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 had 10 points in 34 minutes as No. 1 Tennessee held on for a 74-70 win. The Longhorns. He is averaging 19 points per game. Barnes said he ejected Lanier when he didn’t shoot the ball on a play designed for him.
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“I took him out on the first play of the second half because he didn’t shoot the ball,” he said CBS Sports. “That play is designed for that shot. I told him, ‘If you’re not going to do what you’re getting paid to do, you’re going to sit here.’ Because he’s getting paid to do it.”
Barnes’s “paid to do” remark raised eyebrows in an age of name, image and likeness. No head coach was as blunt as Barnes was after the win.
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Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier drives over Florida forward Alex Condon on Jan. 7, 2025 in Gainesville. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
According to , Lanier has a $1.7 million NIL valuation. On3 games.
“I already told Chaz, he doesn’t need to score the ball for us to win,” Barnes added. “He’s going to have to help those guys by learning how to screen, he’s going to have to learn to cut hard, learn to get off screens early, 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)
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Tennessee is 15.–1 on the year and 2-1 against SEC opponents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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