Tennessee coach Rick Barnes just won’t let up. That’s a mixed bag for the Vols.
When asked about guard Chaz Lanier finishing the LSU game with nine rebounds in Tennessee’s 65-59 win earlier this week, Barnes said, “We like the fact that Chaz is doing that, but he needs to work harder to get about eight more shots a game. And to do that, again, we want to get him more shots…but Chaz is more than a shooter.
“We know he’s a terrific standstill, spot-up shooter. But when he wants to drive the ball, he’s proven he can do that. And the fact that you mentioned his rebounding, that’s something he didn’t do very much of at the beginning of the year. And he’s trying to impact the game in different ways.”
Barnes did a fantastic job of interweaving a critique and a compliment in that statement. The critique stands out.
UT’s head coach has long been accused of being too hard on his players. He’s been accused of running his players into the ground, which leads to being run out of the NCAA Tournament much earlier than expected. It seems he’s still the same ole Barnes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
With 800 wins in his career, Barnes is widely considered one of the best coaches in college basketball, but really Rick? If I’m Lanier, I’m not too happy about Barnes’ comments. Rebounding may not be Lanier’s most important task, but I commend the effort.
No matter how it makes Lanier feel, Barnes’ comments are absolutely correct, although I think he’s exaggerating about Lanier needing to take “eight” more shots. Nevertheless, let’s not quibble.
Lanier does indeed have the physical ability to drive to the basket and finish. His unwillingness to do so is befuddling and probably what makes him a step below what the Vols had last year when Dalton Knecht led Tennessee to an Elite Eight appearance.
Barnes is certainly on point. Lanier needs to take more shots, but I’m not sure I’d be overly critical of a guy that was willing to hit the glass and still score 14 points.
Lanier’s lack of aggression when it comes to scoring is a bit scary with March bearing down on the Vols. Who does Tennessee turn to in key situations when they need points? It should be Lanier. It might still be – if Barnes can not be so overbearing.
