Rick Barnes gives additional details on Zakai Zeigler's situation

On Tuesday’s SEC Network broadcast of Tennessee’s game against Georgia, the announcers shared a heartbreaking story and detailed what’s been a long week for Zakai Zeigler and his family. After a house fire claimed their home, his mother has been travelling with the team and Tennessee continues to offer support to one of their own.

During the postgame press conference, Rick Barnes further addressed the story and what the athletic program is doing to help out.

“Tough night for Zakai, you all know what he went through after our game,” said Barnes. “His mom losing everything in a fire up in New York. It’s the first time he really hasn’t been the Zakai that we’ve known from day one, it’s been a very emotional day. You saw his mom here for the first time since the fire. It’s been a tough couple of days for him.”

He continued: “When I saw him on Sunday, he looked like he hadn’t been in bed all night, and he actually said he was up until 5-6 in the morning. He loves his family, he loves his mom to death and his dad. They were there, they lost it all. And I asked him, ‘what about you?’ And he responded, ‘I’ve got what I have here’ but he was obviously really concerned about his mother and the family.”

Barnes added that the school will provide more details about how it is helping the Zeigler family on Wednesday.

More on Zakai Zeigler situation

It’s been a rough week for Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler, perhaps explaining why the 5-foot-9 freshman struggled from the floor in Tuesday night’s win over Georgia. Zeigler shot just 1-for-7 from the field, missing all four of his three-point shot attempts, while also grabbing a rebound and notching three assists. In limited playing time, Zeigler also committed two fouls and turned the ball over twice.

Tennessee was still able to overcome an early first-half deficit, tie it up by halftime and win it with a strong second half, but it couldn’t have been easy for Zeigler to contribute. On the SEC Network broadcast, the announcers shared a heartbreaking story and detailed what’s been a long week for the Long Island native.

“Zeigler — you mentioned the tough week he and his family had, hasn’t been his sharpest,” the SEC Network broadcasters said. “If you missed the story earlier, Zeigler’s family lost their residence in a house fire on Long Island. Tennessee’s athletic department put together plans to show fans how they can help the family get back on their feet, so stay tuned for that.”

The broadcasters added that his mom is receiving temporary housing and day-to-day assistance from the Tennessee basketball family. They said that Zeigler, asked pregame about his week, said that he had “all (he) needs” in Athens, with his mother being in attendance and in his company despite the tough times.