Zakai Zeigler one year removed from ACL tear: 'God is great. That's all I can really say.'
The last time Zakai Zeigler took the floor at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 28, it ended in stunned silence.
Last season, when Tennessee hosted Arkansas on Senior Night in Knoxville, Zeigler drove baseline three minutes into the game and crumpled to the floor after suffering a non-contact injury.
It was a torn ACL for the sophomore point guard and the heart and soul of the Vols.
“We all hurt for Zakai,” Rick Barnes said during his postgame press conference at the time. “We know that he’s hurt. For him to stay down, he’s hurt. We all felt that … he pops right back up every single time when he goes down.”
Zakai Zeigler averaging 11.1 points, 5.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2,0 steals per game
Zeigler didn’t stay down for long, though.
After undergoing surgery last March and rehabbing through the fall, he was back in time for Tennessee’s season opener on November 6 against Tennessee Tech.
It was the goal Zeigler had set for himself all along. And his junior season has surpassed every imaginable goal.
Zeigler has played in all 28 games this season, starting 22, and is averaging career highs in minutes per game (30.3), points (11.1), assists (5.9), rebounds (2.7), steals (2.0), field-goal percentage (41.4), 3-point percentage (36.4) and 2-point percentage (48.5).
On Wednesday night, after No. 4 Tennessee’s 92-84 win over No. 11 Auburn, Zeigler was asked to reflect on the one-year anniversary of his injury.
Zeigler, never short for words, had just a few.
“Well,” he said, “God is great. That’s all I can really say.”
Up Next: No. 4 Tennessee at No. 14 Alabama, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Zeigler finished with 17 points, nine assists and four rebounds in the win. He had five turnovers, his most in a game in six weeks, but had just one in the second half.
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He scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, including six free throws, to help Tennessee hold on after a rally from down eight points with 12 minutes left.
Zeigler hit a three to end the first half, giving Tennessee a 44-40 lead at the break, and hit another three to start the second half, as the Vols were on their way to building a nine-point lead.
He had another 3-pointer with 9:06 left, tying the game at 69-all.
This time around, Zeigler played a big role in one of the biggest wins of the season, with Thompson-Boling Arena at its loudest.
“You know, it was tough last year, going down,” Zeigler said after the game. “But (I) fought through adversity. The people around me, they just picked me up. God is great. That’s all I can really say.”
