Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler moved into the Top 10 of Tennessee’s all-time assists category on Saturday with a five-assist performance against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville.
According to Tennessee Communications, Zeigler’s 393 career assists to date pass former Vol guard Fred Jenkins (1983-1987) and claimed sole possession of the 10th most assists in Tennessee program history. Tennessee also set a team season-high with 28 assists on Saturday night in a massive win over their in-state rival.
Zeigler ended his freshman season with 93 total assists in a backup role to former Tennessee one-and-done guard Kennedy Chandler. When given the reigns to lead Tennessee’s offense, though, Zeigler bumped up his season assists total to 161 during his sophomore season despite an injury that took him out for the Vols’ five postseason games.
Zeigler is on pace to break his previous career-high in season assists with 139 through the Vols’ first 25 games of the season. The Long Island native averaged 5.4 assists per game during the 2022-2023 season and is averaging 5.6 per game during the current season.
Zeigler has seven point-assists double-doubles during his three-year career on Rocky Top, which is an ongoing Tennessee program record as well. The Tennessee point guard set the record with six point-assists double-doubles earlier in the season against Ole Miss and extended his record with a seventh against Kentucky.
- Jan. 3, 2023 – 11 points, 10 assists against Mississippi State
- Jan. 21, 2023 – 12 points, 10 assists against LSU
- Jan. 28, 2023 – 22 points, 10 assists against Texas
- Feb. 11, 2023 – 11 points, 10 assists against Missouri
- Feb. 25, 2023 – 13 points, 11 rebounds against South Carolina
- Jan. 6, 2024 – 17 points, 10 assists against Ole Miss
- Feb. 3, 2024 – 26 points, 13 assists against Kentucky
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Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Zeigler’s 2023-2024 season is that it has come on the heels of an off-season ACL surgery and rehab. Zeigler took a few games to find his football early in the season but has emerged as Tennessee’s most all-around balanced player, especially in SEC play.
Zeigler is averaging a career-high this season in assists per game (5.6), minutes per game (29.7), field goal percentage (42.7), steals per game (2.0), and points per game (11.0).
With the emergence of Tennessee scoring machine Dalton Knecht, the Vols had a short stretch this season in conference play where the offense sort of turned into a “Feed Knecht” type of system. Understanding the amount of talent on the roster in addition to Knecht, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes challenged his junior point guard to be more assertive on the court.
Zeigler has responded with 16.2 points and 7.8 assists per game in the five games since.
“He did a great job where he took it on himself,” Barnes said of Zeigler in early February. “Said, ‘Hey, I’m the guy that’s supposed to be driving this car, and I’m going to make sure that guys are doing what they’re supposed to do when they’re supposed to do it and if not, I’m going to let them know about it.'”
Tennessee and guard Zakai Zeigler will return to the court this Tuesday evening when the Vols host Missouri in the Food City Center.
