Tennessee senior guard and Volunteer State native Chaz Lanier won the SEC Newcomer of the Year award on Monday, as voted for by the league head coaches.
Lanier is the inaugural winner of the award, as it is a brand-new recognition for transfer players in the league.
The Nashville native was also named an All-SEC Second Team selection on Monday.
Lanier’s awards come just two days after he was celebrated alongside his family during Senior Day last Saturday.
While his time in Knoxville has been short, his impact on Tennessee and the SEC as a whole has been massive.
Replacing a player such as Dalton Knecht isn’t an easily replicable task, but Tennessee shot for the moon when they targeted sharpshooting guard Chaz Lanier out of North Florida. Lanier was widely considered the portal’s best overall shooter, and Tennessee wanted him badly. In May 2024, Lanier chose to finish his career at Tennessee rather than Kentucky or BYU.
Now, with Lanier leading the charge as Tennessee’s top offensive weapon this year, the Vols are staring down a double-bye in the SEC tournament and a likely No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.
More From RTI: Trio Of Tennessee Basketball Players Land On All-SEC Teams
The 6-foot-4 guard leads Tennessee with 17.9 points per game, which is good for fifth in the SEC behind Tre Johnson, Mark Sears, Johni Broome, and Josh Hubbard. Lanier lands at fourth in total points scored due to Broome missing a handful of games with an injury earlier in the season.
Lanier has recorded 14 straight double-digit scoring games and only has two single-digit totals in 31 games this season. He has particularly been good late in the season, averaging 20.17 PPG in the Vols’ last six contests.
Lanier is also averaging 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game to accompany his scoring.
Lanier’s scoring ability and 40%+ mark from three-point range this season have helped Tennessee find an offensive anchor in the wake of Knecht’s departure last off-season. The senior guard has provided Tennessee with a true top-scoring threat in what has been a historically impressive season for the Southeastern Conference.
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season on Monday in addition to First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive nods. Jahmai Mashack, meanwhile, was also named to the SEC All-Defensive squad.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for coverage of Tennessee at the SEC Tournament in Nashville this week.
