fans of our rival SEC schools to join us. I think you'll find that as long as you're respectful and truly want to have an intelligent discussion about the SEC and sports in general, you'll find willing participants who will welcome your input. You have reason to be proud of your team and we appreciate the fact that Bruce Pearl is so respectful and knowledgeable of the tradition between our two schools.
Again, welcome!:thumbup:

[poodoo]

From everything I've ever read or heard about Chris Lofton, he has CLASS and is likely a fine role model for all of us. Thankfully, MOST here have always been respectful toward him. In fact, UK fans nicely gave the young man a LOUD ovation when he had been introduced his last time in Rupp (and how that inspired Ramel to play at an even higher level in a GREAT win for the Cats :)).

I hope Chris remembers that and knows that is how MOST Kentucky fans feel about him. I also wish him a WONDERFUL future.

P.S. I had not intended to post on this thread, as I feel Chris Lofton has been discussed MORE than enough. Yet, something I read here made me change my mind. No further comment should be needed.

[colonelcatfan]

Hello,Uk fans. I suppose I'm one of the few Vol fans that actually respect Kentucky. If not for u guys,the SEC would'nt have been very respected for many years. I truely wish u guys were still in the tourney,it seems odd without the passionate following UK always has. Anyway,I love my Vols,and I'm very proud of them. I've watched,actually listened,as very few of our games were televised until Coach Pearl came here-and yes,we have had a couple of good years,and this one in particular,is a great one. However,I am not delusional,I don't consider UT a dynasty or any of that nonsense. UK is that. Alot of Vol fans feel this way,so I hope I'm welcome here to discuss our sport. I love UT,I enjoy watching UK,unless ur playing us. Anyway good luck next yr,and I hope u wish some luck for the SEC tomorrow night against Louisville. Gosh,wrong thread...anyway,Lofton is a great player,and alot of great players come out of Kentucky,but I think the tale has been told much to often as well. Thanks for ur time,Wildcats.

Whether intended or not, JWORLD's post comes off as offensive to you. I'm sorry, and I trust that he really doesn't want UT to fall off the face of the earth...well maybe he does actually..lol. Anyway, please note that we're (UK fans) aren't all so irritable. Welcome and good luck against TCFEBUK and the red planet.

[wildcatcrazy]

Remember, most fans gave him a standing ovation the last time he was in Rupp.

I know Chris and his family and, believe me, they won't lose any sleep over the comments of a few jealous UK fans.

[JWORLD]

Remember, most fans gave him a standing ovation the last time he was in Rupp.

I know Chris and his family and, believe me, they won't lose any sleep over the comments of a few jealous UK fans.

This doesn't have anything to do with not liking Lofton or being jealous.

The fans at Rupp did give Lofton a standing ovation which was well deserved for one our our own. Unlike Tennessee, Lofton highlight against KENTUCKY was classless by Tennessee............

[wildcatcrazy]

Classless are your posts on a first-class young man----that you know absolutely nothing about.

Again, grow up!!

[JWORLD]

Classless are your posts on a first-class young man----that you know absolutely nothing about.

Again, grow up!!


:thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn: I could care less what a fan of Tennessee, Louisville, or any another school has to say.

It's all about the BIG BLUE BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!