After watching the Tennessee Volunteers this year, I could just tell that star guard Chris Lofton just wasn’t the same.  His shot wasn’t falling like it had in years past, he wasn’t as consistent, his average points per game dropped by five points, and he just did not seem like the same sharp-shooting Chris Lofton.  In a recent interview with ESPN.com, Lofton admits that he had a cancerous tumor in one of his testicles in March of 2007.  To see the full length interview and story go here. 

The crazy thing about this story is that Lofton was randomly picked for a drug test after a loss to Ohio State in the 2006-2007 season.  He tested positive for cancer, and this random drug test by the NCAA may have saved his life.  From what I gather in the story, is that Lofton told very few people, and kept this situation very private.  He had surgery that summer, and was ready to play when the season started, which is a miracle within itself.  It takes some major determination to go through all of that and then come right back and play.  Not only did he play the entire season, he was once again the Vols leading scorer.

After the painful and grueling treatment, he lost weight and all of his strength.  Obviously he did not play as well, but the public did not know what was going on until this announcement came out, everyone just figured it was an average season; in terms of Chris Lofton standards.  Taking a look at the statistics between his 2006-2007 season and the 2007-2008 season, it is obvious that there is a major drop in the numbers.

2006-2007                      2007-2008

• PPG: 20.8                      PPG: 15.5
• 3PT%: 41.9                   3PT%: 38.4
•  FG%: 47.9                    FG%: 39.9

The media gave Lofton a hard time for his struggles throughout the season on the court, and not once did he complain or make excuses.  He is now cancer free, and is trying to make it in the NBA.  I have the greatest respect for Lofton after hearing this amazing story, and it is remarkable that he still played basketball at such a high level after all he went through.  I wish Lofton the best of luck in his career and life.                                         

 

 

Tags: Chris Lofton

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