Zakai Zeigler doesn’t do many things without full intent and intensity. It’s on display when Tennessee practices at Pratt Pavilion just as clearly as it is on the Thompson-Boling Arena court all winter. Zeigler’s nature quickly made him an impact player and fan favorite in his freshman season at Tennessee.
So it’s no surprise that Zeigler is attacking his rehab with great vitriol this offseason.
“You guys have seen him play,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Tuesday afternoon. “You know what’s in his DNA. I think he’s gone at this rehab the way you would expect him to do. He’s been a model patient in terms of doing it.”
Zeigler’s sophomore season ended in early March when he tore his ACL in the opening minutes of Tennessee’s Senior Day win over Arkansas.
The point guard had surgery a few weeks later and began rehabbing in hopes to return by the start of the 2023-24 season. Three and a half months through his rehab, Zeigler is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
“If you ask him, he’d tell you right now he wants to practice today,” Barnes said. “When we first started we came out doing some simple passing drills and he wanted to jump right in and we have to keep holding him back. I think if you talk to (trainer) Chad (Newman) and (strength coach) Garrett (Medenwald) they’d both tell you he’s ahead of where he wants to be.”
While Zeigler’s rehab is going well, Tennessee isn’t going to rush his return to the court. The Vols will hold the Long Island, New York native out until his left knee is back to 100% health.
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“We’re not going to let (him) come back until we know he’s 100% ready and that won’t be until late in the fall probably, but he’s itching and he would tell you right now his left leg is stronger than his right leg which is obviously a good thing,” Barnes said. “We have a timetable with him and we’ll stick with that time table.”
Zeigler didn’t always start at point guard for Tennessee last season but always finished the game as the point guard on the floor. The quick twitch guard averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists per game before suffering his knee injury. Zeigler was getting better-and-better as a pass first point guard as the season went on and totaled five double-doubles in SEC play.
It’s been an eventful and productive offseason for Tennessee with the Vols adding three players in the transfer portal while returning super seniors Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi.
However, Tennessee didn’t add an additional point guard to the roster this offseason making 2022-23 back ups Vescovi and Jahmai Mashack the secondary point guards again. Neither Vescovi or Mashack are true point guards making Zeigler’s return at full strength imperative for Tennessee this season.
Redshirt freshman Freddie Dillione can also play point guard but, like Mashack and Vescovi, isn’t a true point guard.
Tennessee will have a chance to build comfort at the point guard spot when they play three exhibition games in Italy in early August.
