‘21 NY PG Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee Signee)

#227
#227
walkenvol said:
No knock on ZZZ, but I still don’t see how any 5’-8” player fits into CRB’s switching defense?
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I would imagine that Barnes has a plan for him and believes he can make it work. Otherwise, what a waste of a scholarship. Fwiw, Barnes has spoken glowingly of Ziegler.
 
#229
#229
cncchris33 said:
Basilio saying that Ziegler is the best offensive player on the team (not entirely sure I buy that, but maybe). Says he’s an awful defender, at this point, however, which is likely to keep him from much playing time.

Now the good news…allegedly, the staff views him as a Jared Harper (Auburn guard) type once everything clicks for him on both ends of the floor. That would be a total steal if that is his ceiling.
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Did he say that on air? The blog mentioned that he can hit shots from anywhere and he’s fearless which is awesome.
 
#231
#231
cncchris33 said:
I would imagine that Barnes has a plan for him and believes he can make it work. Otherwise, what a waste of a scholarship. Fwiw, Barnes has spoken glowingly of Ziegler.
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I agree Chris and that’s what I find confusing. Unless I’m missing something, CRB has fielded a roster while at Tennessee with decent sized guards that allowed him to switch on ball screens. Can’t see that as being possible with a 5’-8” player so a fundamental change in defense must be planned when ZZZ is on the floor. CRB isn’t stupid and wouldn’t have signed ZZZ if he didn’t have a defensive plan to accommodate his height. Maybe ZZZ has Iverson level athleticism? I could see him being a fan favorite if he can play effectively being 5-6” shorter than the next shortest guy on the floor. Should be interesting
 
#234
#234
walkenvol said:
I agree Chris and that’s what I find confusing. Unless I’m missing something, CRB has fielded a roster while at Tennessee with decent sized guards that allowed him to switch on ball screens. Can’t see that as being possible with a 5’-8” player so a fundamental change in defense must be planned when ZZZ is on the floor. CRB isn’t stupid and wouldn’t have signed ZZZ if he didn’t have a defensive plan to accommodate his height. Maybe ZZZ has Iverson level athleticism? I could see him being a fan favorite if he can play effectively being 5-6” shorter than the next shortest guy on the floor. Should be interesting
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Javan Felix, Jai Lucas and AJ Abrams were all sub 5’11” guards that Barnes had at Texas at different times…doesn’t seem like he wants 3-4 guys like that on the roster but also doesn’t seem as if he’s against having 1 at a time either.

Also if you look around the SEC there’s quite a few 5’11”-6’1” guards, so you’re talking about quite a few guys he can go against that he’s only giving up 2-4” and not 5-6”.
 
#235
#235
Volfanatic_20 said:
I was originally envisioning a type of player like James Daniel played for us in 17-18. If the defense is lacking behind not sure if that is possible.
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I'm sure the original plan was simply to redshirt him while addressing the issues of any potential defensive deficiencies. With Chandler, Vescovi, and Powell, we didn't really need to have him come in and play, this year. It just sounds like he's someone that the staff has to make a decision on, because, offensively, he's much better than they anticipated and would likely contribute on that end of the floor. If they decide not to redshirt him, can he play enough, and not be a liability within team defense, to warrant burning his redshirt? I guess that is a question they will use all of fall practice to address.
 
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#236
#236
bleedingTNorange said:
Javan Felix, Jai Lucas and AJ Abrams were all sub 5’11” guards that Barnes had at Texas at different times…doesn’t seem like he wants 3-4 guys like that on the roster but also doesn’t seem as if he’s against having 1 at a time either.

Also if you look around the SEC there’s quite a few 5’11”-6’1” guards, so you’re talking about quite a few guys he can go against that he’s only giving up 2-4” and not 5-6”.
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To keep ZZZ defending the other team’s PG exclusively would eliminate switching on picks, at least for ZZZ. Unless I’m confused, this would be contrary to the defense CRB has been employing at UT which is my point. The good thing is ZZZ must be a real talent if CRB is willing to modify his normal defense to accommodate one player. Should be interesting to see!
 
#237
#237
walkenvol said:
To keep ZZZ defending the other team’s PG exclusively would eliminate switching on picks, at least for ZZZ. Unless I’m confused, this would be contrary to the defense CRB has been employing at UT which is my point. The good thing is ZZZ must be a real talent if CRB is willing to modify his normal defense to accommodate one player. Should be interesting to see!
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There has been times we don’t switch, and it’s not that complicated to “not switch” when it’s ZZZ involved in the pick…lots of times we have only switched 1-4 or 2-5 anyways.
 
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#240
#240
Some people can just play the game, regardless of height. Isiah Thomas averaged 28 points and 6 assists per game for the Celtics in 2016-17 at 5'9". Erving Walker at Florida about 10 years ago was All SEC Freshman and later All SEC 2nd team at 5'8. We should remember him pretty well, he scored 15, 16, and 17 against us in 3 meetings in 2010-11 and we lost all three games.
 
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#244
#244
A.J. said:
Cline played out of his mind that game. Made me so mad the crap shots he was throwing up and hitting. I think he scored 7 or 8 points the next game after they beat us.
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2 days later:
0 for 2 2s
2 for 5 3s
1 for 2 FTs
7 points in 44 minutes. 75-80 OT loss to NCAAT champion UVA.
 
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#245
#245
Two quotes from Rick tell me all I need to know about why ZZ was added to the roster:
"He's as impressive as anyone I've ever seen." (Considering how long Barnes has been involved in basketball and everything he's seen, that statement carries a lot of weight.)

and

"Our fans are going to love him."
'nuff said!
 
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