He won't be in Knoxville for much longer, but sharpshooter Chaz Lanier is leaving a lasting impact on the Tennessee basketball team. Transferring in for his final year of eligibility, Lanier has been as good as advertised in 2024-25. Obviously, getting coached up by Rick Barnes has something to do with that.
Following the win on the road against LSU earlier in the week, the senior is averaging 17.8 points per game, burying some timely shots for the Vols throughout the winter. While there's still an SEC Tournament and NCAA Tourney to look forward to, Lanier is also allowing himself to think about what playing for UT and Barnes has meant to him:
Vols guard Chaz Lanier to the SEC Network last night: “I just want to give a lot of praise to Coach Barnes. He’s poured a lot of time and effort into me, and a lot of love. He’s somebody who I hold very dearly.
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) February 26, 2025
"Just the amount of love that he pours into us is very special.”
Chaz Lanier couldn't be happier to have Rick Barnes coach him up
Come on, that's awesome right there. Tennessee is very lucky to have Barnes leading this program, as he invests everything he has into his players. This is something Lanier will confirm whenever you ask him about the veteran head coach.
Zakai Zeigler would be ready to do the same, as it has been well documented how close the all-world point guard is with Barnes. Matter of fact, Barnes has said numerous times that ZZ is part of the reason he enjoys coaching so much.
Now, Barnes, Lanier and Zeigler are focused on making plenty of noise once March Madness rolls around. This team has all the tools to take home the SEC Tournament title, while the Vols will surely be a team to watch in the Big Dance too. Is the first-ever No. 1 seed in program history on the way? That's what UT supporters are hoping for.
In order for that to happen, Lanier is going to need to keep playing at an All-SEC level, which has been the case of late. He went through some ups and downs in the middle of the season, but he appears to be past that. Barnes mentoring him on and off the floor sure has something to do with that.