College Basketball and Baseball
Lofton accepted a basketball scholarship to play at the University of Arizona. Wildcats head coach Lute Olson said of Lofton, "He's quick and a great leaper." At one point Lofton performed a 360-degree slam dunk for his suspecting teammates. For the Wildcats, Lofton was the backup point guard (to Craig McMillan and Steve Kerr) on a team that made it to the Final Four of the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He was the starting point guard the following year when the Wildcats made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Lofton is one of only two men to play in a college basketball Final Four (1988) and a MLB World Series. (The other is fellow East Chicago Washington High School alumnus Tim Stoddard.) He left as the Wildcats' leader in career steals (a record eventually broken). "In strength and agility drills, he just killed it. He's a guy who could have played pro football or basketball or baseball", said former Wildcats teammate Bruce Fraser.
Lofton decided to try out for the Wildcats baseball team during his junior year. He played in just five baseball games and recorded only one official at-bat while at Arizona but his speed and potential were recognized by baseball scouts, including the Houston Astros' Clark Crist. The Astros later selected Lofton in the 17th round of the 1988 MLB Draft. He played minor league baseball during the summer while completing his basketball eligibility at Arizona. The Astros organization asked Lofton to play minor league baseball in the Florida Instructional League but Lofton declined, citing a promise he had made to his grandmother to obtain his degree.
Read more about this topic: Kenny Lofton
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