Introducing Emory Lanier (2020)
BMaze Elite 15u accomplished so much this summer and remember they did not have the remarkable shooter Emory Lanier (Webb School of Knoxville) healthy.
Discovery
Before Emory Lanier’s injury is addressed you need to know where he came from and what Emory is about.
The son of University of Tennessee Associate Head Coach Rob Lanier, Emory trains like he wants to be great.
“He is the best shooter in our part of Tennessee,” said BMaze Elite AAU Program Director Bobby Maze. “He is one of those kids that stays in the gym. We were really hurt by not having him in the finals game against Team Takeover.”
Coach Rob Lanier’s cousin, Bob Lanier, is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Bob Lanier led St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four in 1970 before embarking on a 14-year NBA career that included eight All-Star selections.
Rob Lanier also played in college (St. Bonaventure) and he blazed his trail with recruiting and coaching homeruns. Many of the players recruited to Florida and Texas were pursued and subsequently developed by Coach Lanier and his fellow staff.
LANIER’S NBA DRAFT PICKS
Year | Name, Pos | Round (Overall) | Team |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Chris Mihm, C | 1st (7) | Chicago |
2002 | Chris Owens, F | 2nd (48) | Milwaukee |
2003 | T.J. Ford, G | 1st (8) | Milwaukee |
2004 | Royal Ivey, G | 2nd (37) | Atlanta |
2008 | Marreese Speights, F/C | 1st (16) | Philadelphia |
2008 | Sean Singletary, G | 2nd (42) | Sacramento |
2009 | Nick Calathes, G | 2nd (45) | Minnesota |
2011 | Chandler Parsons, F | 2nd (38) | Houston |
2011 | Vernon Macklin, F/C | 2nd (52) | Detroit |
2012 | Bradley Beal, G | 1st (3) | Washington |
2015 | Myles Turner, C | 1st (11) | Indiana |
2017 | Jarrett Allen, C | 1st (22) | Brooklyn |
Lanier signed or coached each of the players listed
Emory grew up around the game.
“I haven’t stayed in a place for too long,” said Lanier. “I was in Austin for four years, but we moved around a lot.”
Coach’s kids tend to excel in the intangibles of the sport. Think Bobby Hurley, Chris Collins, and most recently Union City graduate Parker Stewart.
Lanier is no different. Look for a breakout winter for the young guard. He has always been around hungry, driven people.
“It is a lot of exposure from a young age,” said Lanier. “You are exposed to what it takes to be at that level.”
Was it tough moving around and changing schools with each new job his father accepted?
“I can adjust,” said Lanier. “It makes the world smaller a little bit. I see a lot of my friends from Texas at these tournaments. It has been tough, but it hasn’t been negative.”
Injury
Like most teenage injuries Lanier’s injury was not taken seriously at first. Most young men aren’t familiar with the darker side of injuries and for years they have simply woken up the next day with the magical healing power of youth preparing them to play anew.
“I strained my quad and it was after our tournament in L.A.,” said Lanier. “I didn’t injure it seriously until mid-June.”
Lanier missed the rest of AAU time with that leg injury.
“He went down with bad quad injury,” said Coach Maze. “Blood clots in his quad.”
A matured, well-traveled prospect, Lanier has surely seen frustrated, injured players up close. The pall of missed opportunities and forced non-participation casts a shadow over the best of athletes. Still Emory Lanier is nearing the end of his time away from the game.
Recovery
‘I am still getting back to playing pickup,” said Lanier. “I am back into season shape.”
Is the injured leg a long-term concern?
“It is mainly short term,” said Lanier. “It is about getting the swelling down in my leg. I have to stretch well and get back in shape.”
This winter Lanier will take the floor with two other college prospects.
“Chase Ridenour…he was our leading scorer last year,” reminded Emory Lanier. “Our other guy is Myles Rasnick. Those are two main guys. Along with me we have a couple of other good guards on the team that will play alot.”
https://twitter.com/CRide32/status/899001344979283968
Both Chase Ridenour and Myles Rasnick have a chance to play basketball beyond their upcoming senior year. Will Emory Lanier have a college career?
It tends to run in his family.