Chaz Lanier’s whirlwind of an offseason continued on Monday as he arrived in Knoxville for his visit with Tennessee. The visit was documented on social media, as Lanier stopped for a quick picture after a group of students painted the rock ahead of his arrival. The rock read “come home Chaz!”
Lanier also took a visit to Kentucky on Monday. He’s also already seen BYU after taking part in the NBA’s G-League Camp.
Lanier initially hit the transfer portal and entered the NBA Draft, and the Tennessee dots were pretty easy to connect. The 6-4 guard played his high school basketball in the mid-state, attending Ensworth Academy. The Volunteers still have a clear need for another guard after seeing Dalton Knecht, Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, Freddie Dilione and DJ Jefferson leave the program this offseason.
As a senior at North Florida this past season, Lanier exploded after three seasons as a role player. He averaged 4.5 and 4.7 points in the previous two seasons, then finished up his time at North Florida by averaging 19.7 points per game. Lanier also shot a staggering 44 percent (3.3/7.5 per game) from three-point range.
Lanier could add a lot of offensive pop to this Tennessee roster, which has already added sharpshooters like Darlinstone Dubar and Igor Milicic. The Volunteers currently have Jahmai Mashack, Jordan Gainey and Cameron Carr slotted in at shooting guard on the depth chart.