In what has been a busy offseason for Kentucky basketball and the NCAA in general NCAA in general, there might be more surprises to come. New coach Mark Pope has already rebuilt the roster quickly after John Calipari left, and there are still rumors about who might come to Lexington next. One player to keep an eye on, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, is Chaz Lanier, the top scorer from North Florida.
Lanier is a skilled 6-4 guard who averaged 19.7 points for the Ospreys last year. It was a breakout season for Lanier, as he had only averaged 4.2 points on 42.3% shooting in his first three seasons. But he improved in his fourth year, making 51.0% from the field and 44.0% from 3-point range.
He was named to the first-team All A-Sun last year, after spending most of his career coming off the bench. Kentucky basketball may be the frontrunner to bring Lanier in.
According to Norlander on his podcast: “North Florida’s Chaz Lanier is not a well-known name but big schools are trying to recruit him, and it seems like Kentucky is the most likely option, and if not Kentucky, then it's Tennessee. And if not Tennessee, it might be BYU.”
Chaz Lanier Has Plenty of Competition
Tennessee has been seen as the team with the best chance of getting Lanier, who is from Nashville and attended high school in the city. As the Tennessean reported on Lanier, labeling him as the top potential recruit for the Volunteers:
“North Florida’s Chaz Lanier is as good as it gets in the portal. Lanier averaged 19.7 points and shot 44.4% on 3-pointers with the Ospreys. The 6-foot-4, 199-pound Lanier played high school basketball at The Ensworth School in Nashville. Competition for Lanier will be fierce.”
The question for the Wildcats and Pope is whether they need Lanier. He would provide additional scoring in the backcourt, but Pope is also trying to recruit Jaxson Robinson, who was also a skilled wing scorer and played for Pope at BYU.
Robinson averaged 14.2 points last year and is testing the waters in the NBA draft. He could potentially be a second-round draft pick—Bleacher Report ranks him as the No. 46 overall prospect, but The Ringer and NBADraftRoom.com does not have him in the Top 60 at all.
Another year in college probably won’t affect his chances, and he potentially could improve his standing with a good year in Blue.
Kentucky Basketball Could Add 2 More Top Transfers — or None
The relationship among Robinson, Lanier, the transfer portal, and the draft is intertwined. Lanier might hesitate to commit to Kentucky basketball if he thinks Robinson is going to join the team. But if Pope can assure him that he will play regardless, maybe he can get Lanier to sign on.
Or, at least, Pope could leverage the possibility of Lanier joining the Wildcats to persuade Robinson to come to Lexington.
When discussing Lanier on Kentucky Sports Radio this week, host Matt Jones said, “Kentucky, if they get him, I think they still want to get Jaxon Robinson, but it gives you a little breathing room if you don’t get him. Because I think this kid could start.
“They wanted two more impactful players. … I think they believed Lanier was going to join Tennessee, but if they can persuade him to choose Kentucky—Tennessee wanted to recruit him as a starter, and I believe he could almost definitely start immediately.
“He’s a point-maker. I think they still lack a point-maker. He’s a point-maker.”
