Rick Barnes benched Tennessee leading scorer Chaz Lanier during the second half of Saturday’s college basketball game against Texas. He is getting paid too much money through NIL not to do what he is getting paid to do.
Those are the head coach’s words, not mine.
Barnes held his star player accountable as if he is an employee of the university rather than a student-athlete. It is the reality of the Name, Image and Likeness era of college basketball. Players sign financial agreements with a school’s affiliated NIL collective that pay out an agreed upon sum of money over a defined period of time. Lanier is not the exception to this system.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard spent his first four seasons at North Florida. He entered the portal as a graduate transfer during the offseason and chose to play in Knoxville over BYU and Kentucky. The Volunteers are currently ranked No. 1 in the country at 15-1 in large part because of his play.
Lanier is averaging 19 points per game and Tennessee is likely paying him a large chunk of money through Spyre Sports Group to lead the team in scoring. He is making no less than $100,000— and that is on the low end.
As a result, Rick Barnes had no issue removing Chaz Lanier from a tie game against the Longhorns because he is an employee. There is money involved!
Rick Barnes was blunt about taking Chaz Lanier out after not doing what he’s ‘Paid To Do’
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 12, 2025
“I told him, I said, 'if you're not going to do what you're getting paid to do, you sit over here.' 'Cause he is getting paid to do that."
Accountability in NIL era. 🎥@rockytopinsider pic.twitter.com/qMC8xvlTJ9
The 10th-year head coach of the Volunteers relegated his top scorer to the bench just 11 seconds into the second half. Barnes drew up a play for Lanier but Lanier did not shoot.
The play Coach Barnes was talking about… https://t.co/cxg4m8aD6E pic.twitter.com/BLVFddyvXE
— Jordan Moore (@jordanmoore_21) January 13, 2025
The head coach immediately took him out.
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.” ‘Cause he is getting paid to do that.
— Rick Barnes
This kind of accountability is going to become more common as college basketball players get paid more money. Rick Barnes is ahead of the curve with Chaz Lanier.