A new name to watch for Tennessee Basketball in the NCAA Transfer Portal: Chaz Lanier
North Florida guard Chaz Lanier is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3’s Joe Tipton, and will be a name to watch for Tennessee Basketball. Lanier, a Nashville native, had previously announced in March that he would be going through the NBA Draft process.
The NCAA Transfer Portal window closes for college basketball players on May 1. The NCAA’s withdrawal deadline for the NBA Draft is May 29.
The 6-foot-4, 199-pound Lanier, who attended Ensworth School in Nashville, 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 (214 of 420) and 44.0% from the 3-point line (106 of 241).
The most efficient offensive players in college basketball this season: pic.twitter.com/udikHLVmlD
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) April 10, 2024
Tennessee Basketball currently has five scholarship spots to fill
Tennessee currently has five open scholarship spots after adding Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar and four-star point guard Bishop Boswell, who signed with the Vols in November.
Four Tennessee players have entered the portal: redshirt freshmen Freddie Dilione V and DJ Jefferson alongside junior center Jonas Aidoo and sophomore forward Tobe Awaka. The Vols also lost three redshirt seniors in Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi.
On Wednesday Dilione committed to Penn State and Jefferson committed to Longwood.
The Vols will be looking to add a productive guard like Lanier, but so far the focus has been on adding size after Aidoo and Awaka entered the portal.
Vols have hosted four official visitors out of the NCAA Transfer Portal
Tennessee hosted Dubar and 6-foot-7 Belmont wing Cade Tyson on official visits the weekend of April 13, hosted 6-foot-10 Charlotte forward Igor Milicic last week and had 6-foot-11 Ohios State center Felix Okpara on campus for an official visit this week.
Milicic is down to Tennessee, Baylor and Nebraska while the Vols are battling North Carolina for Tyson.
Okpara averaged 6.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks this season and averaged 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last two years.
Dubar averaged 10.3 points per game last season and 11.7 two years ago, shooting a career-high 68.4% from the field in 2021-22 and 40.4% from the 3-point line in 2022-23.
Milicic averaged 12.8 points and 8.5 rebounds this season with the 49ers, shooting 48.7% from the field and 37.6% from the 3-point line. He started his career at Virginia before transferring to Charlotte after the 2021-22 season. He entered the transfer portal on March 25.
Tyson averaged 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 steals in 31.6 minutes per game at Belmont this season, starting all 31 games.
