Lofton admits battle with cancer

May 1, 2008 - 11:09 PM KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- One of the most prolific shooters in college basketball history admitted Thursday that he was dealing with a much scarier issue than Southeastern Conference defenses over the past year.

Tennessee guard Chris Lofton told the Knoxville News Sentinel that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer last March and has now made a full recovery.

Lofton was diagnosed after Tennessee's first-round victory over Long Beach State in 2007 and underwent four weeks of radiation treatment following successful surgery that removed the cancer, according to the newspaper.

"I would like to thank everyone for respecting my privacy during the past year and I hope that they continue to do so," Lofton said. "This has been a very difficult time for me and my family, but it has brought us closer together. I have been very blessed that we were able to catch everything early so that now I am OK."

Lofton set the SEC record for the most career 3-pointers and is third all-time in NCAA history with 431 makes in 1,021 attempts (42 percent).

The 6-2 sharp-shooter won the SEC Player of the Year after his junior season where he averaged 20.8 points.

This past campaign, Lofton got off to a slow start before scoring 15.5 points for the 31-5 Volunteers. Lofton also shot a career-low 38 percent from the arc this past campaign.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl attributes the early season struggles to Lofton's delayed offseason physical and mental recovery.

"There was a point this past season that I was asked about Chris Lofton's health almost every day," Pearl said. "While knowing all of the underlying issues, the Lofton family requested that we respect their privacy as a part of the HIPPA laws regarding the release of medical information.

"Chris Lofton is one of the toughest players I have ever been around. Not once did he make an issue of what he has gone through. Never once did he complain. He physically and mentally overcame all of the challenges associated with battling cancer and serves as a tremendous role model to all of us."

Lofton started all 128 games he played with the Volunteers and finished with an average of 16.6 points for his career.