Tennessee
Tennessee basketball guard Chaz Lanier available for Round 2 of NBA Draft
Tennessee basketball star guard Chaz Lanier is still on the board as the 2025 NBA Draft heads to round two.
The Vols’ 3-point assassin was largely projected as an early second-round selection, but did get some buzz as someone who could sneak into the back end of the first.
The draft will resume on Thursday evening at 8 p.m. ET with all 29 remaining picks airing on ESPN. The expectation is isn’t shouldn’t take too long for Lanier to hear his name called.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Lanier made an impact in just one season at Tennessee. He was a major piece in the Vols reaching the Elite Eight for the second-straight year and just the third time in school history.
Out of North Florida, he averaged 18 points on 43.1% shooting from the field. His 123 converted 3-pointers were a program-best, eclipsing the previous record held by Chris Lofton for more than 15 years.
Lanier scored 20 or more points in 15 games, including a 29-point outing in Tennessee NCAA Tournament First Round win over Wofford and 20 point against UCLA in the Round of 32.
Lanier was named All-SEC by the Associated Press and league coaches and the SEC Newcomer of the Year. He was listed on a number of All-America Teams, as well.
The Vols are looking to have a player selected in the NBA draft for a fifth-straight season. Last year, Dalton Knecht was picked by the Lakers with the 17th pick of the draft.
The year prior, one-and-done forward Julian Phillips slipped just outside the first round, being picked 35th overall by the Bulls. In 2022, also a second-round one-and-done selection, Kennedy Chandler was taken by the Grizzlies 38th overall.
Tennessee had a pair of first-round selections in 2021. Keon Johnson went to the Clippers with the 21st pick and Jaden Springer went to the 76ers with 28th pick.
While the Vols did not have any draft selections in 2020, Rick Barnes helped produce draft picks of Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone in 2019. Those were the first draft picks out of Tennessee since Josh Richardson went in the second round of the 2015 draft.
Tennessee
The Recipient of Taylor Swift’s Bouquet Toss Has Strong Tennessee Football, Lady Vols Basketball Ties | Rocky Top Insider

This past weekend, music icon Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce tied the knot and were married in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Among the long list of antendees featured celebrities and athletes with ties to the two parties.
One of the athletes in attendance was Kelce’s teammate on the Kansas City Chiefs, Trey Smith. Attending alongside the former Tennessee football standout was his sister, Ashley Smith.
On top of being present for one of the most publicized weddings in recent history, Ashley Smith is leaving with a souvenir of sorts. She caught Swift’s bouquet toss, traditionally meaning she will be the next to get married.
“Celebrated an Enchanting Love S(T&T)ory,” Ashley Smith wrote on Instagram. “And somehow…I ended up catching Tay Tay’s bouquet. So here’s to believing it’s bringing a lifetime of love, luck, and laughter my way. Congratulations, Taylor & Travis! Cheers to forever T&T!”
More From RTI: Tennessee Athletics Explains The Details of New Adidas Uniforms
Along with being near the Tennessee football program as the sister of one of the Vols’ best players, Ashley Smith played a role within the team. Initially, she worked in the Tennessee football office as Director of Football Administration & Special Events. She was then elevated to Director of Student-Athlete Career Development in 2018. She is now the Manager of Player Engagement in the NFL.
“Ashley has done a fine job for us, and I believe she’ll really thrive in this role,” then-Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer said at the time of her promotion at UT. “She was fantastic in her role with football, but now that she’s working with all sports, she’ll be able to make a positive impact on more of our student-athletes. She understands how important it is that they have resources and advocates to help them transition to the next phase of their career.”
Ashley Smith graduated from Tennessee in 2013. During her time as a student, she served as the head student manager under Pat Summitt’s Lady Vols basketball program. After graduation, she worked in the NCAA’s national office in Indianapolis and earned a master’s degree at Florida before returning to UT.
Tennessee
Tennessee reduced training in IV placement in new lethal injection protocol
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The protocol that took effect in 2025 sheds new light on Tony Carruthers’ botched execution, when Dr. Mark Fowler spent nearly an hour trying, and failing, to place a secondary IV line.
Tennessee
Wild ride for temperatures: A look at Middle Tennessee’s first major heat wave of 2026
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Oppressive heat is done, but high humidity remains.
The jaw-dropping heat wave that closed the month of June and kicked off July is now officially complete. A heat wave is defined as a period of three or more consecutive days with temperatures in the 90s. Today, Sunday, July 5, Nashville’s high temperature was only 88 degrees, marking the end of the blistering seven-day stretch.
During our record-setting round of summer sizzle, Nashville achieved many notable milestones.
First, the low temperature last Sunday, June 28, was only 79°. That’s remarkably warm for a minimum temperature. Since 2013, there were only three other times the low in Nashville was that high.

Then, on Thursday, July 2, Nashville soared to 100 degrees for the first time in nearly a year. That day’s high missed the record by one.
Friday, July 3, turned even hotter. The airport thermometer peaked at 101° that afternoon setting a new record high for the date.
Finally, today, July 5, the high temperature was only 88 degrees. For the first time in a week, the temperature was held below 90. However, what’s stunning is that the high was set at 9:41 a.m., well before the typical high temperature time of day — mid-to-late afternoon.
In the coming days, we’ll get a break from what we endured last week. Expect spotty showers and storms. Clouds and rain in the area will hold temperatures to more seasonable levels, in the upper 80s and low 90s.
For life-saving weather alerts, customized messages on conditions and forecasts, and videos detailing upcoming weather events, download the WSMV 4 First Alert Weather app for iPhone or Android. Have weather pictures or videos? Share them here.
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