Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson doesn’t necessarily know Zakai Zeigler. He’s seen him in games and followed his story, but the two haven’t met directly yet.
That isn’t stopping Sampson from talking about how “proud” he is of Zeigler and his journey through life, though.
While speaking to the media during Houston’s Elite Eight pre-game press conference on Saturday afternoon, Sampson revealed the high level of respect that he has for the Vols’ 5-foot-9 point guard.
“I don’t know him, but I’m proud of him because of how far he’s come from his freshman year,” Sampson said of Zeigler. “He’s smart. He’s a veteran. He’s tough. He’s a winner. He’s everything you want your point guard to be. We just lost one last year that reminds me of him and we have one this year that’s on his way to being that guy, too.”
Coaches aren’t shy of complimenting opposing players, but it’s not every day that you hear a coach say that he’s proud of a player whom he doesn’t even know. Zeigler’s game certainly helps warrant that type of comment, but Sampson’s quote also speaks to the incredible level of respect that he has for head coach Rick Barnes, a longtime friend in the basketball world for more than 40 years.
Sampson’s comment about Zeigler says that the Cougars have absolutely no intention of taking No. 5 lightly on Sunday, though. Houston is well aware of Zeigler’s impact on the Tennessee team and how much he stirs the Vols’ drink.
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“Against Tennessee, you know, Zeigler presents a different kind of front because he uses ball screens probably less than the other two, but he impacts the game probably more dynamically with his athleticism and his speed and the different ways that he can get a basket,” Sampson said on Saturday. “He can get a rebound and go get a layup. He can get a steal, go get a layup. He can use a ball screen, curl it, force the big to help and throw it behind for a dunk or throw it over for a dunk.”
In six postseason games so far, counting both the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, Zeigler is averaging 17.83 points per game. That’s a full 3.93 points per game more than the senior averaged over the span of the regular season. Zeigler has also set the Tennessee all-time single-season assist record and the SEC all-time single-season assist record during postseason play.
For Tennessee to take down Houston on Sunday, the Vols will need a collective effort from the team with Zeigler leading the charge. Fortunately for Tennessee, that’s what he’s been doing all season.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of the Elite Eight game between Tennessee and Houston on Sunday afternoon in Lucas Oil Stadium.
