Tennessee held a summer practice in front of the media in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon, giving a first look at all five of the Vols’ offseason newcomers. Tennessee brought in four players from the transfer portal and one player from the 2024 recruiting class.
The last of the four transfer players to announce his commitment to Tennessee was blue-chip guard Chaz Lanier. The four-year North Florida player garnered one of the top ratings in the portal and was highly sought after by a number of programs. When it came down to it, the Nashville native chose Tennessee over Kentucky and BYU due to a return to his home state and the coaching that he would receive from Rick Barnes and his staff.
Lanier met with the media for the first time at Tennessee on Tuesday before practice and broke down many of the details around his recruitment. The 6-foot-4 scoring guard spoke about the process of choosing Tennessee, feedback he got during the NBA Draft process, his first impression of playing with Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack, his fellow portal additions, and much more.
Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark also spoke to the media before practice and gave an update on the program’s offseason development. Clark detailed the game of individual players such as Lanier and Cam Carr while also giving some insight into how the transfer players are meshing in early, such as the quick connection between Zeigler and center Felix Okpara. Clark also gave his impression of Dalton Knecht’s performance with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Summer League.
More from RTI: Tennessee Basketball Practice Notes And Observations: July 23
Check out both interviews from Tuesday below. Additionally, check out the highlights video at the bottom of the page to see all five Tennessee newcomers in action.
Tennessee Guard Chaz Lanier
Tennessee Assistant Coach Rod Clark
Tennessee Newcomers Practice First Look
