Zakai Zeigler preparing for off-season of health ahead of senior year
Zakai Zeigler has just one season left in his college career.
In three seasons, he has put his name on the shortlist of top point guards to ever play for Tennessee basketball. Now, he has the chance to further his name in this vaunted category in his senior campaign.
Heading into this final year, Zeigler will have an opportunity he didn't have last off-season. Now, he'll have the chance to focus on his game instead of recovering from injury.
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To wrap up his sophomore season, Zeigler was hurt in the final game of Feburary before being forced to miss the remainder of the season. As he rehabbed his torn ACL, he missed the entire off-season including scrimmages in Italy and against Michigan State.
Zeigler wouldn't return to the court for game action until the regular season opener but was on a minutes restriction. He finally went nearly a full game again on Dec. 16 while playing 39 minutes in a win over NC State who ultimately went to the Final Four.
With the Vols falling in the Elite Eight, Zeigler and company returned to Knoxville to prepare for another run at a Final Four. When comparing where he was at a year ago to now, Zeigler noted the struggles of an off-season where he wasn't able to play basketball.
"Last year around this time, I was just focused on trying to learn how to walk again, really," said Zeigler. "I'm glad I can actually get in the gym and work on more other things other than walking. So I'm just thankful and blessed that I'm back really in the off-season."
Now that he has a chance to focus on improving his game rather than simply returning to the court, Zeigler has a couple goals in mind.
First, he wants to become a better shooter. He shot 39.3% from the field and 34.4% on 3-pointers but had to carry a big load of the offense throughout the season alongside Dalton Knecht.
Second, he hopes to become a better ball handler as the team's point guard.
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"Definitely shooting and I feel like ball handling a little bit, too," said Zeigler. "Really those two because last year I didn't really get any shots up really. I was getting shots up but not really. I was trying to learn how to jump a certain way and get back to myself. I'd really say, putting more shots up is more important."
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes can tell Zeigler is taking advantage of this off-season. The way the point guard comes to practice every day, you couldn't tell if it was a day before a March Madness game or a random day in late April.
This is the mindset that has helped build the program to where it is. Initially, Barnes wanted to redshirt Zeigler but he quickly showed that wouldn't be a viable option.
Since that moment before his freshman season, he has been a positive example for teammates and one of the most important pieces for Tennessee under Barnes.
"I mean, we're back in our workouts right now and if you come up and watch (Zeigler) and those guys, they know that where they want to go, their ultimate goal, they know they've got to continue to get better and improve," said Barnes. "We get feedback from everybody, we do that and we talk to them about it and I mean, what he's done in his three years, I mean, the way he's touched this program in so many different ways, it's really remarkable.
"It's a remarkable story because I mean, when we got him, we fully planned to redshirt him and after three days he changed that. He changed it and he hasn't looked back. And he's such an important piece because of the way he impacts everyone. He just gives everybody a sense of a competitive spirit willing to work. But if you watched him yesterday, you'll watch him today. He's going at it like it was first day of the season or the last day of the season. He doesn't change, he just tries to get better."
The Vols are currently working on fielding their roster for next season. At the moment, Jonas Aidoo, Tobe Awaka, Freddie Dilione V and DJ Jefferson have entered the transfer portal. On the way in is Darlinstone Dubar from Hofstra and four-star freshman Bishop Boswell.
Zeigler is expected to step back into the role of starting point guard with the goal of making the school's first-ever Final Four a year after making its second-ever Elite Eight.
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