The Laser Launcher

In loading data for the popular EA Sports "NCAA March Madness 2005" game, the programmers obviously didn't have much of a scouting report on the Tennessee freshman.

They certainly would not have predicted he'd be leading the nation in 3-point marksmanship — 62.2 percent — as the Vols (5-4) take on Campbell (2-5) tonight at Thompson-Boling Arena.

"I had to fix myself up on that game,'' Lofton said Wednesday with a laugh.

"They had me a little short white dude who couldn't shoot. I was like, 'Dang!'

"I went to 'edit' and fixed everything up. Got my headband on. I can knock down the open shot. I had to pick myself up on there.''

In the real world, coach Buzz Peterson and his staff are trying to find more ways Lofton can help pick up a struggling Tennessee team. And it's not as easy as clicking the 'edit' button because Lofton has become a marked man.

He's averaging 12.0 points, shooting 57.8 percent from the field and is 28-of-45 behind the 3-point arc. In a 77-58 loss at New Mexico on Saturday, Lofton was a UT-record-tying 5-of-5 on 3-pointers.

In a 77-68 win over Belmont on Monday, he was 4-of-4 from the field, but attempted only one trey.

"People are playing real aggressive on me now,'' he said. "They're getting up in me, making me put the ball on the floor.

"It gets pretty tiring. They're up on me the whole game, grabbing your jersey and stuff.''

The coaching staff is trying to figure ways to get the 6-foot-1 freshman more shots, a scenario they hardly envisioned going into a season with five returning starters.

"A lot of it,'' Peterson said, "is going to come not just from him but from our post guys setting good screens for him. Chris has got to wait on screens, go shoulder to shoulder and get the shots from there.''

Meanwhile, Lofton, whose shooting drills are the stuff of legend, continues to work on all aspects of his game.

"I'm improving my defense,'' he said, "because people are going to exploit that. I don't want to be the weakest link on the floor.''

And, for his Gibbs Hall neighbors, here's a word of warning:

"I dribble in my room now, working on my ball-handling,'' Lofton said. "I haven't had any complaints because everybody's gone.

"They'll have to get used to it in January. They'll have to deal with it.''

Scouting Report: This is Atlantic Sun Conference week at UT. The Vols survived Belmont on Monday. ASC member Campbell University is located in Buies Creek, N.C., which is south of Raleigh. The Fighting Camels play at Kentucky on Dec. 29.

Campbell's wins came against William & Mary and North Carolina A&T. Tonight is the Camels' seventh road game out of eight. Freshman Ruell Pringle scored 25 points in a loss to Central Florida last week, hitting all five of his 3-point shots.

Niles Likes Vols: It's a long way until the November signing period, but Tennessee got a vote of confidence this week from Memphis Ridgeway junior power forward Pierre Niles. Niles made an unofficial visit to UT to see the win over Belmont and declared the Vols as his leader.

"Right now, I would say that I'm coming to Tennessee,'' Niles told Rivals.com. "Tennessee is definitely my leader. They're number one for sure.''

Niles, a 6-7 16-year-old, weighed in at 265 last summer. He's rated No. 40 nationally by Rivals.com in the Class of 2006. He lists offers from Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State.

The trip to UT was Niles' first and followed a weekend visit from assistant coach Chuck Benson. Benson and Peterson will visit Niles in January, after which Niles indicated he might go public with a commitment. If so, it would be a major stroke for the Vols in the talented in-state junior class.

Niles' interest in Tennessee picked up considerably after the Vols signed Giles County's Tyler Smith in November.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276.