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Rick Barnes on Zakai Zeigler's return: 'He wants to practice today'

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•07/12/23•

GrantRamey

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(Howard/Getty Images)

Zakai Zeigler stood near the foul line at Pratt Pavilion Tuesday afternoon. Tennessee’s junior point guard, still on his way back from the torn ACL that ended his sophomore season a little over four months ago, was bending at the knees slightly, keeping his feet on the floor and shooting shot after shot. 

If it was left up to Zeigler, he’d be on the other end of the floor with his teammates, running the point and going through a full fledged summer workout. 

“If you ask him, he’d tell you right now he wants to practice today,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said before Tuesday’s workout. “When we first started we came out doing some simple passing drills and he wanted to jump right in and we have to keep holding him back.” 

The Vols will have to continue holding Zeigler back, for his own good, as his comeback continues over the next few months.

Zakai Zeigler last season: 10.7 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals

Zeigler suffered the non-contact injury early against Arkansas on February 28 at Thompson-Boling Arena, had surgery in mid March and, ever since then, the feedback about his rehab has been that it’s moving in the right direction.

But Barnes and his staff will continue to pump the breaks on Zeigler, who knows only one speed.

“I think if you talk to (trainer) Chad (Newman) and (strength coach) Garrett (Medenwald) they’d both tell you he’s ahead of where he wants to be,” Barnes said, “but we’re not going to let (him) come back until we know he’s 100% ready and that won’t be until late in the fall probably.

“But he’s itching and he would tell you right now his left leg is stronger than his right leg which is obviously a good thing.”

Back in March, when Tennessee was at Madison Square Garden in New York for the Sweet Sixteen, Zeigler set “August or September” as his own timetable for return.

“That’s my personal goal,” Zeigler said at the time. “I just want to push toward that. Not so much being able to be fully active, but to be able to move around and just try to get on the court somewhat.”

Rick Barnes: ‘We have a timetable with him and we’ll stick with that timetable’

Tennessee’s full regular-season schedule has not yet been released, but the Vols have an early test at Wisconsin on November 10, will play in a loaded Maui Invitational field November 20-22 and will go to North Carolina on November 29.

“I plan on being back next season,” Zeigler said in March, “before we start.”

Tennessee will play three exhibition games in Italy early next month, will start preseason practice in either late September or early October and will scrimmage at Michigan State in late October. 

There’s a schedule that’s just as detailed for Zeigler. And the Vols will be sticking by it.

“You guys have seen him play,” Barnes said. “You know what’s in his DNA. I think he’s gone at this rehab the way you would expect him to do. He’s been a model patient in terms of doing it but he is impatient because he’s ready but we obviously won’t let that happen. 

“We have a timetable with him and we’ll stick with that timetable.”

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