HONORS

• 2023-24 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2024 NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team
• 2024 First Team All-SEC (Coaches)
• 2024 SEC Defensive Player of the Year
• 2024 SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2024 Second Team All-SEC (AP)
• 2024 Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Finalist
• 2024 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
• Bob Cousy PG Midseason Top 10 List 
• 2022-23 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2023 All-SEC Second Team (Coaches, AP)
• 2023 SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2023 NABC All-District 20 Team
• 2023 USBWA All-District IV Team
• 2022 Hall of Fame Invitational MVP
• 2021-22 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team
• SEC Freshman of the Week (Feb. 7, 2022)

2023-24 - JUNIOR

• Ended the year with nine points and a game-best eight assists, the latter mark moving him into the top three on Tennessee's single-season leaderboard, versus third-ranked Purdue (3/31/24) in the Elite Eight, committing just one turnover in 39 minutes.
• Registered 18 points and a game-best six assists, breaking the school's career record for assists in NCAA Tournament play in the process, in the Sweet 16 triumph over No. 11 Creighton (3/29/24).
• Younger brother, Armoni, is a freshman guard at Saint Peter's and the two faced off in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Round of 64.
• Recorded the 15th points/assists double-double by an SEC player in NCAA Tournament history, including the first by a Volunteer, with 11 points and 10 assists in the win over Saint Peter's (3/21/24).
• Scored a game-high 20 points in the SEC Tournament outing against Mississippi State (3/15/24) and, in doing so, became the 56th member of Tennessee's 1,000-point club.
• Concluded the regular season with a 17-point, nine-assist performance against No. 15/13 Kentucky (3/9/24), finishing 4-of-11 from 3-point range and committing just one turnover.
• Had 13 points, five rebounds and a game-best seven assists in the SEC championship-clinching win at No. 17/16 South Carolina (3/6/24).
• Posted a team-best 18 points, including 13 after halftime, and a co-team-high four assists in the victory at No. 14/13 Alabama (3/2/24).
• Put up 17 points, made all three of his 3-pointers, tied a career high with 12 free-throw attempts and dished out a game-best nine assists in the victory against No. 11 Auburn (2/28/24).
• In the win over Texas A&M (2/24/24), became the first Division I player in at least the last 19 seasons (2005-24), with nine points, a career-high nine rebounds, a career-high 14 assists, four steals and zero turnovers, tying for the sixth-most assists in a single game in Tennessee history. 
• Scored 14 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting against Vanderbilt (2/17/24), adding five assists to take sole possession of the No. 10 spot on Tennessee's all-time leaderboard. 
• Finished with 15 points, a career-high-tying six rebounds, six assists and four steals at Texas A&M (2/10/24).
• Amassed 17 points, nine assists and a career-high-tying five steals versus LSU (2/7/24), becoming the fifth SEC player—sixth occurrence—in the last 16 seasons (2008-24) to record that stat line and the first SEC player since Auburn's Jared Harper on Feb. 3/7, 2018, to log 22 assists in a two-game span of regulation conference contests.
• Logged a co-career-high 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting, a career-best 13 assists and a game-leading three steals in the win at No. 10/8 Kentucky (2/3/24), becoming the fourth SEC player in the last 20 seasons with a 25-point, 10-assist showing in regulation, the first SEC player with 13 assists in a regulation road game since Feb. 14, 2009, tying for the ninth-most assists ever by a Volunteer and notching the most assists for any player against Kentucky since Jan. 13, 1993. A full list of notes from his performance can be found HERE.
• Recorded 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in the comeback win at Georgia (1/13/24), as well as moved into the top 15 on Tennessee's career assists leaderboard with 335.
• Dropped a career-best 26 points in the SEC road opener at Mississippi State (1/10/24), shooting 9-of-15 from the floor to set a career high in makes, 4-of-9 on 3-pointers and 4-of-5 at the line, while adding seven assists, three steals and a block.
• Started SEC play with 17 points and a season-best 10 assists, as well as shot 4-of-11 from deep, in the victory against No. 22/19 Ole Miss (1/6/24) for his sixth points/assists double-double, setting a new Tennessee career record.
• Posted a game-leading 17 points and co-season-best four steals against Norfolk State (1/2/24), shooting 5-of-10 from deep to set a career high in made triples.
• Compiled a game-high 13 points and co-game-best five assists versus Tarleton State (12/21/23).
• Set season bests in points (20), made field goals (seven), made 3-pointers (four), assists (eight) and minutes (39), as well as tied his top mark in steals (four), versus NC State (12/16/23) in San Antonio, Texas, and claimed Basketball Hall of Fame Series Player of the Game honors.
• Finished with a season-best 11 points, four assists and no turnovers in the triumph against No. 20 Illinois (12/9/23), also serving as the primary defender on Marcus Domask, who went 2-of-12 on field goals.
• Notched nine points and seven assists, the most by a Vol since 2/25/23, in the outing at No. 17 North Carolina (11/29/23).
• Received Preseason First Team All-SEC recognition from the league's head coaches and was named a Preseason Second Team All-SEC selection by a panel of SEC and national media. 

2022-23 - SOPHOMORE

• Game-by-Game Statistics
• VIDEO: 2023 Player Feature
• One of only 10 nationwide semifinalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.
• One of 25 nationwide finalists for the Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year Award.
• At the time of his season-ending injury, led the SEC in assists (161, 5.4 apg) while boasting an impressive 2.37 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Became the first Vol since C.J. Watson in 2004-05 to finish a season as the SEC's assists leader (5.4 apg).
• Finished SEC regular-season play as the league leader in total assists (111) and assists per game (6.53 apg) while finishing second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.92).
• Became just the seventh Vol in program history to average 10.0+ points and 5.0+ assists in a season (10.7 ppg, 5.4 apg).
• Had five points/assists double-doubles on the season, tying the program career record (Rodney Woods had five from 1972-75).
• His 161 assists tied for the ninth-highest single-season total by a Vol, tying former teammate Kennedy Chandler (2021-22).
• His 2.37 assist/turnover ratio ranks ninth on the program's all-time single-season list. 
• Finished the season with 59 total steals—his 1.97 spg ranks 12th on the program's all-time single-season list.
• Suffered a season-ending left knee injury three minutes into Tennessee's home finale vs. Arkansas (2/28/23); had scored the game's first field goal and dished out an assist before the injury occurred. 
• Tied Tennessee's career record for points-assists double-doubles when he posted his fifth such performance in UT's home win over South Carolina (2/25/23); he totaled 13 points, a career-high 11 assists and a game-high three steals during the 85-45 rout.
• Shared team-high scoring honors during Tennessee's thrilling home win over No. 1-ranked Alabama (2/15/23), finishing with 15 points to go along with eight assists, two steals and no turnovers in 35 masterful minutes at the point.
• Posted his fourth points/assists double-double in 12 games against Missouri (2/11/23) with an 11-point, 10-assist effort. Accounted for 39 points via scoring and assists.
• Recorded a third-career double-double with a 22-point, 10-assist effort against No. 10 Texas (1/28/23)—just the seventh game in program history in which a player had 20 or more points and 10 or more assists. Via points and assists, accounted for 45 of Tennessee's 82 points in the win.
• Making his third consecutive start, had an 11-point, seven-assist, four-steal outing against Georgia (1/25/23).
• Accounted for 38 total points via scoring and assists at LSU (1/21/23) and recorded his second-career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Also recorded a pair of blocks and steals.
• Made his first start since November at Mississippi State (1/17/23), became the first Vol in more than three years to play 40 minutes in a regulation game—scoring a career-high 24 points, including 16 in the second half.
• Had an eight-assist, four-steal outing at South Carolina (1/7/23) despite a quiet scoring night.
• Recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 assists against Mississippi State (1/3/23), becoming just the 15th Vol in program history to obtain a points/assists double-double.
• On an off shooting night, still scored 13 points at Ole Miss (12/28/22) with a 9-for-10 performance at the free-throw line.
• Scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and had a career-high-tying six rebounds at No. 9 Arizona (12/17/22).
• Named Game MVP at the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational against No. 13 Maryland (12/11/22)—recording a team-high 12 points and three assists in front of a hometown crowd.
• Produced an all-around performance against Eastern Kentucky (12/7/22)—13 points, a career-high-tying six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
• Had a career-high-tying five steals along with 10 points and four assists against Alcorn State (12/4/22).
• Scored 14 points—including 11 in the second half—during the win over No. 3 Kansas (11/25/22), also recording four steals. Contributed eight points during Tennessee’s 11-0 second-half run that took control of the game.
• Posted an all-around effort in the win over Butler (11/23/22) with 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
• Started the Vols' season-opener against Tennessee Tech (11/7/22) and logged 12 points, five assists and a pair of steals in the win.
• Totaled 13 points, a game-high eight assists and three steals against No. 2 Gonzaga (10/28/22), controlling the pace of the game during Tennessee’s dominant 99-80 exhibition victory.
• After the Sept. 15, 2022, announcement that Tennessee would retire Chris Lofton's No. 5 jersey during the 2022-23 season, Lofton gave his blessing for Zeigler to finish his UT career wearing that number.
• Was selected to participate in the prestigious VOLeaders Academy in 2022-23, a year-long student-athlete leadership curriculum.
• One of 50 players—and two Vols, joining Santiago Vescovi—to earn a spot on the 50-man Naismith Trophy Watch List.
• Earned preseason All-SEC acclaim from the league's head coaches as well as a panel of SEC and national media, garnering first-team honors from the coaches and second-team honors from the media.

2021-22 - FRESHMAN

• Game-by-Game Statistics 
• VIDEO: 2022 Player Feature
• Made a major impact off the bench as a true freshman, ranking second on the team in steals (1.7 spg), third in assists (2.7 apg) and fourth in scoring (8.8 ppg).
• In SEC play, he raised his scoring average to 10.1 ppg, one of only four Vols to average double figures; his .866 free-throw percentage during league play led the team.
• Became just the fourth Vol ever selected to the SEC All-Defensive Team and first to do it as a freshman. He joined JaJuan Smith (2008), Josh Richardson (2014, 2015) and Yves Pons (2020, 2021) as Tennessee players to earn the honor.
• Was the first player off the bench in a team-high 19 games.
• Led the Vols in steals 12 times, in assists six times and in scoring four times.
• Scored in double figures during 12 of Tennessee’s 18 regular season SEC games—including nine of the final 11. Overall, had 17 double-figure scoring efforts, which ranked fourth on the team.
• Ranked 11th among all Division I players in steal percentage, logging a steal on 4.54 percent of opponents' possessions when he was on the floor.
• Finished the regular season just one steal shy of the SEC lead in steals during conference play, averaging 2.2 takeaways per game with 40 steals in 18 SEC games.
• Capped off the regular season with 13 points, a career-high six assists and five rebounds against #14 Arkansas (3/5/22).
• Scored 13 points and had three steals in the win over #3 Auburn (2/26/22), shooting 8-of-9 at the free-throw line.
• Scored a team-high 12 points at Arkansas and was 6-for-6 at the free throw line with two made 3-pointers.
• Compiled 14 points, four assists and four steals in Tennessee’s win over #4 Kentucky (2/15/22).
• Had a team-high 16 points vs. Vanderbilt (2/12/22), also recording a career-high-tying five assists and zero turnovers.
• Scored 11 points, had five steals and two assists in just 16 minutes at Mississippi State (2/9/22).
• In the win at South Carolina (2/5/22), was held scoreless in the first half before scoring a career-high-tying 18 points all in the second half. In the second half alone, was 6-for-9 shooting, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range.
• Scored 14 points vs. Texas A&M (2/1/22) and had an ankle-breaking crossover that was the No. 2 play on SportsCenter.
• Spearheaded Tennessee’s comeback at Texas (1/29/22), scoring 12 points and grabbing three rebounds in total.
• Scored 11 points with three made 3-pointers, grabbed a career-high six rebounds, dished four assists and recorded his first career block against Florida (1/26/22).
• Despite not making a field goal, still managed to score in double figures at Vanderbilt (1/18/22) with an 11-for-12 performance at the free throw line, also recording four steals.
• In 22 minutes off the bench vs. South Carolina (1/11/22), scored 11 points, tallied four assists and had a team-high four steals.
• Stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, a career-high five rebounds and a career-high five steals vs. Ole Miss (1/5/22).
• Making his first career start, scored 11 points and a had a team-high four assists in 27 minutes at Alabama (12/29/21).
• Made three 3-pointers against UNC Greensboro (12/11/21), also recording two assists and two steals.
• Exploded for a career-high and team-leading 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting—including 3-for-5 from 3-point range—in the win over North Carolina (11/21/21). Also had five assists and did not commit a turnover in 28 minutes of action.
• Shot 3-for-4 from the field and hit his first collegiate 3-pointer against Villanova (11/20/21), finishing with seven points.
• In 10 minutes off the bench, scored four points, recorded two steals and dished out an assist against ETSU (11/14/21).
• Logged 13+ minutes of action off the bench in his collegiate debut against UT Martin (11/9/21), recording three points, one rebound and a game-high-tying four assists in the season-opening victory.

HIGH SCHOOL

• Graduated from Our Saviour Lutheran School in The Bronx, but he played the 2020-21 season with Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, New Jersey, averaging 20 points and 4.6 assists per game.
• Played his AAU ball with the New York Lightning program in the EYBL, coached/directed by Dana Dingle, and was a Lightning teammate of current Vol Tobe Awaka for one year.
• Had a breakout showing in six games at the 2021 Peach Jam, averaging 15.3 points and 5.5 assists per game while boasting a 4.7 assist-to-turnover ratio; he also connected on 50 percent of his 3-point attempts.
• Against eventual Peach Jam champion Team Final, he had 23 points on 7-for-8 shooting from 3-point range while also tallying 10 assists, three steals, three rebounds with no turnovers.
• The Season Ticket named Zeigler’s showing against Team Final as the “Best Performance” of the 2021 Peach Jam.

PERSONAL

• Full name is Zakai Za’Miek Zeigler
• Name pronounced: zuh-KY ZEE-glur
• Born Aug. 2, 2002, in Long Island, New York
• Son of Charmane Zeigler
• Younger brother, Armoni, plays basketball at St. Peter's
• Continues a storied history of Vols who hail from the New York City area, including Naismith Hall of Famer Bernard King (Brooklyn), Ernie Grunfeld (Forest Hills), Howard Wood (East Hampton), Tobias Harris (Dix Hills) and Kevin Punter Jr. (Bronx)
• Is the shortest scholarship Vol since Ralph Parton in 1979-80, who was 5-7
• Also played football growing up, playing running back, quarterback and safety
• Academic Major: Retail & Merchandising Management
• Recipient of the Larry Pratt Athletic Scholarship Endowment