How UT Basketball Changes Lives with Chris Lofton
Chris Lofton, legendary UT Basketball star, joins me on this episode of ConnectTheKnox to discuss why Knoxville has such a special place in his heart and his upcoming career goals. Throughout this episode, we discuss what it was like for Chris to...
Chris Lofton, legendary UT Basketball star, joins me on this episode of ConnectTheKnox to discuss why Knoxville has such a special place in his heart and his upcoming career goals. Throughout this episode, we discuss what it was like for Chris to celebrate having his UT jersey officially retired, and why sharing that celebration with the Knoxville community was so special. Chris also shares the little-known story of how he wound up at UT for his college basketball career, and how he feels about the upcoming season of UT basketball.
Highlights
00:00 Intro
00:21 Julia introduces Chris, and Chris shares why Knoxville is so important to him and his basketball career
02:26 How going to college at UT changed Chris’ life
04:00 How Chris’ career has evolved after leaving UT and the career goals he’s currently pursuing
05:14 Chris describes what it was like celebrating having his UT jersey retired recently
06:22 Ad - Dr. Joe Chiro
06:53 The changes that Chris has seen in Knoxville since he first arrived here
09:55 Why Knoxville holds a special place in Chris’ heart
10:58 Chris explains why he feels outsiders to Knoxville think Knoxville is a small, country town and what our city is really like from his perspective
12:18 How Chris feels about the upcoming basketball season for UT
13:17 Ad - Just Homes Group
13:51 Where Chris trained on campus during his legendary college basketball career
15:20 Julia asks Chris her lightning round of questions about his favorite Knoxville spots
17:45 What Chris feels Knoxville has to offer to new, young residents
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
-
Chris’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c_lofton/
-
Dr. Joe Chiro: https://www.goseedrjoe.com
Connect with ConnectTheKnox
- Follow the Podcast -
-
Or wherever you listen to Podcasts
- Connect with Julia -
- Buy or Sell a home in Knoxville -
-
Just Homes Realty Group: www.justhomesgroup.com
-
Find my Home Buyers & Home Sellers Guide here: https://linktr.ee/thejuliahurley
Transcript
Julia: Welcome everybody to another episode of Connect the Knox. I’m your host, Julia Hurley, connecting Knoxville to the nation. Today’s podcast guest is one of our all-time most famous basketball players, truly, if not the most prolific long-range shot expert in the country, Mr. Chris Lofton. Chris, thank you so much for being with us today.
Chris: Thanks for having me. I’m excited. Been looking forward to it.
Julia: Good. Wonderful. We’re so excited to see your face. We just—every time we get any time with Chris Lofton, everybody in Knoxville, the crowd goes wild. We’re so excited to have you here [laugh].
Chris: [unintelligible 00:00:50].
Julia: So, for those of the people that don’t know anything about you—and that’s what this podcast is about is really and truly introducing outside people in the nation to Knoxville and what is important to Knoxville, why people like you are so… Knoxville, even though you’re not from Knoxville, is why it’s so important to know what people like you have done for us and what we’ve been able to do for you, and why that’s such a symbiotic relationship and important. So, we’ll start with the very basics. What are your connections to Knoxville, Tennessee?
Chris: Just, I mean for me, you know, I grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, small town, playing basketball, and you know, University of Tennessee gave me the opportunity to play basketball there in the city of Knoxville when nobody else wouldn’t. So, Knoxville is my second home. I’m always there. I love Knoxville. I love the fans. I love everything about it, so Knoxville is a very special place to me.
Julia: Are you telling me that Tennessee was the only D1 college to recruit you? Is this the story that I don’t know?
Chris: Absolutely. Yeah, my senior year it was, you know, Tennessee or a small NAIA school in Georgetown, Kentucky. And you know, so that’s why Tennessee—Knoxville—will always have a special place in my heart.
Julia: Well, I’ll bet all those schools are just not happy about that decision [laugh]. We look back on the Chris Lofton years and it’s just, like, “Wow.” It was almost like you weren’t a real person, your talent and drive… I j—did not know this, so that is so interesting. Tell us a little bit about how that four years in college transformed your life here in Knoxville and some of the things that you learned along the way, just kind of as a person and a young person. You’re very young now, so it’s like all the contributions that you’ve been able to make and the influences that you’ve had, how did Knoxville impact that for you?
Chris: Knoxville has a huge impact on my life because when I got here, I was 18 years old. When I left, I was, what, 22? 23? And, you know, I was from a boy to a man, you know, I was grown. So, you know, Knoxville, you know, those four or five years I stayed there was special because, you know, I went through some tough times, rough times in life, you know, being away from home that long, you know, not being around mom and dad, you know, I had to figure out things out on my own. So, it was special.
You know, it was tough times but, like, you know, like… as you know, like, when you… you’re going to grow up, there’s going to be tough times, like, adversity, and you can either run from it or run through it, and you know, Knoxville made me run through it and it made me a better person I am today and you know, a better man. And, you know, Knoxville will always be, you know, a special place for me. It’s like I said.
Julia: What was your major at UT?
Chris: Oh, so I majored in African American history.
Julia: Okay. What are we doing with that today?
Chris: Uh, nothing exactly, but you know, I always knew that, you know, me being a basketball player, I wanted to do something along the lines of coaching, training [stuff 00:03:47]—
Julia: Oh, yeah.
Chris: You know, commentating. I did some commentating in high school games this year, so you know, just along those lines. Probably doing something with basketball.
Julia: Oh, one thousand percent. Absolutely. So, I see you on Facebook all the time that you were coaching—or you all over the country? I see you everywhere. I see pictures of you at Little League games, supporting other kids’ successes, commentating. Tell us a little bit about where your growth period is now that you—you went semi-pro didn’t you? For a little while?
Chris: Yeah, I played in European basketball for ten years. And you know, I finished that in 2019 was my last year and, you know, ever since then, I’ve been just trying to figure out what’s next, you know? 2020 Covid hit and it was kind of—it put a pause on my basketball career, kind of ended it, so you know, now I’m you know, doing a little bit of different things, like, I’ve done some training skills, I’ve done commentating high school games, I’ve done some speaking engagements. So, I think right now is just trying to figure out, like, what avenue I really want to focus on to pursue. But you know, I ain’t going to lie to you; I like doing different things, like you know, having all these different avenues I’m doing, but I feel like eventually that I probably [want a 00:04:55] college staff or NBA coaching staff is one of the goals.
Julia: And we all hope that goal gets reached for you. I know that everybody in Knoxville would be absolutely beyond excited to have you here, but you know, we won’t to talk about our needs here on basketball, per se. Your jersey just recently got retired, and there are, what, 50 maybe in the history to ever have a retired jersey, in all sports at UT, I believe. Is that correct? So, like, one of 50 people?
Chris: Oh, I really don’t know that. Never been—
Julia: That’s [laugh]—
Chris: —[crosstalk 00:05:26]. I don’t know [laugh].
Julia: Tell us a little bit about that night.
Chris: Oh, it was special, you know? That whole weekend was special. You know, leading up to how they told me, you know, back in the fall, how they told me what’s going to happen and then, you know, with me, it was just special because so many people came out to, you know, show support for me. It was just special. Old high school teammates, my old college teammates, old coaches from elementary school, high school, football coach.
And of course, you know, Vol Nation came out to support. So, it was just special. My parents were right there with me. So, it was—I’m telling you, I look back and it was, like, especially—I wish it didn’t end. Like, we had a great time. Like, my family, my friends and family from Maysville came down as well.
You know, took them, you know, showed them around downtown Knoxville, and [unintelligible 00:06:12] they talked about how they had the best time of their life that weekend. So, it was special, and you know, I was glad I got to share it with him.
Julia: That is—that is—you know, downtown Knoxville is so special. It’s grown. You got to see it the way that I saw it. We’re almost the same age, so you know how Knoxville used to be [laugh] and what it is today. Did you imagine at any point in time—or what did you imagine it would have turned into back then because the Strip has completely changed, and for those of you that don’t know, the Strip is Cumberland Avenue. It is also Kingston Pike. So—
Chris: Right.
Julia: —we have three names for everything here. It’s completely changed. Tell us about your experiences there. Because there was a news story that came out, a guy do it in the News Sentinel here about the changes on Cumberland Avenue and asked for stories. And of course, some we can’t tell—
Chris: [laugh].
Julia: —and some we can. But what has [laugh]—we all laugh about that. So, what are the changes that you’ve experienced in Knoxville? And some of that—and a lot of that I know that you’re going to say no or you’re going to be humble about it because that’s your personality, but a lot of that was your era of sports, the era of people ushering in sheer will and talent to bring in the fans that brought in the hotels that brought in the money that people were starting to pay attention to Knoxville. And that started happening during your four years at UT and that really changed the outlook for Knoxville because we are so sports oriented. What changes have you seen that have been really positive? And if you could add changes, what would those be?
Chris: Yeah, I’ve seen, like, just the new facilities, the new—everything’s new on the Strip now. Like, it just looks totally different. Like, I liked the old Strip because it was some of the best times of my life, being there after football games, being packed, you know, getting food, just hanging out. You know, you got the, you know, the bars scene, just like college students just having fun. Just out there on the street, talking, you know, just—and you had your choice of what to do, you can stand outside and talk, go into the bar, club, eat.
It was just that camaraderie that I loved, you know, during the Strip days. And, you know, I feel like right now, it’s hard to do that, you know? I don’t think [unintelligible 00:08:15] lot to do that on the Strip right now. I know a lot of people will be in Old City and stuff, but that Strip is just special to me because that’s where everything was and, you know, but you know, sometimes that old, you know, change is good, you know? I guess maybe the new students like it how is now, you know? But you know, people our age and older probably like the old Strip because it was—seemed like it was more fun. But you know, kids is different these days, or they might like it the way it is now better.
Julia: I feel like we had, like, three generations of goers. So, not necessarily age generations, but three generations of fans, and we all had the exact same experience on the Strip, and now it’s such a stark contrast that it’s not recognizable. But these kids seem to love it the way it is. I just mi—I miss Hannah’s [laugh].
Chris: Absolutely. [unintelligible 00:09:01] RT’s. Remember RT’s?
Julia: I do. Do you—now what was it? Was it Archie’s that had the Saturday night [foam 00:09:08] dancing. Do you remember that?
Chris: I don’t remember that. I just remember [unintelligible 00:09:12] walked up the steps.
Julia: Yes. I think that was still RT’s, I’m pretty sure, you know—
Chris: It was.
Julia: —[unintelligible 00:09:16] and the OC. There was so many things. So many things. Okay. Anyway.
Julia: We all know that real estate is location, location, location. Our team at Just Homes Group has the true expertise pairing buyers and sellers with the right opportunities. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home right here in Knoxville, Lenoir City, Clinton, or Farragut, we have the expertise throughout every Knoxville surrounding area. Call just Homes Group today.
Julia: You have traveled the world, the whole world, and you still love Knoxville, Tennessee, like it’s your home. What about Knoxville is so special compared to all these major places that you’ve been? I mean, you could choose to be anywhere, a fan anywhere, play anywhere, do whatever, and Knoxville so close to you and to your heart. What about Knoxville is different and special?
Chris: I think for me, like I told you before, like, Knoxville took a chance on me, you know? University of Tennessee gave me a scholarship to play basketball when nobody else would. So, there was—you know, there always going to be a special place in my heart and he gave me the opportunity, you know, when I was struggling, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was scared, like, I was nervous. Like, maybe I wasn’t made for college basketball, you know? Maybe not as good as I thought I was.
And you know, Knoxville gave me that opportunity to come play here. And you know, I say one day I’d be living in Knoxville, probably, you know? I would say that. And you know, I’ll come back, you know, quite often to—you know, I got friends there, I do some work there, so you know, it’s always a special place to me.
Julia: Yeah. Hopefully, do some coaching here [cough cough].
Chris: Right [crosstalk 00:10:50].
Julia: [laugh]. So, what do you personally think—I ask the same questions of everybody and no two people have had the same answers yet—what do you think is the biggest misconception from the outside of Knoxville, Tennessee?
Chris: Most biggest misconception. That’s a great question. Um, I think people, like, think, like, it’s all, like, country and all, like, small, but, like, we got all here, you know? We got whatever you want to do, in Knoxville we got it, you know? Whether you want to go out, you want to relax, we got chill spots, good food, great restaurants, great scenery, we got Market Square, you know?
Like, we got all of this you really need, you know? Like, we ki—it’s like a small town living but it’s not. But, you know, you can raise a family here. I think is a great place to raise a family. I feel like we got—we’re like a Swiss army knife; we got the jack of all trades.
Julia: [laugh]. “Knoxville: The Swiss Army knife of cities.” [laugh].
Chris: We got the Swiss army knife. We got it all here.
Julia: I’m going to use that. I’m going to use that. Care of Chris Lofton, “Swiss Army Knife of Cities.” You are welcome [laugh].
Chris: If you want it, we got it.
Julia: That is the best—that is honestly the best one. I’m going to share that with everybody before this even releases. I’m going to text it to everybody who’s been a member of the show so far. We are the Swiss army knife. That is the best. That is the best.
Okay, so we’re going to ask about it, and we know we can give a roundabout answer. How do we feel about the upcoming basketball season for next year? We just finished the season. People were calling for Rick Barnes’ head. They always call for the coach that’s not winning the national championship.
My God, we could win every game but that win and that’s the end of the world. Kill him now. So, Vol fans, if you’re not a Vol fan yet, and you’ve never seen Vol Twitter, be prepared when you move here. But tell us a little bit about your predictions for next season. Have you gotten to know some of the players and how they’re feeling? What’s going on there?
Chris: Well, not yet, honestly because you know, the transfer portal, where people can transfer now in and out, so I have to see—go to practice and see the final roster, and but I’m sure by, like, June, July, I’ll know. So, can I get back with you on that?
Julia: Absolutely.
Chris: But I will say, I have the most confidence in our coaches, to have a Coach Barnes and the coaches have. I know they’ll get the right players in and they’ll do it the right way. There’ll be practicing hard this summer, getting ready. So, I have nothing but respect for them and I know it’s going to be a great season.
Julia: We just shot a TV show in the practice facility and that’s the first time I’d ever been in the basketball practice facility; like, I’m in the football side all the time with my NIL kids. And so, the first time I’d ever been in the basketball practice facility, one of the most beautiful facilities I think I’ve ever seen. How often did you spend time in there outside of actual practices? Like, what did it really take to become the Chris Lofton?
Chris: Well, you know, they didn’t have that when I played. They got it, I think it opened up my senior year for a little bit, but you know, so we didn’t use it a lot. So, I started using it when I was a pro playing overseas when I’d come back in the summer.
Julia: Nice.
Chris: So, I got my most used out of it then, you know, a lot of them. But you know, like, we used Thompson Boling Arena, and then sometimes we had to go to, like, T-Rec. Stokely was still there, so we had to use the other gyms, you know, if Thompson Boling wasn’t available.
Julia: What was your favorite place on campus to work out? Mine was the Bubble. And I miss the Bubble every day. I miss it.
Chris: Well, we worked out with the team, so we didn’t work out anywhere else, you know? We had the team weight room. I mean, I went to the T-Rec a couple of times, I remember, but you know, for the most part, I lifted with the team in the weight room.
Julia: We’re so excited to have you on this podcast. I’m asking you questions all over the shop and not necessarily all about Knoxville. I’m just getting to—I love it when I get to spend time with you. You’re the most positive person I’ve ever met in my entire life.
Chris: Appreciate—
Julia: It so amazingly just… giving. You’re just a great guy. So, I want to get you out on your own time because I know you have something else going on. So, we’re going to do a three-minute lightning round of, like, super great questions. Favorite restaurant in Knoxville.
Chris: Favorite restaurant in Knoxville. I got to name one, Julia? I got to name one?
Julia: You can name three.
Chris: Oh, like, Sullivan’s is one of my favorites.
Julia: Oh yeah.
Chris: I love S—
Julia: Sull—nobody’s listed Sullivan’s yet. That’s a really good one.
Chris: I love Sullivan’s. I’m there a lot. I used to stay out that way, so they get a lot of my money.
Julia: [laugh]. Take my money.
Chris: Yes. Market Square, I like Stock & Barrel. I like [crosstalk 00:15:14]. I mean, Calhoun’s… Ruth’s Chris. I like steak.
Julia: Oh yeah.
Chris: I like Connors.
Julia: Ohh. Connors is top-notch.
Chris: Yeah, I would say—
Julia: Top-notch.
Chris: —those are my favorites. Oh, Scrambled Jake’s for my brunch.
Julia: Oh, their break—oh my gosh. So, I feel like I ate 2200 calories in one sitting at one brunch one day. I didn’t eat for the whole rest of the day and half the next day. I was like, “That is a one-time event.” [laugh].
Chris: Yes.
Julia: Scrambled Jake’s is really good, actually. I haven’t been there in a while. I’m glad you brought that up. I’m glad you brought that up. All right. What is your best-kept secret? So, let’s say that you have somebody that calls you up and says, “Hey, I’m in town. Take me somewhere that no one else would know about.” What is your best-kept secret for when you entertain other people?
Chris: [unintelligible 00:16:03]. I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s the best kept secret because people know it, but I like—you know, if I got a friend I like taking them to Market Street and go bowling.
Julia: Oh, yeah. Oh, what is that? Maple Hall.
Chris: Maple Hall. That’s—
Julia: That’s it.
Chris: —that’s what I like to do. I like going on there because, you know, you got whatever you want. You can, you know—if your friends want to drink, we can bowl, eat, and they got all sorts of options downtown to do.
Julia: They have that private event center on the top floor. Did you know about that?
Chris: Yeah, I did.
Julia: I had no idea. I went there for a Legends of Tennessee Football Camp fundraiser. We show up to the bowling alley. There’s no signage and unless you just know to walk through the bowling lane to get upstairs. So, I’m just standing there and I’m waiting and I’m waiting and I’m waiting, and the lady says, “Ma’am, what is it that you’re waiting for?” I said, “Well, I’m just supposed to be here for some private event, but that no one seems to be here.” She goes, “Well, if you’d to walk all the way to the back across the hall,” and it’s—you overlook Old Knoxville. I didn’t even know. I was like, “Oh, my gosh. I didn’t even know this was here.”
What a great spot. What a great spot. Okay. How do you think—let’s see. I have one last question. It has nothing to do with restaurants. What do you think about Knoxville’s ability to bring younger people here, and what it’s going to take to keep them here? So, one of the biggest things that I’ve been working on—I know you know Derrick Furlow—that I’ve been working with Derrick on is keeping the young athletes when they graduate—if they don’t go pro or semi-pro—keeping them here and helping them build businesses. What do you think is the biggest challenge to that and the biggest opportunity to help them stay here to be part of Knoxville long term?
Chris: I think for one, like, usually when people leave, they’re comfortable, you know, where they came from, you know? Some people want to go home, some people want go to bigger cities and, you know, bigger markets. But I think I would tell them as a former athlete, like, Knoxville fan base, Vol Nation is different from any other fan base. Like, they want to—I feel like they want to help you. They want to help you succeed in life, not just football.
So, I feel like if you have opportunity to stay here and, you know, start out, you know, get a job, I would definitely recommend it because just being an athlete from Tennessee, it’s special. And you know, people love that. If you’re nice, help people, serve, make a difference, people like—people take care of that.
Julia: They really do. And that’s what we’re trying to work on is giving more opportunities. We want you to stay. It’s like, please come home. Please come back to Knoxville. We want you to be here so badly. Because we want you to be here so badly. It’s like, please come and stay and contribute because we just appreciate you so much.
All right, I’m going to let you go. Before I do, how do people get a hold of you for a speaking engagement? What is the easiest way for people to find your information? Because I didn’t even get into your whole life story. That would take an entire podcast on its own, but you have so much positivity, how to get out of struggles, how to maintain, how to move forward. You literally have one of the best motivational stories I’ve ever heard. How do people get with you to get you on their stage and get on your calendar?
Chris: I’m on social media. I’m on Twitter, I’m on Facebook, I’m on Instagram. So, reach out to me. It’s just Chris Lo—
Julia: What’s that username?
Chris: Just type in Chris Lofton and I’m there.
Julia: [laugh].
Chris: C underscore Lofton.
Julia: Yes. C underscore Lofton. That is it. Yes, correct. Chris, thank you as always for taking time to spend time with me. Next time you’re in Knoxville, let me know. Dinner’s on me. And we really appreciate you. Everybody, I’m Julia Hurley. Our guest today was Chris Lofton, literally the most prolific shooter in college basketball history. I’m telling you, go back and watch this guy. Listen, I’m Julia Hurley, bringing Knoxville to the nation. Thank you for Connecting the Knox.
Chris: Thanks so much.
Julia: Bye.
Julia: Thank you for tuning into the show. Make sure to like and subscribe, leave a five-star review on your podcast player of choice, and if you would like information on moving to Knoxville, send me a private message. As always, this is Julia Hurley, connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Julia: Welcome everybody to another episode of Connect the Knox. I’m your host, Julia Hurley, connecting Knoxville to the nation. Today’s podcast guest is one of our all-time most famous basketball players, truly, if not the most prolific long-range shot expert in the country, Mr. Chris Lofton. Chris, thank you so much for being with us today.
Chris: Thanks for having me. I’m excited. Been looking forward to it.
Julia: Good. Wonderful. We’re so excited to see your face. We just—every time we get any time with Chris Lofton, everybody in Knoxville, the crowd goes wild. We’re so excited to have you here [laugh].
Chris: [unintelligible 00:00:50].
Julia: So, for those of the people that don’t know anything about you—and that’s what this podcast is about is really and truly introducing outside people in the nation to Knoxville and what is important to Knoxville, why people like you are so… Knoxville, even though you’re not from Knoxville, is why it’s so important to know what people like you have done for us and what we’ve been able to do for you, and why that’s such a symbiotic relationship and important. So, we’ll start with the very basics. What are your connections to Knoxville, Tennessee?
Chris: Just, I mean for me, you know, I grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, small town, playing basketball, and you know, University of Tennessee gave me the opportunity to play basketball there in the city of Knoxville when nobody else wouldn’t. So, Knoxville is my second home. I’m always there. I love Knoxville. I love the fans. I love everything about it, so Knoxville is a very special place to me.
Julia: Are you telling me that Tennessee was the only D1 college to recruit you? Is this the story that I don’t know?
Chris: Absolutely. Yeah, my senior year it was, you know, Tennessee or a small NAIA school in Georgetown, Kentucky. And you know, so that’s why Tennessee—Knoxville—will always have a special place in my heart.
Julia: Well, I’ll bet all those schools are just not happy about that decision [laugh]. We look back on the Chris Lofton years and it’s just, like, “Wow.” It was almost like you weren’t a real person, your talent and drive… I j—did not know this, so that is so interesting. Tell us a little bit about how that four years in college transformed your life here in Knoxville and some of the things that you learned along the way, just kind of as a person and a young person. You’re very young now, so it’s like all the contributions that you’ve been able to make and the influences that you’ve had, how did Knoxville impact that for you?
Chris: Knoxville has a huge impact on my life because when I got here, I was 18 years old. When I left, I was, what, 22? 23? And, you know, I was from a boy to a man, you know, I was grown. So, you know, Knoxville, you know, those four or five years I stayed there was special because, you know, I went through some tough times, rough times in life, you know, being away from home that long, you know, not being around mom and dad, you know, I had to figure out things out on my own. So, it was special.
You know, it was tough times but, like, you know, like… as you know, like, when you… you’re going to grow up, there’s going to be tough times, like, adversity, and you can either run from it or run through it, and you know, Knoxville made me run through it and it made me a better person I am today and you know, a better man. And, you know, Knoxville will always be, you know, a special place for me. It’s like I said.
Julia: What was your major at UT?
Chris: Oh, so I majored in African American history.
Julia: Okay. What are we doing with that today?
Chris: Uh, nothing exactly, but you know, I always knew that, you know, me being a basketball player, I wanted to do something along the lines of coaching, training [stuff 00:03:47]—
Julia: Oh, yeah.
Chris: You know, commentating. I did some commentating in high school games this year, so you know, just along those lines. Probably doing something with basketball.
Julia: Oh, one thousand percent. Absolutely. So, I see you on Facebook all the time that you were coaching—or you all over the country? I see you everywhere. I see pictures of you at Little League games, supporting other kids’ successes, commentating. Tell us a little bit about where your growth period is now that you—you went semi-pro didn’t you? For a little while?
Chris: Yeah, I played in European basketball for ten years. And you know, I finished that in 2019 was my last year and, you know, ever since then, I’ve been just trying to figure out what’s next, you know? 2020 Covid hit and it was kind of—it put a pause on my basketball career, kind of ended it, so you know, now I’m you know, doing a little bit of different things, like, I’ve done some training skills, I’ve done commentating high school games, I’ve done some speaking engagements. So, I think right now is just trying to figure out, like, what avenue I really want to focus on to pursue. But you know, I ain’t going to lie to you; I like doing different things, like you know, having all these different avenues I’m doing, but I feel like eventually that I probably [want a 00:04:55] college staff or NBA coaching staff is one of the goals.
Julia: And we all hope that goal gets reached for you. I know that everybody in Knoxville would be absolutely beyond excited to have you here, but you know, we won’t to talk about our needs here on basketball, per se. Your jersey just recently got retired, and there are, what, 50 maybe in the history to ever have a retired jersey, in all sports at UT, I believe. Is that correct? So, like, one of 50 people?
Chris: Oh, I really don’t know that. Never been—
Julia: That’s [laugh]—
Chris: —[crosstalk 00:05:26]. I don’t know [laugh].
Julia: Tell us a little bit about that night.
Chris: Oh, it was special, you know? That whole weekend was special. You know, leading up to how they told me, you know, back in the fall, how they told me what’s going to happen and then, you know, with me, it was just special because so many people came out to, you know, show support for me. It was just special. Old high school teammates, my old college teammates, old coaches from elementary school, high school, football coach.
And of course, you know, Vol Nation came out to support. So, it was just special. My parents were right there with me. So, it was—I’m telling you, I look back and it was, like, especially—I wish it didn’t end. Like, we had a great time. Like, my family, my friends and family from Maysville came down as well.
You know, took them, you know, showed them around downtown Knoxville, and [unintelligible 00:06:12] they talked about how they had the best time of their life that weekend. So, it was special, and you know, I was glad I got to share it with him.
Julia: That is—that is—you know, downtown Knoxville is so special. It’s grown. You got to see it the way that I saw it. We’re almost the same age, so you know how Knoxville used to be [laugh] and what it is today. Did you imagine at any point in time—or what did you imagine it would have turned into back then because the Strip has completely changed, and for those of you that don’t know, the Strip is Cumberland Avenue. It is also Kingston Pike. So—
Chris: Right.
Julia: —we have three names for everything here. It’s completely changed. Tell us about your experiences there. Because there was a news story that came out, a guy do it in the News Sentinel here about the changes on Cumberland Avenue and asked for stories. And of course, some we can’t tell—
Chris: [laugh].
Julia: —and some we can. But what has [laugh]—we all laugh about that. So, what are the changes that you’ve experienced in Knoxville? And some of that—and a lot of that I know that you’re going to say no or you’re going to be humble about it because that’s your personality, but a lot of that was your era of sports, the era of people ushering in sheer will and talent to bring in the fans that brought in the hotels that brought in the money that people were starting to pay attention to Knoxville. And that started happening during your four years at UT and that really changed the outlook for Knoxville because we are so sports oriented. What changes have you seen that have been really positive? And if you could add changes, what would those be?
Chris: Yeah, I’ve seen, like, just the new facilities, the new—everything’s new on the Strip now. Like, it just looks totally different. Like, I liked the old Strip because it was some of the best times of my life, being there after football games, being packed, you know, getting food, just hanging out. You know, you got the, you know, the bars scene, just like college students just having fun. Just out there on the street, talking, you know, just—and you had your choice of what to do, you can stand outside and talk, go into the bar, club, eat.
It was just that camaraderie that I loved, you know, during the Strip days. And, you know, I feel like right now, it’s hard to do that, you know? I don’t think [unintelligible 00:08:15] lot to do that on the Strip right now. I know a lot of people will be in Old City and stuff, but that Strip is just special to me because that’s where everything was and, you know, but you know, sometimes that old, you know, change is good, you know? I guess maybe the new students like it how is now, you know? But you know, people our age and older probably like the old Strip because it was—seemed like it was more fun. But you know, kids is different these days, or they might like it the way it is now better.
Julia: I feel like we had, like, three generations of goers. So, not necessarily age generations, but three generations of fans, and we all had the exact same experience on the Strip, and now it’s such a stark contrast that it’s not recognizable. But these kids seem to love it the way it is. I just mi—I miss Hannah’s [laugh].
Chris: Absolutely. [unintelligible 00:09:01] RT’s. Remember RT’s?
Julia: I do. Do you—now what was it? Was it Archie’s that had the Saturday night [foam 00:09:08] dancing. Do you remember that?
Chris: I don’t remember that. I just remember [unintelligible 00:09:12] walked up the steps.
Julia: Yes. I think that was still RT’s, I’m pretty sure, you know—
Chris: It was.
Julia: —[unintelligible 00:09:16] and the OC. There was so many things. So many things. Okay. Anyway.
Julia: We all know that real estate is location, location, location. Our team at Just Homes Group has the true expertise pairing buyers and sellers with the right opportunities. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home right here in Knoxville, Lenoir City, Clinton, or Farragut, we have the expertise throughout every Knoxville surrounding area. Call just Homes Group today.
Julia: You have traveled the world, the whole world, and you still love Knoxville, Tennessee, like it’s your home. What about Knoxville is so special compared to all these major places that you’ve been? I mean, you could choose to be anywhere, a fan anywhere, play anywhere, do whatever, and Knoxville so close to you and to your heart. What about Knoxville is different and special?
Chris: I think for me, like I told you before, like, Knoxville took a chance on me, you know? University of Tennessee gave me a scholarship to play basketball when nobody else would. So, there was—you know, there always going to be a special place in my heart and he gave me the opportunity, you know, when I was struggling, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was scared, like, I was nervous. Like, maybe I wasn’t made for college basketball, you know? Maybe not as good as I thought I was.
And you know, Knoxville gave me that opportunity to come play here. And you know, I say one day I’d be living in Knoxville, probably, you know? I would say that. And you know, I’ll come back, you know, quite often to—you know, I got friends there, I do some work there, so you know, it’s always a special place to me.
Julia: Yeah. Hopefully, do some coaching here [cough cough].
Chris: Right [crosstalk 00:10:50].
Julia: [laugh]. So, what do you personally think—I ask the same questions of everybody and no two people have had the same answers yet—what do you think is the biggest misconception from the outside of Knoxville, Tennessee?
Chris: Most biggest misconception. That’s a great question. Um, I think people, like, think, like, it’s all, like, country and all, like, small, but, like, we got all here, you know? We got whatever you want to do, in Knoxville we got it, you know? Whether you want to go out, you want to relax, we got chill spots, good food, great restaurants, great scenery, we got Market Square, you know?
Like, we got all of this you really need, you know? Like, we ki—it’s like a small town living but it’s not. But, you know, you can raise a family here. I think is a great place to raise a family. I feel like we got—we’re like a Swiss army knife; we got the jack of all trades.
Julia: [laugh]. “Knoxville: The Swiss Army knife of cities.” [laugh].
Chris: We got the Swiss army knife. We got it all here.
Julia: I’m going to use that. I’m going to use that. Care of Chris Lofton, “Swiss Army Knife of Cities.” You are welcome [laugh].
Chris: If you want it, we got it.
Julia: That is the best—that is honestly the best one. I’m going to share that with everybody before this even releases. I’m going to text it to everybody who’s been a member of the show so far. We are the Swiss army knife. That is the best. That is the best.
Okay, so we’re going to ask about it, and we know we can give a roundabout answer. How do we feel about the upcoming basketball season for next year? We just finished the season. People were calling for Rick Barnes’ head. They always call for the coach that’s not winning the national championship.
My God, we could win every game but that win and that’s the end of the world. Kill him now. So, Vol fans, if you’re not a Vol fan yet, and you’ve never seen Vol Twitter, be prepared when you move here. But tell us a little bit about your predictions for next season. Have you gotten to know some of the players and how they’re feeling? What’s going on there?
Chris: Well, not yet, honestly because you know, the transfer portal, where people can transfer now in and out, so I have to see—go to practice and see the final roster, and but I’m sure by, like, June, July, I’ll know. So, can I get back with you on that?
Julia: Absolutely.
Chris: But I will say, I have the most confidence in our coaches, to have a Coach Barnes and the coaches have. I know they’ll get the right players in and they’ll do it the right way. There’ll be practicing hard this summer, getting ready. So, I have nothing but respect for them and I know it’s going to be a great season.
Julia: We just shot a TV show in the practice facility and that’s the first time I’d ever been in the basketball practice facility; like, I’m in the football side all the time with my NIL kids. And so, the first time I’d ever been in the basketball practice facility, one of the most beautiful facilities I think I’ve ever seen. How often did you spend time in there outside of actual practices? Like, what did it really take to become the Chris Lofton?
Chris: Well, you know, they didn’t have that when I played. They got it, I think it opened up my senior year for a little bit, but you know, so we didn’t use it a lot. So, I started using it when I was a pro playing overseas when I’d come back in the summer.
Julia: Nice.
Chris: So, I got my most used out of it then, you know, a lot of them. But you know, like, we used Thompson Boling Arena, and then sometimes we had to go to, like, T-Rec. Stokely was still there, so we had to use the other gyms, you know, if Thompson Boling wasn’t available.
Julia: What was your favorite place on campus to work out? Mine was the Bubble. And I miss the Bubble every day. I miss it.
Chris: Well, we worked out with the team, so we didn’t work out anywhere else, you know? We had the team weight room. I mean, I went to the T-Rec a couple of times, I remember, but you know, for the most part, I lifted with the team in the weight room.
Julia: We’re so excited to have you on this podcast. I’m asking you questions all over the shop and not necessarily all about Knoxville. I’m just getting to—I love it when I get to spend time with you. You’re the most positive person I’ve ever met in my entire life.
Chris: Appreciate—
Julia: It so amazingly just… giving. You’re just a great guy. So, I want to get you out on your own time because I know you have something else going on. So, we’re going to do a three-minute lightning round of, like, super great questions. Favorite restaurant in Knoxville.
Chris: Favorite restaurant in Knoxville. I got to name one, Julia? I got to name one?
Julia: You can name three.
Chris: Oh, like, Sullivan’s is one of my favorites.
Julia: Oh yeah.
Chris: I love S—
Julia: Sull—nobody’s listed Sullivan’s yet. That’s a really good one.
Chris: I love Sullivan’s. I’m there a lot. I used to stay out that way, so they get a lot of my money.
Julia: [laugh]. Take my money.
Chris: Yes. Market Square, I like Stock & Barrel. I like [crosstalk 00:15:14]. I mean, Calhoun’s… Ruth’s Chris. I like steak.
Julia: Oh yeah.
Chris: I like Connors.
Julia: Ohh. Connors is top-notch.
Chris: Yeah, I would say—
Julia: Top-notch.
Chris: —those are my favorites. Oh, Scrambled Jake’s for my brunch.
Julia: Oh, their break—oh my gosh. So, I feel like I ate 2200 calories in one sitting at one brunch one day. I didn’t eat for the whole rest of the day and half the next day. I was like, “That is a one-time event.” [laugh].
Chris: Yes.
Julia: Scrambled Jake’s is really good, actually. I haven’t been there in a while. I’m glad you brought that up. I’m glad you brought that up. All right. What is your best-kept secret? So, let’s say that you have somebody that calls you up and says, “Hey, I’m in town. Take me somewhere that no one else would know about.” What is your best-kept secret for when you entertain other people?
Chris: [unintelligible 00:16:03]. I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s the best kept secret because people know it, but I like—you know, if I got a friend I like taking them to Market Street and go bowling.
Julia: Oh, yeah. Oh, what is that? Maple Hall.
Chris: Maple Hall. That’s—
Julia: That’s it.
Chris: —that’s what I like to do. I like going on there because, you know, you got whatever you want. You can, you know—if your friends want to drink, we can bowl, eat, and they got all sorts of options downtown to do.
Julia: They have that private event center on the top floor. Did you know about that?
Chris: Yeah, I did.
Julia: I had no idea. I went there for a Legends of Tennessee Football Camp fundraiser. We show up to the bowling alley. There’s no signage and unless you just know to walk through the bowling lane to get upstairs. So, I’m just standing there and I’m waiting and I’m waiting and I’m waiting, and the lady says, “Ma’am, what is it that you’re waiting for?” I said, “Well, I’m just supposed to be here for some private event, but that no one seems to be here.” She goes, “Well, if you’d to walk all the way to the back across the hall,” and it’s—you overlook Old Knoxville. I didn’t even know. I was like, “Oh, my gosh. I didn’t even know this was here.”
What a great spot. What a great spot. Okay. How do you think—let’s see. I have one last question. It has nothing to do with restaurants. What do you think about Knoxville’s ability to bring younger people here, and what it’s going to take to keep them here? So, one of the biggest things that I’ve been working on—I know you know Derrick Furlow—that I’ve been working with Derrick on is keeping the young athletes when they graduate—if they don’t go pro or semi-pro—keeping them here and helping them build businesses. What do you think is the biggest challenge to that and the biggest opportunity to help them stay here to be part of Knoxville long term?
Chris: I think for one, like, usually when people leave, they’re comfortable, you know, where they came from, you know? Some people want to go home, some people want go to bigger cities and, you know, bigger markets. But I think I would tell them as a former athlete, like, Knoxville fan base, Vol Nation is different from any other fan base. Like, they want to—I feel like they want to help you. They want to help you succeed in life, not just football.
So, I feel like if you have opportunity to stay here and, you know, start out, you know, get a job, I would definitely recommend it because just being an athlete from Tennessee, it’s special. And you know, people love that. If you’re nice, help people, serve, make a difference, people like—people take care of that.
Julia: They really do. And that’s what we’re trying to work on is giving more opportunities. We want you to stay. It’s like, please come home. Please come back to Knoxville. We want you to be here so badly. Because we want you to be here so badly. It’s like, please come and stay and contribute because we just appreciate you so much.
All right, I’m going to let you go. Before I do, how do people get a hold of you for a speaking engagement? What is the easiest way for people to find your information? Because I didn’t even get into your whole life story. That would take an entire podcast on its own, but you have so much positivity, how to get out of struggles, how to maintain, how to move forward. You literally have one of the best motivational stories I’ve ever heard. How do people get with you to get you on their stage and get on your calendar?
Chris: I’m on social media. I’m on Twitter, I’m on Facebook, I’m on Instagram. So, reach out to me. It’s just Chris Lo—
Julia: What’s that username?
Chris: Just type in Chris Lofton and I’m there.
Julia: [laugh].
Chris: C underscore Lofton.
Julia: Yes. C underscore Lofton. That is it. Yes, correct. Chris, thank you as always for taking time to spend time with me. Next time you’re in Knoxville, let me know. Dinner’s on me. And we really appreciate you. Everybody, I’m Julia Hurley. Our guest today was Chris Lofton, literally the most prolific shooter in college basketball history. I’m telling you, go back and watch this guy. Listen, I’m Julia Hurley, bringing Knoxville to the nation. Thank you for Connecting the Knox.
Chris: Thanks so much.
Julia: Bye.
Julia: Thank you for tuning into the show. Make sure to like and subscribe, leave a five-star review on your podcast player of choice, and if you would like information on moving to Knoxville, send me a private message. As always, this is Julia Hurley, connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Listen On
