Tennessee senior shooting guard Chris Lofton added the honor of first-team Associated Press preseason All-America to his glowing resume.
Lofton, the SEC player of the year last season and preseason SEC player of the year this season, was a second-team All-American selection in 2006-07.
"It's an honor, and it's good, I guess,'' Lofton said. "But then, it's the preseason, so it really doesn't matter. At the end of the year it would mean something.''
UT coach Bruce Pearl said it's good to see the Vols get national recognition through Lofton's accomplishments.
"It's wonderful recognition for Chris, and certainly deserved,'' Pearl said, "but if he was on a team that was not thought to be competitive, that would not be the case. Chris understands that and I know he's appreciative of that.''
Lofton led the SEC with 20.8 points per game last year, connecting on 106 3-point shots while making 41.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
As Pearl suggested, the other first-team preseason Associated Press All-Americans came from competitive squads.
North Carolina junior forward Tyler Hansbrough was the leading vote-getter on the team.
Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, Michigan State's Drew Neitzel and UCLA's Darren Collision were the other first-team selections.
The 72-member panel that votes weekly in the Associated Press Top 25 poll selected the team.
Hansbrough received 71 votes, the 7-foot-2 Hibbert received 62 and Lofton had 61. Neitzel was on 37 ballots, Collision was on 31, and the next highest vote-getter was Kansas' Brandon Rush.
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Comments » 8
kkebean#233101 writes:
Living in KY this is awesome!!! chris definitely deserve's the recognition, and eat your heart out uk & u of l
BigManVolFan writes:
I bet UK AND UL are licking their chops for not recruiting Lofton....Their BIG lose is our HUGE gain....Thanks Guys...I hope he hangs 50 on UK this year!!!!
Ironcity writes:
I hope Chris lives up to the preseason hype. I noticed Ronald Stelle made it last year and it didn't work out so well for him. Knowing Chris, I suspect he will more then live up to the hype. Looking for a great season Go Vols!
GreerVol22 writes:
I thought he should have had it last year. A bum ankle I think was the demise. Its a great honor to have one of anything All-America on a Vol team. Light 'em up "early and Loften"....I know...that was baaad.
threehundredbowler writes:
bricker,please read the article again.
james#216392 writes:
Being a Vols fan in KY, we love what Lofton has done. Now hang two losses on UK this year and everything will be great.
murrayvol writes:
The best thing that ever happened to Chris Lofton was not being recruited by UK or UL. Neither program would've gotten past his ability to shoot the rock and he would never have become the complete player he has under Bruce Pearl. Needless to say his arrival was among the best things that ever happened to Tennessee basketball.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Ironcity, you seem to have forgotten that Ronald Steele was injured almost all of last season. When healthy, he was another Chauncey Billups in the making. His loss for most of the year was the main reason Alabama failed to live up to preseason expectations. As long as Chris doesn't have the same terrible luck, I think he will more than live up to everyone's high expectations. I do think Chris has more help on this year's team than Steele had at Bama. I can't wait to see the Big Vols and Chris really explode on the national scene this year!
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