Lanzi putting finishing touches on storied career

By KYLE PARMLEY

If you are looking for Paul Lanzi, chances are he is in a gym somewhere, putting up shot after shot.

That work ethic has led Lanzi to great success, and he is now the all-time leading scorer at Chelsea High School.

“He’s a gym rat,” Chelsea head basketball coach Nick Baumbaugh said of him. “He puts up shots before school, late at nights, Saturday afternoon; He’s just in the gym a lot.”

Lanzi, a senior, is the fourth of five brothers to come through the Chelsea basketball program. Stephen, Joseph and Matthew preceded him and Anthony will soon follow as a varsity contributor. Joseph is currently still playing at Auburn University in Montgomery.

In other words, Paul Lanzi has seen quite a few Chelsea basketball games over the years.

“It’s been real fun,” he said. “I’ve been watching since Joseph was a freshman in high school, so I’ve been here a long time and seen how things are run and how Coach [Baumbaugh] coaches and how the team works.”

Lanzi and the other four seniors on the Hornets this year are looking to make a postseason run. They aren’t dissuaded by the fact Chelsea has ascended to the Class 7A level and plays in an area with Spain Park, Hewitt-Trussville and Oak Mountain.

“We’ve got a really good team this year, so I’m really excited about what we can do,” Lanzi said.

Chelsea got off to a 5-5 start this season, hanging tough with some stout competition. An overtime loss to Vestavia Hills was among those defeats. But after an overtime loss to Central-Phenix City in December, the Hornets ripped off eight straight wins and began playing well.

Baumbaugh loves the way the seniors have gelled together and enjoy playing with one another. MJ Conrad, EJ Hudnall, Dylan Brown and Alex Redd have done a great job leading the team and also assimilating the younger players into the fold.

“These guys are great friends,” he said. “Our juniors and seniors, these guys all love each other.”

Baumbaugh also appreciates the way the players have accepted their roles.

“They know Paul is our best player, and he does a good job of finding them as well,” Baumbaugh said. “They’re rooting for each other, and all want to have success together.”

The Hornets caught the attention of other teams in the area last year when they knocked off Mountain Brook in an area contest.

“It was awesome. Everybody was so hyped after that game,” Lanzi said. “It was a great win. We were playing hard-nosed defense and making the extra passes, diving for loose balls and hitting the big shots.”

If Chelsea can get that type of performance from its team consistently down the stretch, the Hornets may be able to back up those postseason hopes.

Lanzi knows he wants to play basketball in college but had not made his decision as of press time.

“He’s earned it,” Baumbaugh said.

The Hornets will play in the Area 6 tournament in early February, with hopes of advancing to the Northeast Regional for the first time since 2016.