New York Vols cherish opportunity to make history in Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK — For Zakai Zeigler, Madison Square Garden was hard to miss.

Growing up in The Bronx, Zeigler's train back home stopped at the 'World's Most Famous Arena' and the kid with visions of playing inside one day watched the New York Knicks from the outside.

"The train station is over here at Penn Station. I always had to take the train through this spot," Zeigler recalled. "I used to sit outside of Penn Station and there was a big TV. When the games were being played, it was on the screen so everybody could watch outside, too. I used to watch it like that. I used to tell myself, 'one day I'm going to play there.'"

Zeigler's decision to sign with Tennessee out of Our Savior Lutheran School in The Bronx two years ago led him back to Madison Square Garden in 2022 when the Vols played Texas Tech there in the Jimmy V Classic.

Now 4-seed Tennessee is back, playing in the mecca of basketball in the NCAA Tournament, in its first Sweet 16 since 2019 and an opportunity to advance to just its second ever Elite Eight on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET against 9-seed Florida Atlantic (TBS).

Zeigler's role has changed, though.

The Vols' emotional leader anytime he has been on the floor has been sidelined with an ACL tear sustained in a game against Arkansas on Feb. 28 at Thompson-Boling Arena. He still leads, but from a different perspective.

Zeigler, who underwent surgery last week, watched from Knoxville as Tennessee beat Louisiana and Duke in the First and Second Rounds to punch its ticket to New York. His jersey made the trip to Orlando, hanging in the locker room at Amway Center and draped over the shoulders of teammate Alec Kegler during warmups.

For the rest of the Vols, "Get Z to New York" became a rallying cry.

Tennessee delivered, ousting 5-seed Duke, 65-52 to put itself on the grandest stage in basketball and while Zeigler won't get to have his second act inside the same arena that he revered growing up, his role with the team has never been more important.

"When I played (at Madison Square Garden) last year and when I played at Barclays Center this year, those were like dreams come true," Zeigler said. "Now that I'm back here, I'm with the team. Regardless of if I'm playing or not, it's still a dream come true.

"In the Sweet 16, not a lot of people can say that they lived in this moment and been here for things like this."

Madison Square Garden is special to Tobe Awaka, too.

The Tennessee freshman forward used to walk by the arena in Midtown Manhattan with the same dreams Zeigler had.

"Whenever I was in school here, I used to pass The Garden just going wherever I was going," Awaka said. "I went to games, I walked to games, but being on the court, playing in front of a crowd like that, there's nothing like it. It's really a dream come true."

Like Zeigler, Awaka also played his prep basketball in The Bronx at Cardinal Hayes High School.

He and Zeigler even played on the same AAU team for one season. When Awaka arrived in East Tennessee, he leaned on that familiarity with Zeigler in adjusting to college.

"Coming to Tennessee, it was a big different," Awaka said. "(Zeigler) definitely helped in me getting used to everything, the style offense that we play and the defensive tactics and, you know, off the court stuff when it came to study hall and being in the classroom, how to manage your time. He was a huge help."

"It helps a lot (having a teammate from New York)," Zeigler added. "We always talk trash to each other. I joke on Tobe a lot and sometimes he doesn't like it. Man, it's just fun to joke with him. Sometimes I joke with him about high school, AAU teams and things like that. It's great to have him down here."

Now the two can make history together.

If Tennessee can win its next two games, it will clinch a Final Four berth for the first time in program history, setting the stage for a story that only New York could tell.

"It's a dream come true," Zeigler said. "It's nothing else but that. People dream of things like that and they never get to live it. Now that I'm here, I have the opportunity, I've just got to roll with it."

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