Chaz Lanier had a few different options on the table this offseason.
After spending four seasons as a guard at North Florida in the A-Sun conference, Lanier made the decision to take the next step in his collegiate career.
Lanier entered his name into the transfer portal and NBA Draft considerations as he sought out the different options he had both at the professional and collegiate levels.
The Nashville native was one of the last of the top players to make their decision as he eventually chose Tennessee over Kentucky and BYU in late May.
“Yeah, definitely a different time in my life,” Lanier said about the recruiting frenzy in the portal. “I’ve never been through something like it, but just blessed to be in the position that I’m in. It was definitely a hectic time going through recruiting and then going through the draft process and then ending up choosing Tennessee, but just a blessing overall.”
Lanier, a high school player at Ensworth School in Nashville, was looking to elevate his game at his next stop but also took into consideration outside factors such as location. Lanier detailed why he chose Tennessee over BYU and Kentucky during his first availability with the Knoxville media on Tuesday.
“A big factor was definitely location, coming back home playing for my home state,” Lanier said. “It just means a little bit more to me. And then playing for a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Barnes. And just the family culture here. I knew I’d be joining a family and something that’s bigger than me.”
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s four transfer portal additions in the orange and white during a Vols summer workout on Tuesday: Lanier, Milicic Jr., Dubar, and Okpara pic.twitter.com/Ic4ZXoSUsl
— Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) July 24, 2024
More from RTI: Tennessee Basketball Newcomers Take the Court for Summer Workout
After starting 18 games in total throughout his first three years, Lanier elevated his game during his final season at North Florida. Lanier averaged 3.63 points per game during his first three years but jumped all the way up to 19.7 points per game during his senior season in 2023-2024. Lanier also averaged 33.4 minutes, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists during 32 games while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 44 percent from three-point range.
Lanier did go through the NBA Draft process and while he didn’t stick with that route, the lessons and coaches’ takeaways were invaluable to understanding where the league specifically wanted him to improve before submitting his name into the draft next spring.
“A lot of NBA teams were saying they want to see me make plays for my teammates,” Lanier said. “They can see that I can shoot the ball and score the ball, but make plays for other people and my teammates and shoot the ball faster and show my defense a little bit more.”
Lanier will have the chance to show an all-around game at Tennessee next season playing around the Vols’ returning guards, who have already left an impression on Lanier during summer workouts.
“They’re great,” Lanier said on Tuesday. “Like Shack (Jahmai Mashack), he’s super physical. ‘Z’ (Zakai Zeigler) super fast on his feet, so I have to play a little bit lower, do things a little bit different than I did at North Florida, but I’ve just been playing my game getting better every day.”
Check out Lanier’s full six-minute press conference from Tuesday below:
