In the aftermath of a close win over a conference rival, University of Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes revealed that he purposely benched a player who turned down a shot.
Tennessee is currently the No. 1 ranked team in the country with an incredibly talented roster – but they will likely fall after a 30 point loss to Florida earlier in the week.
The Volunteers followed that up with a close victory on Saturday against Texas – beating the Longhorns 74-70.
After the game, Barnes revealed that he purposely benched starting guard Chaz Lanier – who transferred to Tennessee after starring at the University of North Florida.
Lanier struggled on offense, shooting 3-11 from the field and 2-6 from 3-point range to only pick up ten points, four rebounds, and an assist in the win.
Barnes said the quiet part out loud, revealing that Lanier’s decision to pass up a play which was designed for him to take a shot led to some time off the floor.
‘I’ve told Chaz all along, he doesn’t have to score the ball for us to win, but he’s going to have to help those guys by learning how to screen,’ Barnes told reporters after the game.
He continued, ‘I thought his teammates did enough to get him enough separation he could have been effective, but he still has gotta learn to get his hips twisted quicker so he can get downhill quicker.
‘I took him out, the first play of the second half because he didn’t shoot the ball. That play was designed for that shot. And I told him, I said, “if you’re not going to do what you’re getting paid to do, you sit over here.” Because he is getting paid to do that.’
Lanier is one of the top-25 scorers in the country, averaging 19.6 points per game. Among players in the ‘Power Five’ conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, and SEC), Lanier is the sixth best scorer. He’s also the top scorer in the SEC.
The defeat against Florida was Tennessee’s first loss of the season.
Barnes is a longtime veteran of college basketball and has been leading the Vols since 2015. He previously made head coaching stops at George Mason, Providence, Clemson, and Texas.
