For the second consecutive year, Zakai Zeigler has won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award.
After leading the Vols’ top-ranked defence with 58 steals during the regular season, the 5-foot-9 senior guard from Tennessee was chosen the league’s best defensive player by head coaches on Monday.
Zeigler led a Tennessee defence that finished first in defensive efficiency and eighth in scoring defence nationally. He was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team for the fourth time in his career and to the First Team All-SEC for the second time.
Zeigler is the first player in conference history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team four times in a single career. This makes him the third player to win the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award more than once.
Zeigler averaged 7.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 13.1 points on 39.5% shooting. In 11 conference games, he scored 14 points or more.
SEC Newcomer of the Year honours went to Chaz Lanier.
A transfer portal addition paced Tennessee’s offence for the second consecutive season.
After leading the Vols in scoring with 17.9 points on 43.2% shooting, Chaz Lanier, who had played for North Florida for the previous three seasons, was awarded the SEC Newcomer of the Year.
With 3.4 three-pointers per game, he led the league and became only the third player in program history to make 100 or more 3-pointers in a season, after Santiago Vescovi and Chris Lofton.
The All-SEC Second Team included Lanier.
SEC All-Defensive Team pick Jahamai Mashack
Zeigler was joined on the SEC All-Defensive Team by Jahamai Mashack, who is regarded as one of the top defenders in college basketball.
According to Synergy, Mashack, one of three seniors in Tennessee’s starting backcourt, held opponents to 32.8% shooting and restricted All-SEC scorers to 36.0% field-goal shooting.
Mashack recorded two or more steals in 14 games and finished the regular season with 49 steals and 19 blocks. In four appearances, he had four or more thefts.
