Entering the 2024-2025 season, there are many fresh faces for Rick Barnes and Tennessee basketball. The Volunteers lost Josiah Jordan-James, Dalton Knecht and Santiago Vescovi as they ran out of eligibility as well as Jonas Aidoo, Tobe Awaka, D.J. Jefferson and Freddie Dilione left to enter the transfer portal.
Leading up to Tennessee basketball’s tipoff against Gardner Webb on Monday, Rocky Top Insider will look at each newcomer, detailing their path to wearing the orange and white, their style of play, and how they may contribute for the Volunteers.
Chaz Lanier, the 6-foot-5 guard, attended the University of North Florida for four years but is a Nashville native where he attended The Ensworth School.
Lanier was widely considered a top player in the transfer portal this offseason after averaging nearly 20 points per game at the University of North Florida.
To make his production even more impressive, Lanier ranked as one of the most efficient scorers in the country.
The most efficient offensive players in college basketball this season: pic.twitter.com/udikHLVmlD
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) April 10, 2024
Lanier ranks first on this list for most efficient players in the 2023-2024 season of players with 15 possessions or more. Also shown in this graphic is his 1.20 points per possession.
While Chaz Lanier is a scorer, he is not a ball-dominant guard. He has impressive positional size at 6-foot-5 and is at his best off the ball. Rarely will you see Lanier make multiple dribble moves in one possession. When he scores, he typically pulls a quick trigger three or takes a few dribbles for a straight-line drive to either pull up or get to the paint. Lanier doesn’t mess around with the ball. He is either going at you, past you, or shooting from deep.
More From RTI: Tennessee Basketball Practice Notes And Observations From Oct. 31
In Tennessee’s exhibition against Indiana, Lanier struggled. Head coach Rick Barnes played Lanier off the bench due to what Barnes described as still practicing his way back into the rotation from an injury.
Rick Barnes on not starting Chaz Lanier:
“Chaz has not practiced as much. He’s had an injury he’s been dealing with. I’ve said it before, what we do in practice will determine who is going to start, who is going to play.”
— Ryan Sylvia (@RyanTSylvia) October 27, 2024
Lanier subbed in less than three minutes into the game, replacing Jordan Gainey and went on to play 20 minutes in the exhibition.
In his 20 minutes, Lanier finished with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and zero turnovers. Unfortunately for Barnes and the Tennessee offense, his shots weren’t falling as easily as they seemed to at North Florida. Lanier finished three-of-16 from the field, shooting two-of-12 from three-point line.
Lanier’s first three-pointer came from an off-ball screen towards the baseline, as he sprinted to the left side of the court to drill a contested three in front of the Hoosiers bench.
Vols running “Floppy” action to get Chaz Lanier his first 3 in a Tennessee uniform. pic.twitter.com/ei45jOrm12
— Jordan Moore (@jordanmoore_21) October 30, 2024
Another one of Lanier’s highlight plays happened when Zakai Ziegler turned his relentless defense into quick offense, as the two got into the fast-break as Lanier finished the alley-oop.
Zakai Zeigler’s defense turns into a lob to Lanier. Chaz crammed it home! #Vols pic.twitter.com/P2UuobBjAr
— Reece Van Haaften (@Reece_VH) October 27, 2024
While it may have been a disappointing day for Chaz Lanier and the Volunteers as they lost to Indiana 68-62 and the North Florida transfer didn’t shoot it well, his teammates have not wavered in their confidence in Lanier. Ziegler went on to say the team will only have a problem with Lanier if he doesn’t take shots.
“He is someone that really doesn’t let stuff faze him,” Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler said of Chaz Lanier. “We know he can shoot the ball. If he doesn’t take those shots that’s when we have a problem.”
Lanier is one of the most established shooters in all of college basketball. Tennessee needs to find ways to put the ball in his hands in beneficial circumstances, especially after the departure of Dalton Knecht. In his senior season at North Florida, shot 51% from the field. Lanier also made 104 threes, shooting 44% from beyond the arc.
It wasn’t always easy for Lanier, however, as he has been no stranger to struggle in his basketball journey.
While playing basketball for Ensworth, Lanier had to work his way up the ladder. He played on the freshman and junior varsity teams before being moved to varsity. Lanier was on varsity for three years but was only a constant starter in his senior season. In his senior season, he averaged 22.8 points. Still, with not much to show for the previous years, many coaches didn’t want to take the risk on Lanier. He came out of school with only two division-one offers: Campbell and North Florida.
During his four seasons at North Florida, Lanier did not excel until his senior year.
In his freshman season, Lanier played in only 10 games and started in one of them. In those 10 games, he averaged 9.2 minutes and 1.7 points.
During his sophomore season, Lanier saw an increased role, as he played in 31 games, starting eight of them. He averaged 21 minutes and 4.5 points per game.
In his junior season, Lanier had a very similar spot compared to the year prior. He played in 32 games and started nine of those games. He averaged 19.6 minutes and 4.7 points per game. One notable jump was the increase in his three-point percentage from sophomore to junior year. In his sophomore season, he shot 30.4% from three. He upgraded this to 39.1% in his junior season.
The biggest jump for Lanier came from his junior to senior season. In his final year at North Florida, Lanier averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33.3 minutes. He shot 51% from the field and held a 41 percent mark from three. He was awarded Atlantic Sun Player of the Week on three occasions and finished on the All-Atlantic Sun First Team.
Tennessee fans should look for Lanier to be one of the most impactful players on the court this winter. The Volunteers host Gardner Webb at the Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center to start their season.
