Kentucky Basketball Loses Out on the Top Transfer Portal Target

Something finally went terribly wrong for new Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope following a college hoops honeymoon in which everything went very well. Chaz Lanier, a scorer for North Florida, rejected Pope and the UK and declared he was signing with Tennessee, meaning the Wildcats lost out on a valuable player through the transfer portal.

It is a devastating blow for Kentucky, and in a way, the choice made by Lanier illustrates how much had changed for UK even prior to the departure of coach John Calipari to Arkansas in April. Lanier probably would have chosen Tennessee over any other Kentucky basketball coach, but he chose the reigning SEC champions because of coach Rick Barnes.
Lanier had visited not just Tennessee but also Kentucky and BYU.

Dalton Knecht, a former guard for North Colorado, had made his way thanks to Tennessee and Barnes. He is expected to be selected in the top five of the NBA draft next month. Lanier was persuaded by the Vols to follow Knecht’s lead, something Pope was unable to do.

According to ESPN, Lanier claimed that UT was the greatest due to its play style and fit. “I’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate my shooting prowess at the highest level of collegiate basketball and hone my defensive skills under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Rick Barnes, who has a proven track record of producing players who make it to the NBA.”
“We discussed the road Dalton traveled, which is really comparable, but Tennessee never compared me to him in terms of our play style or game. I might be able to accomplish the same thing.

Lanier Chaz 19.7 points on average last season
Lanier, a skilled 6-foot-4 shooting guard, led the North Florida Ospreys in scoring last season with an average of 19.7 points. Lanier had averaged just 4.2 points on 42.3% shooting in his first three seasons, thus this was a breakout season for him. However, as a fourth-year junior, he found his rhythm, making 51.0% of his field goals and 44.0% of his three-pointers.
The most of his career has been spent as a reserve player, however he was an All-A-Sun player on the first team last year. Given that the A-Sun is considered the lowest conference in the country and that Lanier’s performance may have been an exception, there is some doubt regarding how well his results from the previous season will translate into 2024–25.

Lanier is rated by few scouts as even a second-round choice in 2025, so he will need to put up big numbers if he is to break into the NBA.