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Rick Barnes updates the status of Zakai Zeigler, timeline for Santiago Vescovi's return

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•10/31/23•

GrantRamey

Rick Barnes
(Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK) Tennessee Head Coach Rick Barnes during a game between Tennessee and Lenoir-Rhyne at Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023.

Zakai Zeigler is more than ready to make his long-awaited return for Tennessee. Still, the wait continues for the junior point guard as he continues his comeback from the torn ACL that ended his sophomore season back in February.

“He cares a lot,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes told reporters Tuesday night, “and he desperately wants to play. It’s killing him because he’s a guy if we would let him play, he would tell you he’s a hundred percent, even if he were 75% and he would play his heart out. It’s killing him not to play.”

Zeigler was sidelined again for No. 9 Tennessee’s 90-48 exhibition win over Lenoir-Rhyne Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena, missing the second preseason game over the last three days. The Vols beat No. 4 Michigan State 89-88 Sunday in East Lansing, with both Zeigler and fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi unavailable.

Santiago Vescovi rejoining Vols on Wednesday

Vescovi flew home to Uruguay last week to be with his family and his ailing grandmother, but is scheduled to arrive back in the United States on Wednesday and will be available on Monday when Tennessee opens the regular-season schedule against Tennessee Tech. 

Tennessee goes on the road to face Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Madison on November 10.

Zeigler’s status is still stuck in wait-and-see.

“Santi will be back on campus tomorrow,” Barnes said. “Gotta get him ready. He’ll get himself ready and then Zakai, will see how that goes between now and then.”

Zeigler on Tuesday wore Vescovi’s jersey on the Tennessee bench. He had a different seating assignment too, sitting to the left of Barnes in an attempt to get the in-game perspective from his head coach’s view.

“We got ready to start and he came up to me and I said, ‘Here sit down, sit with me tonight,’” Barnes said. ‘Let’s talk, we’ll talk through the game. And I said, ‘I’ll let you see what’s going on, what I’m thinking, what you’re thinking.’ And things would happen. 

For instance, Barnes said, there was early emphasis Tuesday on advancing the ball.

“We didn’t,” he said, “and we had chances to do it.”

The player in question was Jahmai Mashack, who had the ball in hand and was responsible at the time for its advancement.  

“And I said to Zeigler, ‘right now, do you think Jahmai knows he can advance the ball?’” Barnes said. “He said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘I’m saying he thinks those guys aren’t open. Are they open?’ He says they’re open. 

“So we called timeout and I said to Jahmai, ‘why didn’t you advance the ball? He said, ‘those guys weren’t open.’ I said, ‘Z were they open?’ He said, ‘they’re open.’”

Up Next: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Tennessee Tech, Monday, 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+

Zeigler took on some of Barnes’ responsibilities, too.

“Then as time was going on,” Barnes said, “I would take a guy out of the game and I would say, ‘Go tell him why you just got taken out of the game.’”

The question of when Zeigler will be the one subbing back in the game is still unanswered. Barnes said Tuesday that the original plan hasn’t changed.

The Vols are going to take their time.

“We’ve said it before, we’re gonna err on the caution side with him,” Barnes said. “But he knows what he needs to do. But I enjoyed him up there tonight because I think he sees it from a different perspective and sees what we’re looking for.

“And I think he would tell you, we’re looking for the details.”

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