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Former Tennessee men’s basketball star Chris Lofton will be headed to Turkey if a career in the NBA doesn’t work out.

Lofton said Monday night there’s a deal in place for him to have a one-year contract with Mersin of the Turkish Basketball League should he not make an NBA roster.

Lofton told the News Sentinel he hopes to attend an NBA training camp, though he does not know which NBA team at this point.

Lofton’s agent, Eric Fleisher, was reached for comment at 10:30 p.m. Monday, but said he was too “tired” to divulge any details.

Lofton, a two-time All-American and the SEC’s all-time leading 3-point shooter, played for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Lofton, however, averaged only seven minutes per contest, playing in four of Denver’s five games as an undrafted free agent.

He attempted nine shots in those four games and was 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Mersin Province is populated by more than one million people with an urban population of more than 500,000. It’s located on the Mediterranean Coast of southern Turkey.

Interestingly enough, the name of Mersin’s shooting guard last season was Bernard King — though the former Texas A&M player is not believed to be related to the former UT and NBA great.

Mersin was 13-17 last season playing in Turkey’s premier league.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.