Zakai Zeigler on facing Jonas Aidoo in SEC opener: 'Jonas is our guy ... hopefully we come out on top'

Jonas Aidoo will be the opposition when Arkansas comes to Knoxville on January 4, opening up the SEC schedule with his new team on the road at Tennessee, facing off against his former teammates. 

Zakai Zeigler had nothing bad to say about the former Tennessee center this week, though.

“You know, Jonas is our guy,” Zeigler said during an appearance on the SEC Network’s ‘SEC Now’. 

The SEC announced league schedules on Tuesday, sending Aidoo and new Arkansas head coach John Calipari to Knoxville to face Rick Barnes and the Vols.

“Always wish him the best,” Zeigler said of Aidoo, “but that game, hopefully we come out on top. But ready for the game, hoping the best for him and for both teams.”

"to be back here another year and play in front of #VolNation is just a big blessing"

ZZ on SEC Network to talk season preparations pic.twitter.com/d4rSa4CjgI

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) August 22, 2024

Jonas Aidoo coming off breakout junior season at Tennessee

Aidoo had a breakout junior season at Tennessee, named Second Team All-SEC and to the league’s all defensive team. He averaged career highs in scoring and rebounding, with 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game. He shot 51.5% from the floor. 

He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in April and signed with Arkansas three weeks later.

Aidoo was a four-star center and a top-40 prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, initially committing to Marquette before following former Marquette assistant coach Justin Gainey, now Tennessee’s associate head coach, to Knoxville. 

“We obviously have great love and respect for Jonas,” Rick Barnes said during a Big Orange Caravan stop in May. “We’ve watched him grow in our program. But again, he felt like he may want to play a different style, a different way.”

Aidoo was one of seven departures from last season’s roster, including four players that entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

The Vols added four new additions out of the portal: Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar, 6-foot-10 Charlotte forward Igor Milicic Jr., North Florida guard Chaz Lanier and 6-foot-11 Ohio State big man Felix Okpara, Aidoo’s replacement at center.

“Honestly, I don’t want to sound crass about it, but you move on,” Barnes said in May when asked about Aidoo’s departure. “When you lose somebody, your mindset has to be, ‘Well, maybe we can improve somewhere.’”

Tennessee lost three fifth-year seniors in Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi. Redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione transferred to Penn State, redshirt freshman wing DJ Jefferson left for Longwood and sophomore power forward Tobe Awaka, who entered the portal one day before Aidoo, landed at Arizona.

‘If we got to be the bad guys, we’re willing to do that’

Zeigler said during his SEC Network appearance that he and fellow senior Jahmai Mashack have taken over leadership roles with the departures of James and Vescovi, two fifth-year seniors on the last season’s roster.

“I just feel like me and Jahmai, we stepped into those guys’ shoes and we’re those leaders,” Zeigler said. “And every day, if we got to be the bad guys, we’re willing to do that. 

“But we’re just willing to do whatever it takes to win. But me and Jahmai have really gotten better this offseason, just from a leadership standpoint.”

For Zeigler, the offseason was spent learning the ins and outs of the new teammates he’s tasked with leading. 

“A lot of people don’t know,” Zeigler said, “I’m a really shy guy. So it took me some time to break out of my my shell and to learn other people and like spend more time with new guys. And so just really learning my teammates and seeing their tendencies on and off the court. 

“It was really not too big of a challenge for me, but it was something different that I’m glad (I did). And I’m still getting to learn them. But I feel like we came a long way from when we first met.”