North Florida transfer guard Chaz Lanier not on NBA Draft Combine list
Chaz Lanier was not one of the 78 players invited to the NBA Draft Combine when the league announced the list Friday. Lanier, the North Florida guard who announced in March that he would be entering the draft, is the biggest name on Tennessee Basketball’s recruiting board.
College players must withdraw from the NBA Draft by May 29 to maintain their eligibility.
The NBA Draft Combine will be held May 12-19 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht received an invite and is considered a top-10 player in the NBA Draft, set for June 27 in New York, according to ESPN.
Tennessee’s recruiting pitch to Lanier is stepping into the void left by Knecht, who averaged 21.7 points per game last season while going from a relatively unknown Northern Colorado transfer wing to a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
Chaz Lanier: 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game, 51.0% FG, 44.0% 3FG
Lanier, the 6-foot-4, 199-pound Nashville native, had a breakout senior season at North Florida, averaging 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33.4 minutes per game, shooting 51.0% from the field and 44.0% from the 3-point line.
Lanier announced in a social media pots on March 16 that he would be entering his name in the NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility:
“First and foremost, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the ability to play the game I love. It is an honor to use the talents and gifts he has given me for his purpose. Without him, I am nothing.
“I give a huge thanks to my parents, my brother, family and friends for your unwavering support.
“To the University of North Florida staff, my teammates and Osprey Nation, thanks for embracing a kid from Nashville.
“After much consideration and discussion with my family and Coach Driscoll, I have decided to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft and will maintain my collegiate eligibility.”
It was reported on April 24 that Lanier was entering the NCAA Transfer Portal. He’s currently ranked as the the No. 8 overall prospect in the portal, which closed on May 1.
Tennessee has added three players from NCAA Transfer Portal
Tennessee so far has added three transfers from the portal — Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar, Ohio State center Felix Okpara and Charlotte forward Igor Milicic Jr. — and still has three open scholarship spots.
The Vols lost four players in the portal — Jonas Aidoo (Arkansas), Tobe Awaka (Arizona), Freddie Dilione (Penn State) and DJ Jefferson (Longwood) — while also losing three fifth-year seniors from last seasons’s team, in Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi.
Rick Barnes said during the Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville on Tuesday that the Vols are “getting closer” to completing the roster for the 2024-25 season.
“We’ve been very selective,” Barnes said. “My coaches, (I) have a great deal of credit for their intel in terms of how they’ve gone about it, knowing what we would like and what we think works for us. And we’re really excited about the ones that we’ve gotten.”
