Grad transfer will be busy this year
Experienced Lofton is on his 5th school
LAS CRUCES — Zach Lofton, a graduate transfer, brings a lot to New Mexico State’s men’s basketball team.
He brings experience, having played in a NCAA Tournament game, and he brings skill, having been named the Southwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year for Texas Southern last season.
The 6-foot-3 guard from St. Paul, Minn., averaged 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season in leading Texas Southern to SWAC regular season and tournament titles.
In addition, “I consider myself a scorer,” Lofton said. “Being around these guys and my new coach, I’m being more of a team player. I think I bring a lot of energy and whatever the coaches ask me.”
NMSU coach Chris Jans thinks Lofton can make an immediate impact.
“He’s a very versatile guy,” Jans said. “He can score the ball, which is evident by his numbers prior to coming to here. But more importantly, he could be a really good defender and a good rebounder. He’s a strong guard that can play multiple positions. If he can continue to improve on that consistency, he can help us win games.”
Lofton can play both shooting guard and point guard, but has mostly been playing shooting guard in preseason practice. He can also play at a wing position.
NMSU is Lofton’s fifth school. Lofton started his college career at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, before transferring to Illinois State his sophomore year. Lofton averaged 11.3 points per game for Illinois State in 2013-14 before transferring to Minnesota.
Lofton reportedly had interest from 2017 Final Four teams South Carolina and Gonzaga, as well as North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss and Nevada before choosing NMSU.
Lofton was familiar with Jans and NMSU associate head coach Lou Gudino having played against both of them in the Missouri Valley Conference when Jans was an assistant at Wichita State and Gudino an assistant at Indiana State. NMSU assistant coach Jeff Mailhot was also a big reason Lofton chose NMSU. Mailhot is also from Minnesota and knew him from junior college.
Lofton’s AAU coach in Minnesota also knew Jans.
“I took a visit, we hit if off and I felt like it was the right spot for me,” Lofton said. “I really like it. It’s a lot different than I expected. I like the city, love the new coach and love my new team. It’s been great so far.”
Last season, Lofton and his Texas Southern Tigers were a No. 16 seed and lost to eventual national champion North Carolina 103-64. He wants to get to the NCAA Tournament in his final year.
“That’s my main goal,” Lofton said. “It’s a big deal to me. I’m fitting in great with these guys. No one dislikes each other, we feed off of each other’s energy, we’re all good guys.”