{"id":21378,"date":"2021-07-11T16:50:40","date_gmt":"2021-07-11T21:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=21378"},"modified":"2021-07-11T16:50:40","modified_gmt":"2021-07-11T21:50:40","slug":"a-dominating-performance-for-kenneth-lofton-jr-and-team-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=21378","title":{"rendered":"A Dominating Performance for Kenneth Lofton, Jr. and Team USA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RIGA, Latvia \u2013 Louisiana Tech fans are familiar with Kenneth Lofton, Jr.<\/a><\/dfn> taking over a basketball game.<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/dfn> Now the world is too.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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\nTeam USA trailed at halftime for the first time in the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup.\u00a0 And they trailed by as much as eight late in the third quarter as a gritty France team refused to give up its lead.<\/strong>
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\nThat lead finally went away and Lofton, Jr. was a huge reason, scoring a team-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and one steal to help the USA complete an 83-81 come-from-behind victory and bring home gold on Sunday in Latvia.\u00a0<\/strong>
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\nJunior was limited in the first half, taking just one shot attempt while recording only one point.\u00a0 As the red and blue faced a 42-37 deficit at the break, they came out of the locker room and started to play through the post more.<\/strong>
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\nEnter the Conference USA Freshman of the Year (and his massive bag of low-post moves).<\/strong>
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\nHe scored the first two buckets for USA in the third quarter.\u00a0 Down their largest deficit at 58-50 with 2:20 to play in the stanza, Junior powered his way for two more field goals and assisted on a triple to tie things up at 59-59.<\/strong>
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\nFrance would not back down though, going on a mini 5-0 run to go into the fourth and final quarter with a five-point edge.\u00a0<\/strong>
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\nPlaying almost the entire final 10 minutes of the game, Junior got even stronger.\u00a0 The Port Arthur, Texas native recorded seven points and three rebounds in the last stanza to spark the USA’s comeback.<\/strong>
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\nHis biggest bucket was his team-leading seventh made FG, which came with 2:10 to go as the USA pushed its lead out to 81-76.\u00a0 His biggest defensive play came on the next possession as he picked the pocket of France’s point guard on the perimeter, which led to a fastbreak dunk.<\/strong>
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\nAnd his biggest rebound came at the very end as he outhustled everyone for the offensive rebound to not allow the opponent to have a potential game-winning shot, securing the two-point victory and the gold.<\/strong>
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\nHe had an identical 16 points and seven boards in the semifinal game to help the USA outlast Canada by a score of 92-86.\u00a0 He also had 14 points in the Round of 16 blowout of Korea and 11 points versus Senegal in the quarterfinals. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
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\nLofton, Jr. ended up leading Team USA in scoring for the entire tournament, averaging 13.1 points while shooting 65 percent from the field.\u00a0 He also ranked second on the squad in rebounds per game (5.3) and efficiency per game (15.0).<\/strong>
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\nThe Bulldog played like a bulldog.\u00a0 And even though he did not win MVP for the tournament, he played like an MVP too.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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#2 <\/span> Kenneth Lofton, Jr. <\/span> <\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/dt>\n
Forward<\/strong><\/dd>\n
6′ 7″<\/strong><\/dd>\n
275 lbs<\/strong><\/dd>\n
Freshman<\/strong><\/dd>\n
1L<\/strong><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n
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Kenneth Lofton Jr.<\/caption>\n
No. 2 \u2013 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Position<\/th>\nPower forward<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
League<\/th>\nConference USA<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Personal information<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Born<\/th>\nAugust 14, 2002 (age\u00a018)<\/span>
\nPort Arthur, Texas<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nationality<\/th>\nAmerican<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed height<\/th>\n6\u00a0ft 7\u00a0in (2.01\u00a0m)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed weight<\/th>\n275\u00a0lb (125\u00a0kg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career information<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
High school<\/th>\nMemorial<\/a>
\n(Port Arthur, Texas)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
College<\/th>\nLouisiana Tech<\/a> (2020\u2013present)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career highlights and awards<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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Medals<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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FIBA Under-19 World Cup<\/a><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Gold<\/td>\n2021 Latvia<\/a><\/span><\/td>\nTeam<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Kenneth Wayne Lofton Jr.<\/b> (born August 14, 2002) is an American college basketball<\/a> player for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs<\/a> of the Conference USA<\/a> (C-USA).<\/p>\n

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Kenneth Lofton Jr. may not have won MVP, but he played like one for USA<\/strong><\/article>\n<\/section>\n

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Lofton always will have this day: the day he became a world champion at the FIBA U19 World Cup, the day he was the greatest reason Chet Holmgren and Patrick Baldwin Jr. and the rest of these American teenagers prevailed.<\/strong>Lofton scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half to help the U.S. overcome a five-point deficit \u2014\u00a0which was as large as eight in the third quarter \u2014\u00a0and secure an 83-81 victory over a talented and competitive France squad in Sunday\u2019s final.<\/strong>It was fitting that Gonzaga-bound forward Chet Holmgren and Purdue sophomore Jaden Ivey were called to the center-court podium following the game to select all-tournament awards. Each was a deserving member of that team. But it was bizarre to see Holmgren named as tournament MVP when Lofton had clearly been the team\u2019s most exceptional and essential player in the tight victories over Canada in the semis and France in the final.<\/strong>As if to signify the gold medal mattered most, Lofton stepped forward to the sideline to be the first player to congratulate Holmgren as he walked back toward his teammates.<\/strong>The U.S. had won the past four finals it reached, including in 2019 when a team featuring Cade Cunningham and Jalen Suggs won the most recent championship. There hadn\u2019t been a defeat at this stage since 2007, when a team that included Steph Curry and Patrick Beverley was unable to overcome Serbia\u2019s homecourt advantage.<\/strong>This became the fifth U.S. title at the U-19s since 2009, when Jamie Dixon \u2014 then at Pitt, now at TCU \u2014\u00a0coached Gordon Hayward, Klay Thompson and their teammates to gold. Dixon returned to run this team, and did it again.<\/strong>The U.S. scouted France\u2019s victory in the second semifinal on Saturday, so they knew the French owned a terrific backcourt of Matthew Strazel, Jayson Tchicamboud and Rudy Demahis-Ballou, in addition to what Victor\u00a0Wembanyama might offer. In beating Serbia, though, Wembanyama was limited to 9 minutes and made no impact on the game because of foul trouble.<\/strong>Over the first 20 minutes, however, the U.S. did not move the basketball as well as the French and thus was unable to put Wembanyama in as many vexing situations. The U.S. committed eight turnovers and shot only 38 percent from the field in falling behind by five at halftime. They\u2019d won their previous six games in the tournament by an average of 34 points and never trailed at the half.<\/strong>Wembanyama played as if he was looking to make up for what occurred Saturday, and he also took on the challenge of facing Holmgren, the No. 1 American prospect. Wembanyama, who stands 7-2, scored 18 points in the first half, including two 3-pointers, and blocked four shots before the break. The Americans struggled to manage his astonishing length. He scored only four points after halftime, though, and fouled out with almost three minutes left.<\/strong>Dixon insisted to his players they play through Lofton, even when he was defended by Wembanyama, who is 9 inches taller. Lofton used his patience, strength, understanding of the low post and unrelenting hustle to dominate the third and fourth quarters<\/strong>He helped the team rally from an eight-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game at 59, and then in the final four minutes teamed with Holmgren to own the lane.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the U.S. lead at only 77-74 in the fourth quarter, Lofton took a high-low pass from Holmgren and scored on a lefthanded power move. Lofton pulled a steal off Tchicamboud and Ivey turned that into a coast-to-coast dunk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It couldn\u2019t be easy, not against a team as terrific as France, but when a late 3-pointer from France cut the lead to two points with 29 seconds left, the Americans worked down to a late shot from point guard Kennedy Chandler. If France rebounded, it would have a chance to win or tie.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lofton grabbed the ball.<\/strong><\/p>\n

About the only thing he did not seize on this afternoon was the MVP trophy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The square gold medal hanging from his neck afterward would have to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Basketball: Tech\u2019s Lofton makes U19 World Cup team<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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FORT WORTH, Texas \u2013 Kenneth Lofton, Jr. is trading in his Louisiana Tech red and blue for a different kind of red and blue this summer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After going through a six-day training camp in Fort Worth, Texas along with 25 other athletes, it was announced late Thursday night that the Bulldog was selected to the 12-member 2021 USA Basketball Men\u2019s U19 World Cup Team roster.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The team features six players who completed their first collegiate season and six players from the high school class of 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis week has been very fulfilling so far, and the process of selecting this 12-player group was really difficult given the amount of talent we have had at training camp,\u201d said Jamie Dixon, Team USA head coach.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone has been working hard, we are growing closer as a group, which is really important.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI am excited about the team that the committee put together as we now prepare to head overseas to Latvia and compete for a gold medal.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Port Arthur, Texas native made the first round of cuts on June 21 as one of 17 finalists.\u00a0 The official team was selected following 10 training sessions held on the campus of Texas Christian University.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lofton, Jr. becomes the first LA Tech men\u2019s basketball player to earn ever a spot on the U19 World Cup Team and just the seventh from a current Conference USA school.<\/strong><\/p>\n

USA men\u2019s teams have won seven gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal while compiling a 99-14 overall record in U19 World Cup play since the even launched in 1979.\u00a0 The UTSA has won four of the last six U19 golds since 2009.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The current team is scheduled to continue training on the TCU campus through June 28, then travel to Riga, Latvia for the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup that will be played July 3-11.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Featuring U19 teams from 16 nations, the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup includes in addition to the USA and host Latvia, Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Lithuania, Mali, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The USA was drawn into Group D, alongside Australia, Mali and Turkey for the July 3-6 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round.\u00a0 The USA will open play against Turkey on July 3 (9:30 a.m. CT), followed by Mali on July 4 (12:30 p.m. CT) and close preliminary play against Australia on July 6 (12:30 p.m. CT).<\/strong><\/p>\n

USA U19 World Cup Team<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patrick Baldwin, Jr. (Hamilton HS\/Sussex, Wis.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kennedy Chandler (Sunrise Christian Academy, Kan.\/Memphis, Tenn.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jonathan Davis (Wisconsin\/La Crosse, Wis.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caleb Furst (Blackhawk Christian School\/Fort Wayne, Ind.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chet Holmgren (Minnehaha Academy\/Minneapolis, Minn.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harrison Ingram (St. Mark\u2019s School\/Dallas, Texas)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jaden Ivey (Purdue\/South Bend, Ind.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton\/St. Louis, Mo.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kenneth Lofton, Jr. (Louisiana Tech\/Port Arthur, Texas)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mike Miles (TCU\/Lancaster, Texas)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam Miler (LSU\/Chicago, Ill.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peyton Watson (Long Beach Poly Tech HS\/Long Beach, Calif.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kenneth Lofton jr.
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Position:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
Forward<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Height:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
6-7<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Weight:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
275<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Age:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
18<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Year of Graduation:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
2024<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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School:<\/strong><\/div>\n
Louisiana Tech University<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Hometown:<\/strong><\/div>\n
Port Arthur, TX<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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