ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Kyle Lofton had just fielded another question on this Media Day Zoom call, addressing how his team’s preseason preparation has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The more face time he received in this 15-minute session, the more it became clear: The mask he was wearing was on wrong, as indicated by the flipped St. Bonaventure shield logo. Toward the end, he felt he needed to clear the air.
“I got one thing to say,” he declared with a bit of a laugh. “My mask, I know it’s upside down, but it fits better this way, that’s why I’m wearing it like this.”
The junior point guard seemed in good spirits as he, teammate Osun Osunniyi and coach Mark Schmidt met with the media remotely on Wednesday afternoon. And why wouldn’t he be? His Bonnies were scheduled to (finally) open the season two weeks almost from that very moment. You’d have certainly understood, however, if that good mood had actually been quite sour.
Lofton, despite winning a national prep school championship and a glittering start to his collegiate career, has still flown slightly under the radar in terms of attention.
He was a composite two-star recruit coming out of Putnam Science Academy, with his only other offers coming from middling to low-level programs such as UMass, Robert Morris and Quinnipiac. Even with an All-Rookie and All-Conference First Team selection under his belt, he’s never truly been viewed as one of the top players in the Atlantic 10.
And now this:
LAST MONTH, three names from the Atlantic 10 appeared on the Bob Cousy Award watch list for the nation’s top point guard; his wasn’t one of them (appearing instead were Rhode Island’s Fatts Russell, Dayton’s Jalen Crutcher and Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard). And then on Tuesday, he was named to the Preseason All-Conference Second Team despite finishing as a first-teamer last year.
That made him the only one of five such returning players to be bumped down a line, a dubious drop considering he’s obviously done nothing to hurt his stature between last March and now.
And while the latter, especially, is a tangible sign of disrespect, Lofton insists he isn’t angry about the recent slights. That’s just more fuel to the fire that has been burning within his basketball career from Day 1.
“Honestly, those awards and stuff, I don’t really think much of them,” he said. “I’m happy that I’m like that because it’s a weight off my shoulders. I’m used to it. My whole life I’ve been overlooked, so it’s not a surprise, it just helps me go harder and just motivates me.”
His father, Calvin Lofton, has made sure his son is aware of such lists for that very reason.
“My father, he mentions these things to me,” the younger Lofton revealed, “but I tell him it’s just motivation. I think that’s why he does it … he just wants the best out of me, and I thank him for that.”
IT’S ALMOST as if his unselfishness has worked against him.
The Hillside, N.J., native had a number of standout moments as a freshman, from his buzzer-beating game-winner over La Salle, to his 32-point outing against George Mason, to his all-tournament team showing at the 2019 Atlantic 10 Championship. That’s what earned him initial claim as one of the league’s rising stars.
A year ago, those “spotlight” instances might not have been as plentiful.
Lofton had just three games of 20-or-more points. His stats, outside of bumping his assist total from four to a conference-best six per game, were almost identical to what they were in 2018-19 (his scoring average actually dipped slightly, from 14.4 to 14.1). He was denied an encore in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Outsiders may look at those black-and-white numbers and say that Lofton failed to take the next step in his sophomore season. They might not see what lies beneath:
That he led the nation in minutes and finished 20th in assists last season.
That he’s part of one of the most balanced lineups in the league, with six players that led Bona in scoring on at least two occasions.
That he hasn’t necessarily needed to be a 16-to-18 points per game guy, but probably could be if ever called upon.
That he’s as important to his team as any player in the Atlantic 10.
And that’s how a guy like Lofton can become presumably one of the very few A-10 players who actually drops a line, through no wrongdoing of his own, in favor of the flashier Kellan Grady (Davidson) and more heralded Tre Mitchell (UMass).
For Lofton, though, who’s already amassed 928 points and is on pace to become a top-10 scorer in program history, that’s all the more reason to maintain his never-ending drive heading into his junior campaign. To that end, the COVID-19 pandemic, with its myriad restrictions and limitations, has actually helped.
“Personally, I think this pandemic has helped me because now I’m just more focused on what’s in front of me,” he said. “All the other stuff, I don’t have to worry about it, a lot of stuff you can’t do, so basketball’s really put first. And I think the other guys feel the same way.”
(J.P. Butler, Bradford Publishing Company group sports editor, can be reached at jbutler@oleantimesherald.com)
