Tennessee Vols' Chaz Lanier receives major recognition from Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday

The school put out a video showing Lanier's reaction to the news, with assistant coach Rod Clark having to Lanier they were going back to watch film. 

The award is in its 11th season, given in honor of the 1959 Final Four MVP and 1980 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.  West would go on to become one of the most accomplished people to ever pick up a basketball, both as a player and as an executive.  He won an NBA title in 1972 and was a 14-time NBA All-Star.  As an executive, he won 8 more titles and helped create two eras of greatness with the Lakers led by Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. 

Lanier came to Knoxville last offseason as one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal out of North Florida.  He did not disappoint in the stat column.  He averaged a team-high 18 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.  His 123 made 3 pointers set a school record and was the sixth-highest total in SEC history. 

Lanier beat out Baylor's V.J. Edgecombe, Memphis' P.J. Haggerty, Texas' Tre Johnson and Arizona's Caleb Love for the honors.  He succeeds North Carolina's R.J. Davis, who won the title last year.