Lofton details TBT and Tennessee "Ballinteers"
By: John Dunn
The All Vol Call in Show
5/11/2020
It seems like a long time ago that Chris Lofton was torching nets across the country in an orange jersey. However, this summer, Lofton and company will dawn the orange once again in the 2020 TBT basketball tournament. With Bobby Maze as GM and Ron Slay and Tyler Smith as coaches, the "Ballinteers" squad looks to be the deepest in the field.
The roster includes former players, Chris Lofton, Wayne Chism, Kevin Punter, Jarnell Stokes, Robert Hubbs, Duke Crews, John Fields, Melvin Goins, Cameron Tatum, Kenny Hall and JaJuan Smith.
Lofton is excited to reunite with so many former teammates. "We’ve been talking about this for a while," he said. "I'm glad we finally got it together. I think it will be good for Vol fans to have something to watch this summer. I'm very excited about it."
With the "Ballinteers" being one of, if not the deepest squad in the tournament, Lofton likes his team's chances. "We are going bring so much energy and passion [to the court]. I feel like when you do that, [you] always have a chance to win."
With no clear-cut rival, Lofton has his sights set on the entire field of opposition. "We don't really have any particular team that we want to beat," he said while laughing. "We are just going to try to beat everyone in our way."
Representing the University of Tennessee, Lofton is excited to reunite with so many of his former teammates. "It means a lot to me," he said. "Getting to reunite with some of my old teammates and other former Vols will be exciting. We have to get some practice in and decide how we are going to play and stuff. I trust the coaches on that."
The Basketball Tournament will have nine host sites for this summer’s $2 million, single-elimination, winner-take-all event that kicks off on July 23. Eight Regional Champions will move on to Championship Week in Dayton, Ohio August 6-11. All 63 games and the Puma Hoops Dunk Contest will air live.