New Mexico State Basketball: Grad transfer Zac Lofton commits to Aggies

Texas State graduate transfer Zac Lofton has committed to New Mexico basketball, another nice acquisition for the team looking for more scoring.

New Mexico State landed its third transfer this offseason when Zac Lofton committed to the Aggies on Monday. Lofton will be eligible immediately and is expected to provide the Aggies with scoring from the perimeter.

Lofton is coming off a breakout season where he was named the SWAC’s Player of the Year as well as the Newcomer of the Year after leading Texas Southern to its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance.

The 6’3″ guard averaged 16.8 points along with 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season. He shot 42.0% from the field though just 25.8% from beyond the arc in 2016-17.

Lofton, who is at his fifth school, started his career at Texas Southern in style. Lofton opened the season by pouring in a career-high 37 points, on 12-of-25 shooting, in a loss to UT-Arlington. He scored in double figures in 27 of his 35 games. Which includes 14 games with at least 20 points and two 30-point scoring efforts.

Lofton began his college career at San Jacinto College in 2012-13. He then moved to Illinois State for one season, where he averaged 11.3 points a contest during the 2013-14 season. After leaving Illinois State, Lofton attended Minnesota but was dismissed from the team on Oct. 30, 2014. The now-24-year old did not attend college during the 2015-16 campaign.

Lofton reportedly chose NMSU over several high major teams. South Carolina, North Carolina State, Ole Miss and Gonzaga were among the teams interested in him.

New Mexico St. went 28-6 last season and reached its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 after winning the WAC Tournament. The Aggies have undergone a lot of change since the end of the season. NMSU will be under the direction of its third head coach in three years after hiring Chris Jans on April 17, replacing Paul Weir, who departed for New Mexico.

The Aggies also had several players leave the program this offseason. Wing Braxton Huggins, who averaged 13.7 points and shot 42% from three-point line, transferred to Fresno State. Guards Jermaine Haley, Matt Taylor and Jalyn Pennie as well as center Tanveer Bhullar also left the program with eligibility left. Additionally, reigning WAC Player of the Year Ian Baker graduated.

Still, the Aggies are expected to compete for the WAC championship in 2017-18. The Aggies will have the service of Ohio State transfer A.J. Harris, who sat out last season, and Sidy N’Dir, who played in just nine games as a result of a foot injury.

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NMSU has brought in four other newcomers. Guards Shunn Buchannan and Wayne Stewart transferred from junior colleges. In the meanwhile, guards Gabe Hadley and Kortrijk Miles are the Aggies incoming freshmen. This will certainly be an interesting season for the Aggies as they look for another NCAA Tournament appearance.