INDIANAPOLIS — Zakai Zeigler wants to be remembered as a winner. If there’s any room left after that he wants to be remembered as a pretty good player.
Zeigler’s college career likely came to a close on Sunday in a 69-50 loss against Houston in the Elite Eight. His resume is extraordinarily impressive.
He led Tennessee to two of its three trips to the Elite Eight in program history, the program’s first SEC Tournament Championship in over 40 years and another SEC Regular-Season Championship. A winner? There’s no debating it. Zeigler leaves Tennessee with program assists and steals records to go along with the SEC single-season assist record. His accolades go on-and-on. A pretty good player? That description doesn’t do Zeigler’s play justice.
“I think he probably has one of the most impressive resumes of any point guard to ever come through college basketball,” Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark said. “I think he should be known as the best point guard to ever have come through the University of Tennessee.”
Zeigler’s impact at Tennessee goes far past his impressive resume, however. Coming to Tennessee at an inflection point in Rick Barnes’ tenure, Zeigler changed the program for the better and elevated it from the day he arrived on campus with how he competed.
“He’s just got that dawg mentality,” sophomore center JP Estrella said. “He wanted to get better every day and prove to everybody that it’s heart over height. He lived that every day.”
According to those that were around him every day, Zeigler wasn’t just a great leader but someone who was there for others.
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“Off the court, he’s been a brother to me,” sophomore forward Cade Phillips said. “When times aren’t great and I don’t think I can do it, he’s always been a guy to check on me, he and Shack, check on me, love on me.”
“He’s always cared about everything when it came to this program. Always cared,” Clark said. “Always cared about everybody. He treated everybody with love.”
In many ways, Zeigler is the last of a dying breed in college athletics while also highlighting the good in the new rules. From humble upbringings, Zeigler made a name for himself in Knoxville. And when Zeigler’s family needed it, Tennessee basketball and Vol nation came to assist them.
“The city of Knoxville, all of Vol Nation they embraced him and he embraced them,” Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey said. “He never was hesitant to acknowledge how much the fanbase and university meant to him. He was always appreciative of the opportunity they gave him and Coach (Barnes) gave him. Never took that for granted. He never became entitled. He was always grateful and thankful. I think that’s why the fanbase drew to him even more. Loved him even more.”
NIL gave a player that had no chance to play in the NBA a chance to provide for his family for four years. But Zeigler never chased the money. His priority was rewarding the people that took a chance on him and supported him from the jump.
“I know he loves Knoxville,” Clark said. “I know he loves the University of Tennessee and he showed it. And there was never a conversation about him transferring and never a conversation about he doesn’t want this or he’s going to leave if he doesn’t get this. There was never that.”
“He gave everything he had and that’s rare,” fellow senior guard Jahmai Mashack said of Zeigler. “Four year guy, stayed when he could have left. Money was probably thrown at him, NIL stuff from other schools because he’s a great point guard. He decided to stay and push it out and do what he could for this program.”
Tennessee basketball changed Zeigler’s life. He repaid them with loyalty and one of the best careers in program history. Zeigler’s story is what makes sports beautiful. It’s what makes us love them. The undersized point guard came to Tennessee unknown. He leaves a program that’s better because of him.
“To come from where he started to where he finished, I mean, he has, in his own way, changed the identity of Tennessee basketball,” Gainey said. “It’s just tough, underdog, chip on your shoulder program.”
