Chaz Lanier Speaks For the First Time as a Vol

Credit: North Florida Athletics

By Tucker Harlin

Summer practice began for Tennessee at Pratt Pavilion Tuesday.

The Vols are coming off their second Elite Eight appearance in program history, and some in the world of analytics are suggesting the 2024-25 squad could be more talented than last year’s bunch.

The reasoning behind this line of thought is the four transfer portal acquisitions Rick Barnes made in the offseason.

The last of those four commitments was North Florida guard Chaz Lanier. Lanier was reportedly between Tennessee, Kentucky, and BYU but ultimately chose the Vols in late May.

The Nashville native was quick to cite being closer to home as a reason to come to Knoxville.

“A big factor was definitely location and coming back home and playing for my home state, it just means a little bit more to me,” Lanier told media members Tuesday. “And then playing for hall of fame coach Rick Barnes and the family culture here. I knew I’d be playing for a family and something that’s bigger than me.”

In addition to entering the transfer portal, Lanier had actually entered the NBA draft process ahead of his decision to leave North Florida.

“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 (they want me to) make plays for other people and my teammates, shoot the ball faster, and show my defense a little bit more.”

In addition to the atmosphere and advice from the NBA ranks, Lanier noted Dalton Knecht as an inspiration for his decision. Similar to Lanier, one of the big draws to Tennessee for Knecht was an opportunity to improve defensive play.

“Seeing Dalton’s journey was eye-opening and attractive for me because we had kind of taken a similar route,” Lanier said. “That definitely played a part.”