The portal keeps on spinning.
North Florida guard Chaz Lanier has officially entered the transfer portal, and some are already connecting the dots back to Tennessee. The 6-4 guard is originally from Nashville, where he attended Ensworth High School in Brentwood. Now with one season of eligibility remaining, could Lanier return to the Volunteer state to wrap up his college career?
NEWS: North Florida guard Chaz Lanier will enter the NCAA transfer portal, a source told ESPN. With a 67% true shooting percentage, Lanier is one of the most efficient scorers in college basketball, averaging 20 points per game shooting 44% for 3. Also testing NBA draft waters. pic.twitter.com/axSdWoToOg
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 24, 2024
Lanier entered the portal with a no-contact tag. He announced that he was entering the NBA Draft last month, but has maintained his college eligibility.
As a senior last season, Lanier exploded seemingly out of nowhere. After averaging 4.7 and 4.5 points as a junior and a sophomore, Lanier finally got his shot and he didn’t miss. The sharpshooting guard took advantage of extra minutes to boost his scoring all the way up to 19.7 points per game — a truly shocking improvement from the previous three seasons.
Lanier shot a staggering 44 percent from three-point range. According to Synergy Basketball, Lanier was the most efficient offensive player in the country last season. Darlinstone Dubar, who has already committed and signed with Tennessee, ranks fourth in that metric.
The most efficient offensive players in college basketball this season: pic.twitter.com/udikHLVmlD
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) April 10, 2024
Tennessee still has five open scholarships available after signing Dubar and incoming freshman guard Bishop Boswell. They’re hoping to fill those spots with some sort of combination consisting of Belmont wing Cade Tyson, Charlotte forward Igor Milicic, Ohio State center Felix Okpara, and now — perhaps — Lanier.