Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball coach Rick Barnes didn't mince words as to why he used the team's leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, in Saturday's win over the Texas Longhorns.
Lanier scored 10 points in 34 minutes as No. 1 Tennessee defeated the Longhorns 74-70. He averages 19 points per game. Burns said he fired Lanier because he didn't shoot the ball on plays designed for him.
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University of Tennessee head basketball coach Rick Barnes with Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier during the University of Arkansas game at Thompson Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville on January 4, 2025. talk. (Angelina Alcantor/News Sentinel/USA Today Network, Imagn Images)
“We took him out on the first play of the second half because he didn't shoot the ball,” he said. CBS Sports. “That play was designed for that shot. I told him, 'If you're not going to do what you're getting paid to do, sit here.'” Because. , because he is paid to do so. ”
Burns' “paid for” remark raised eyebrows in the Name, Image and Likeness era. No head coach was more candid after a win than Barnes.
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Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier drives past Florida State forward Alex Condon on Jan. 7, 2025 in Gainesville. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
According to , Lanier's NIL valuation is $1.7 million. On3 Sports.
“I've always said to Chaz, we don't need him to score the ball for us to win,” Burns added. “He’s going to have to learn how to screen and help them out, he’s going to have to learn to cut harder, he’s going to have to learn to come off screens and work faster. He's a bit of a sprinter.”
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes protests a call against Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Gainesville. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
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Tennessee is 15 years old–This is their first win this year, and they are 2-1 against SEC opponents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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