The Basketball Tournament is something Chris Lofton has had his eyes on for a while, but his schedule hadn’t lined up to allow him to play in it until this year.
Now, the 2004 Mason County graduate is preparing to play on Team KBC with a chance at a $2 million prize when the 64-team, single elimination tournament comes to Lexington for regional play on July 19.
“It’s exciting to be playing in that tournament,” said Lofton at the Camp One Miller/Lofton Skills Camp in June. “I’ve been wanting to play for the last couple of years but haven’t been able to, so this year it worked out perfect.”
The Basketball Tournament is broken down into eight regions, with a region host in each. There are 56 teams added after that – seven in each region – and the eight regional champions move on to the championship weekend in Chicago, which is scheduled for Aug. 1-6. The Lexington regional is scheduled to start Friday, July 19, with a regional championship game scheduled for Sunday, July 21. The Lexington regional will be played at Frederick Douglass High School.
Lofton is coming off his first season playing professionally in Asia, where he was with the Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League. He spent 10 seasons in Europe before that, including in 2018 when he won a French Ligue Nationale de Basket JeepELITE championship with Le Mans Sarthe. Before turning pro, he helped Mason County to its first-ever KHSAA Sweet Sixteen title in 2003 and was named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball the following year. He then went on to play at the University of Tennessee, where became – and is still – the Southeastern Conference career leader in 3-pointers made.
Now he’s getting ready to play in Kentucky once again.
“Some of my friends put it together and they were like, ‘Lexington is one of the sites.’ We got a sponsor and they asked if I wanted to play and I was all for it,” said Lofton. “I’ve been wanting to play in it but I was in France playing in the finals and my body was banged up bad so I had to take some rest. I’m glad this year to be able to compete in it.”
Lofton’s team, which is seeded fourth in the Lexington region, will face off with the fifth-seeded Peoria All-Stars in the first round at 7 p.m. on July 19. The winner will potentially see the No. 1 seed – Loyalty is Love – in the second round the next day at 4 p.m. The general manager of Loyalty is Love is former Kentucky player DeMarcus Cousins, who recently played in the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors.
Team KBC – representing the Kentucky Basketball Commission – features several former college players, including former Western Kentucky University players Tyrone Brazelton and A.J. Slaughter, former Georgia State player Eric Buckner, former Louisiana State and Oklahoma State player Anthony Hickey, former butler player Matt Howard, former Kentucky Wesleyan player Donovan Johnson, former Samford player Darius Jones-Gibson, former Georgetown College player Vic Moses, former Marshall player Tyler Wilkerson and Eastern Kentucky all-time leading scorer Nick Mayo – many of whom Lofton is familiar with.
“I know A.J. because I played against him in France last year. Brazelton – I played against him in France. I know Vic Moses because we play against each other in the summertime. Lee Gibson – same – we hoop in the summer together,” said Lofton. “I know a few of them. Others I don’t know – I know the name, but I don’t really know them like that.”
He also knows his coach – Shelvin Mack.
The two recently held a question and answer period at the KBC in Lexington for the Mack, Miller and Lofton High School Tournament.
Mack graduated from Bryan Station and went on to play at Butler, where he helped the Bulldogs to two NCAA national championship games. He was selected with the 34th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, and played with the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets this past year.
“I’m excited and it’s going to be tough of course, but I’m looking forward to playing for Coach Shelvin,” said Lofton. “That’s going to be weird. I’m not calling him coach, though. I’m just saying Shelvin.”
For the Bryan Station graduate, The Basketball Tournament provides an opportunity to test the waters in a role he isn’t as familiar, and gives him a chance to look ahead at what may be in front of him when he decides to retire from playing.
“It’s an opportunity to test out if I like coaching and see if I’m good at it. Also, just being here in Lexington – I couldn’t pass that opportunity up,” said Mack at the Mack, Miller and Lofton High School Tournament. “And the $2 million. I think that’s getting everybody’s attention.”
Mack says he could see himself coaching at the high school level around Lexington once he retires. Lofton has similar ideas for when he decides to call it quits, but says he’d prefer to be at the college level. He doesn’t plan to stop playing just yet, however.
“I keep saying one more [year],” said Lofton. “I’m going to say one more and we’ll go from there.”
But before he heads back overseas, the Mason County graduate has another plan – to help Team KBC try to win $2 million.
“I know it’s going to be tough. There’s $2 million on the line, so I know everybody’s going to play their best, play their hearts out and play with energy and passion, which I understand,” said Lofton. “I just hope we match it the same and be ready.”
