The Athletic: UT basketball is legit, like the Vols freshman who just cut up Kentucky

[kamoshika]

Zakai Zeigler is the story of this Tennessee men’s basketball season because the origin story is so appealing — the best ones are usually centered in Gotham, right? — and because he’s the one with the fearlessness to do the most talking and shoving in a bench scrum of much taller people. Because he’s the one with the toughness to come away with the basketball in a floor scrum of much stronger people, and the one with the presence to advance it to a teammate for a dunk.

He’s the one with the game that can stand out, consistently, among nine much more higher-ranked people. He’s almost always the shortest and most overlooked out there. The (generously listed at) 5-foot-9 freshman point guard from Long Island, N.Y., is, to quote ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes in the first half of No. 13 Tennessee’s 76-63 rout of No. 3 Kentucky on Tuesday, in a line that infuriated at least one writer who believed he had an original thought: “The Grant Williams of this program.”

At some point, it would be nice for the Tennessee program to have another team achieve something so that any good thing that happens isn’t automatically compared to Williams and his legendary teams of 2017-18 and 2018-19. This could be the one. And Zeigler, by the time he’s done with what will probably be a four-year career with the Vols, could be as beloved as any Tennessee men’s basketball player not named Ernie or Bernie. That includes Williams. That’s the ability this young man already has to make plays and lead and scrap and win and inspire overreaction.
Rexrode: Tennessee basketball is legit, like the Vols freshman who just cut up Kentucky

 

[ASB Vol]

This freshmen class is special, maybe none more than ZZ. Was really impressed with Aidoo and Chandler's game is continuing to improve. Really enjoying watching our team and can't wait to see how they compete against Ark and Auburn in the upcoming weeks.

Earlier this season I've said that I don't think we're built to make a deep run in the NCAA tourney. I hope this momentum is sustainable, and I think it is.

Go effin Vols!

 

[VolFreakJosh]

It baffles me how Zeigler was ranked so low.

I know he’s very undersized for a PG but his ball handling skills and the ability to get to the rim is impressive.

He’s just so much fun to watch.

 

[driscokid]

It baffles me how Zeigler was ranked so low.

I know he’s very undersized for a PG but his ball handling skills and the ability to get to the rim is impressive.

He’s just so much fun to watch.

He is a difference maker and one of best ball players I’ve seen there in a while. Kind of like Richardson his last year

 

[wmcovol]

It baffles me how Zeigler was ranked so low.

I know he’s very undersized for a PG but his ball handling skills and the ability to get to the rim is impressive.

He’s just so much fun to watch.

Scouts in all sports rarely buy in on a player without “measurables” (height, speed, etc) irregardless of the sport. One pro scout told me “if I recommend a kid with size, speed, etc & he doesn’t make it, it’s on him. If I recommend a kid alittle small or a step slow, even if he’s great, they come back that it’s my fault”.

Thankfully our staff was brave enough to buy in and Barnes listened. CRB did on Grant Williams also.

 

[ALStateLineVol]

He is a difference maker and one of best ball players I’ve seen there in a while. Kind of like Richardson his last year

He constantly plays with a "chip on his shoulder" and that is something we haven't seen very often. He is one of those players that you really dislike if he's on another team, but your favorite if he is on the good side. How he got so overlooked (no pun intended) is astonishing but glad our staff was able to find him.
Go Vols!!

 

[LibertyVol]

The thing I like about him is he comes up big when you need it and he does that consistently. Ky had cut it to 8 and he hits a floater to push it to 10 and then a couple of possessions later hits a three to push it to 15. Game over.

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

That’s not very good writing at all, but I like the subject matter.

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

I think the Tony Harris comp is very fitting. But he has a much better coach than Tony had.

 

[cncchris33]

It baffles me how Zeigler was ranked so low.

I know he’s very undersized for a PG but his ball handling skills and the ability to get to the rim is impressive.

He’s just so much fun to watch.

Perfect storm of his size, lack of exposure, Covid...which only exacerbated his lack of exposure.

He's the kind of guy that typically ends up at Albany or UMBC and blows up in the NCAAT against a Duke and you wonder how did this guy fall thru the cracks. ZZ just refused to settle for that and went way put of his way to get himself noticed, and made the most of his opportunity in front of the right people.

The rest is history.

 

[njvols]

The thing I like about him is he comes up big when you need it and he does that consistently. Ky had cut it to 8 and he hits a floater to push it to 10 and then a couple of possessions later hits a three to push it to 15. Game over.

He’s got ice in his veins. No doubt anything he goes thru in college arenas is no comparison to his tough life growing up...and the really good thing is his attitude seems contagious

 

[Voltopia]

Seeing Zeigler's success at Tennessee this year has given me a fuller appreciation of having Barnes calling the shots. A guy like Zeigler probably doesn't get on Tennessee's radar unless you have a good network of colleagues, industry contacts, program scouts, etc., to tell you about him, make sure you're aware of what he can do. It's clear Barnes has that network, as evidenced by the high level talent he brings in. And thank goodness he does. To say nothing of the staff having the understanding of basketball necessary to say "5'-9"? That's okay, he's got the skills." But it starts with having a well-run basketball organization. I don't pretend Barnes is perfect, or that he's not without his quirks and tendencies, but every time Zeigler goes out there and shows that heart of his, I admit being thankful that we've got a professional, experienced, and well managed basketball staff. I'm grateful Barnes brings to the table.

 

[TrippieRedd]

I was looking for player comparisons for ZZ because I was bored and came across an article that used the Player Comparison tool on Torvik’s site, which takes all of Zeigler’s stats and throws up a similarity score to other seasons that match it most closely and the two closest to ZZ were Jevon Carter (WVU) and Shabazz Napier (UCONN). I went to both players freshmen year stats and they were:

Jevon Carter: 8.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.8 AST, 1.9 STL, 77% FT, 36% FG, 31% 3PT

Shabazz Napier: 7.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.0 AST, 1.6 STL, 77% FT, 37% FG, 33% 3PT

ZZ: 8.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.6 AST, 1.8 STL, 85.7% FT, 39.5% FG, 37% 3PT

I don't know, had nothing else to do and thought it was interesting.

 

[pasadenavol]

Guard play is key to a good run in the tournament. Thank God we have ZZ, KC and the South land Band...

 

[TNBV]

I think having Chandler, the number 1 PG recruit in the nation, probably gave Barnes the room to take a chance on a guy like ZZ. ZZs size had to be a concern. Many, many guys look like they are so fast and agile (in all sports) when they are playing in high school but often once they are against other D1 talent it becomes apparent that they were not as elite as they appeared. It is always a bit of a gamble with a guy who does not have the measurables but passes the eye test. It would have been tough to go and only get ZZ when we had such a glaring need at PG. I imagine that Barnes felt ZZ would be a project guy that would be useful down the road. I like Barnes but I don't think there is any way he imagined ZZ would be such a big part of our success this early, but if he did then WOW, great job. ZZ may be the best thing Barnes has achieved at UT when it is all said and done. ZZ looks like a 4 year guy and there are going to be lots of recruits who want to play with him. This class in general, event after Chandler leaves, will keep UT competitive for 3 more years. The size alone with Tamba, BHH and Aidoo is something we have not had EVER that I can remember.

 

[walkenvol]

Barnes watched ZZZ at the Peach Jam playing well against many highly ranked recruits and extended the offer. After one week on campus Barnes was already bragging to the media about ZZZ. I think Barnes knows what a point guard looks like

 

[dono]

You hear about team chemistry. I think I hear Chandler referencing that. saying that individual goals are not on the team's radar

 

[VolBricks]

I am going to admit that mid-season when the 3 ball would not fall I thought this team was done (going to implode). I was wrong, they are made of something stronger and fought through the shooting slump and basically gutted out some wins when the ball would not fall. Kudos to them for proving me wrong. I now think they are peaking at just the right time and with the defense we play could be poised for an elite 8 run.

 

[dono]

Can defeat paywall in Firefox via View>page style> no style

 

[LibertyVol]

You hear about team chemistry. I think I hear Chandler referencing that. saying that individual goals are not on the team's radar

And that is a credit to the coach. Barnes’s teams have always played unselfish basketball.

 

[orangemadam]

Perfect storm of his size, lack of exposure, Covid...which only exacerbated his lack of exposure.

He's the kind of guy that typically ends up at Albany or UMBC and blows up in the NCAAT against a Duke and you wonder how did this guy fall thru the cracks. ZZ just refused to settle for that and went way put of his way to get himself noticed, and made the most of his opportunity in front of the right people.

The rest is history.

Would you consider Ja Morant as one of those that was overlooked because of his size?

 

[cncchris33]

Would you consider Ja Morant as one of those that was overlooked because of his size?

Yes, partially. He was sub-6' as a high school senior, hailed from rural central South Carolina, and played for a small-scale AAU program. Still, he ended up with an offer from South Carolina. He and ZZ actually have similar stories. Both were discovered at AAU events by accident.

 

[wmcovol]

I think the Tony Harris comp is very fitting. But he has a much better coach than Tony had.

Jerry Green had a diamond and instead of polishing it, he let it collect dust.

 

[golfballs]

I was looking for player comparisons for ZZ because I was bored and came across an article that used the Player Comparison tool on Torvik’s site, which takes all of Zeigler’s stats and throws up a similarity score to other seasons that match it most closely and the two closest to ZZ were Jevon Carter (WVU) and Shabazz Napier (UCONN). I went to both players freshmen year stats and they were:

Jevon Carter: 8.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.8 AST, 1.9 STL, 77% FT, 36% FG, 31% 3PT

Shabazz Napier: 7.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.0 AST, 1.6 STL, 77% FT, 37% FG, 33% 3PT

ZZ: 8.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.6 AST, 1.8 STL, 85.7% FT, 39.5% FG, 37% 3PT

I don't know, had nothing else to do and thought it was interesting.

 

[golfballs]

Can defeat paywall in Firefox via View>page style> no style

Where is 'View'