A special report from Jonathan Ayliffe
Zakai Zeigler is the best story in college hoops thus far.
End of Story.
Hyperbole aside, it is difficult to ignore the story line that this young baller from New York City has created for himself.
Tennessee had aspirations to win the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic, a new “Feast Week” Tournament that included Tennessee, Purdue, Villanova and North Carolina in its prestigious lineup. However, those aspirations wilted away as Villanova dismantled the Vols methodically, with UT ending up in the loser’s bracket after a 71-55 defeat. Coming into the consolation game against UNC, many wondered which Tennessee team would show up. What players would bring their “A” game? With Josiah Jordan James ruled out, many fans wondered who would step up defensively in his absence. Deep down, all Tennessee fans hoped the hot start to the season was not an aberration.
Tennessee fans saw Justin Powell earn his first start for the Big Orange after playing well in the opening games. It looked as though Barnes was going to go with small ball to get a win versus the Heels early on.
Sitting atop the lower bowl across from Carolina’s bench at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, I watched and cheered as the Vols started the game off well and seemed to be outplaying the Heels.
Enter Zakai Zeigler.
This is a young man who did not have any DI offers this summer. He was the unheralded recruit brought in to back up elite Memphis baller and number one ranked point guard Kennedy Chandler in this year’s class. Zeigler has earned minutes by hustling, shooting and having confidence despite having some odds stacked against him.
Zeigler’s impact wasn’t felt immediately. He did give Tennessee valuable minutes in the first half, but the NYC playground hoops star came alive in the second half. Tennessee traded some buckets with Carolina in the first half but pulled ahead by seven to close the half.
It was Zeigler’s play that made the big difference for Tennessee in the second as he lead the way in scoring for the Vols with 18 on the night. Zeigler brought the energy and was the spark that fueled the offensive flames for Tennessee late in the game.
Chandler and Zeigler, both natural point guards, were sharing the floor in the second half and UNC had no answer for the pair. They both showed their worth with ball handling and passing, not to mention rebounding and stealing and scoring. The 5-foot-9 Zeigler was the star of the show, though. He penetrated the defense countless times and he made it to the rim and scored on driving layups. He finished with contact. He passed the ball very well and was lightning quick. He shot the three ball well, too. At one point, he made three triples in a short period and Tennessee fans, which included a large group of Zeigler’s family who made the trip up from NY, were going crazy, jumping and seeing their boy shine on this big time college basketball stage.
An undersized and unhyped player getting to play in front of family and friends and becoming the best player on the floor against a titan of college hoops has to be one of the feel good stories of the year in men’s hoops thus far. What’s not to love? He’s the smallest guy on the court and he was dominant. It seems as if the best things do sometimes come in small packages.
It was a great environment despite being a consolation game. With Fran Fraschilla calling the game for ESPN and Grant Williams court side (and Roy Williams too), the blue clad fans in the arena hoped for a similar result to the last several times UNC played Tennessee on the hardwood. Zeigler and the Tennessee Volunteers had other ideas. Fortunately for Y2Z (hope the name sticks), his family was able to witness his spectacular performance in his coming out party at UT.
