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Chris Lofton was back in Maysville over the weekend doing what he
does best.
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The former Mason County standout, Kentucky Mr. Basketball and
University of Tennessee All-American led his “Squad Up” team to the
Maysville Hoops Classic championship by draining a three-pointer in
the waning seconds of the title game on Sunday afternoon.
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Lamont Johnson, the tournament director, was very pleased with the
turnout for the event, which used to be known as the Dirt Bowl for
many years.
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“We’re very pleased with the support we received from the
community, and we had a real diverse crowd, which is something
we’ve been striving for,” Johnson said. “I’ve been involved with
the tournament for many years, and this was the fourth year that
I’ve been the director. This sis something that was around long
before me though, and we’re just trying to keep the dream alive
that was started by John Fields, John Fee and others, and also
keeping the memory of Maysville High School alive. Our team wore
black and gold jerseys, and we know there are still a lot of old
Bulldogs in the area who appreciate being remembered. We don’t want
to let that tradition die down, and we always want to make each
year a little better. I think we did that this year too, and the
community support was very impressive. We got great cooperation
from the City of Maysville, the Mason County Schools and the
Maysville Police Department.”
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Johnson was also impressed with the vast amount of talent that
assembled at the Lady Royals Gymnasium (and former home of the
Bulldogs) in downtown Maysville during the tournament.
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“It’s always a treat when Chris can come back and play, and he won
the most valuable player award for the third time, which was
presented to him by Micki and Tina Moore, who are Pat Moore’s
nieces,” said Johnson about the late coach who was devoted to youth
sports for many years in the local area. “Brian Miller (the father
of UK junior-to-be Darius Miller) plays every year, and he’s also a
big help with the tournament. Darius was in the crowd Saturday, and
we had a couple of Wildcats play too, with Ramon Harris and Perry
Stevenson coming in. We drew some really outstanding players from
Lexington and northern Kentucky, and we had Division I referees,
which helps a lot. This was the first year we had 12 teams playing,
and we also had an impressive fan base.”
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According to Fleming County assistant coach Lamont Taylor, other
players on Lofton’s team included former Mason County standouts Tee
Commodore, Wes Jones, Mikah Turner and Trevor Setty, along with
current Royal Treg Setty.
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Taylor added that the runners-up, which fell to Squad Up by one
point on Lofton’s bomb, included former University of Louisville
star Alvin Sims and former Paris standout Clinton Sims.
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Other former college and high school area stars who played included
Josh Graham, who led Fleming County to the Sweet 16 during his days
as a Panther, former Bourbon County standout Derek Robinson and
former Paris star and ex-Morehead State shooting guard Chez
Marks.
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“It was a great turnout, with a lot of great players and teams from
the area, and I thought Brian Miller looked in great shape,” Taylor
said. “Lamont does an excellent job organizing the tournament, and
we’re looking forward to next year.”
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Johnson is hoping to repeat this year’s success next year as
well.
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“We’re planning on keeping the past, present and future alive, and
we want people to be thinking that when the beginning of August
comes around that it’s time for the Maysville Hoops Classic,”
Johnson said. “We want to keep it going.”
