Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler voted preseason All-SEC

Tennessee basketball fifth-year senior guard Santiago Vescovi was voted first team All-SEC and junior point guard Zakai Zeigler was named Second Team All-SEC, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. 

Tennessee was picked to win the SEC’s regular-season championship in the league’s preseason media poll. 

Vescovi led Tennessee in minutes (32.3), points (12.5), three-point percentage (.370), threes made (91) and steals last season. He was second in assists with 102.

Zeigler last season was averaging 10.7 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game before the injury. It occurred early in the first half of Tennessee’s final home game of the season on February 28 against Arkansas.

Tennessee started preseason practice earlier this month with Zeigler rejoining his teammates on the floor for at least portions of practice, while team trainer Chad Newman and strength coach Garrett Medenwald help guide him through the rehab process. 

“He’s doing a little bit right now,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of Zeigler during his media day press conference two weeks ago. “Chad and Garrett would probably tell you they think he’s ahead of schedule. He’s done a little bit and started practice each day. If it were up to him, he’d practice the entire time but we won’t let him.”

Zeigler told Volquest earlier this month that how much work he gets in from day to day is more about how he feels. 

“How my body is feeling and just what the doctors and Chad and ‘G’ are all just saying,” Zeigler said. “I’m just trusting them through the whole process.”

Vescovi returned for his fifth season at Tennessee alongside fifth-year senior wing Josiah-Jordan James.

“I just really love everything about Knoxville,” Vescovi told Volquest, “about the team, the guys, the culture of the program and everything about it. To be honest, I love being here. I figured that it wouldn’t hurt me to stay another year with the team, enjoy another year with my family. 

“And mainly I think we have all the pieces. We have all the pieces, but also we have all the resources here to get better. We have a great platform.”

The Vols are three weeks away from the start of the regular-season opener against Tennessee Tech on November 6 at Thompson-Boling Arena. They go on the road to face Wisconsin on November 10 at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Tennessee has now been picked to win the SEC in the preseason poll twice over the last four seasons. Tennessee was voted first in 2020-21 and was the first time the program had been picked to win the league since 2008-09.