There were several reasons Lanier chose Tennessee, Knecht one of them.
Knoxville, Tenn. – From junior college to being named the South Eastern Conference Player of the Year, Dalton Knecht made his mark on Tennessee in his lone season in the Orange and White.
Knecht’s journey from JUCO to the NBA captured the attention of college basketball fans. Vols Assistant Coach, Rod Clark joked that now, “every kid that can shoot the ball and is 6’7″ thinks they can come here and play that way.”
Of course, it’s not that simple.
“But we reaped some benefits from it for sure,” added Clark.
Including Tennessee’s newest guard Chaz Lanier who cited Knecht’s impact with the Vols played a role in the decision to come to Rocky Top.
“Seeing Dalton’s journey was definitely eye-opening and attractive for me because we’ve kind of taken a similar route. So that definitely played a part,” said Lanier.
Lanier spent four years with the Ospreys of North Florida and established himself as one of college basketball’s most efficient scorers last season.
He boasts a 40% accuracy from 3-point range and a 48% field goal percentage over his four-year career. In his last season with the Ospreys, he averaged nearly 20 points per game with a 51% field goal percentage and 44% from beyond the arc.
That production led to a hectic offseason for the guard.
Before committing to Tennessee, Lanier declared for the 2024 NBA draft in mid-March, while maintaining eligibility for another year to play collegiately.
After feedback from the League, Lanier decided it was in his best interest to play for Rick Barnes.
“NBA teams want to see me make plays for my teammates, shoot and score the ball, and show my defense a little bit more,” said Lanier.
The guard is confident in his ability to facilitate play, as Clark highlighted Lanier also has exceptional passing skills, “He’s a really, really good passer.”
Coming to Knoxville is also a homecoming for Lanier, as the Nashville native said returning to his home state made his decision much easier.
“A big factor was definitely location, coming home and playing for my home state, it just means a little bit more for me,” said Lanier.
That, coupled with the family culture fostered by Barnes, Lanier couldn’t pass on the opportunity.
“It was just the family culture here, I knew I’d be joining a family and something bigger than me,” said Lanier.
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