After a close victory over a conference rival, University of Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes revealed that he purposely benched a player who rejected a shot.
Tennessee is currently the number one ranked team in the country with an incredibly talented roster, but will likely fall after a 30-point loss to Florida earlier in the week.
The Volunteers followed up with a close victory 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 account for just ten points, four rebounds and one assist in the win.
Barnes said the quiet part out loud, revealing that Lanier's decision to pass up a play that was designed for him to shoot led to him being sidelined for some time.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said he benched a player because he didn't shoot
Barnes said guard Chaz Lanier was benched because he didn't do “what he's paid to do.”
“I've told Chaz all along that 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 block,” Barnes told reporters after the game.
He continued, “I thought his teammates did enough to give him enough separation that it could have been effective, but he still has to learn to twist his hips faster so he can get downhill faster.”
“I eliminated him on 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, “If you're not going to do what you're paid to do, sit here.” Because they pay you to do that.
Lanier is one of the top 25 scorers in the country, averaging 19.6 points per game. Among players from the 'Power Five' conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII and SEC), Lanier is the sixth-best scorer. He is also the SEC's leading scorer.
The loss against Florida was Tennessee's first loss of the season.
Barnes is a college basketball veteran and has been leading the Vols since 2015. He was previously the head coach at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas.