Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes didn’t mince words when he revealed why he sat the team’s leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, in Saturday’s win over the Texas Longhorns.
Lanier scored 10 points in 34 minutes and No. 1 Tennessee won 74-70 over the Longhorns. He is averaging 19 points per game. Barnes said he sacked Lanier after he didn’t throw the ball on a play designed for him.
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Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes talks with Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier during the Arkansas game at Thompson-Boling Arena at the Food City Center in Knoxville on Jan. 4, 2025. (Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
“I took him out on the first play of the second half because he didn’t shoot the ball,” he said via CBS Sports. “That play is designed for that shot. I told him, ‘If you’re not going to do what you’re paid to do, then you’re going to sit here.’ Because you’re paid to do that.”
Barnes’ “pay to do” comment raised eyebrows in the age of name, image and likeness. No head coach had been as direct as Barnes after the victory.
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Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier tackles Florida forward Alex Condon on Jan. 7, 2025, in Gainesville. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Lanier has an NIL valuation of $1.7 million, according to On3 Sports.
“I’ve told Chaz all the time that he doesn’t have to score the ball for us to win,” Barnes added. “He’s going to have to help those guys by learning to set screens, he’s going to have to learn to cut harder, learn to do his job early coming off screens, because he gallops a little bit.”
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes protests a call during the Florida game, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Gainesville. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Tennessee is 15 years old–1 on the year and 2-1 against SEC opponents.
