It's no secret that Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello is a big fan of Volunteers point guard Zakai Zeigler.
Vitello has been spotted wearing a Zeigler jersey to Tennessee basketball games as well as routinely praising the New York native for his toughness.
Tennessee Baseball’s Tony Vitello is in the building, rocking a No. 5 Zakai Zeigler shirt jersey. pic.twitter.com/W2K6dwAmIY
— Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) January 31, 2024
“That guy kind of embodies what we’re trying to do around here…If I was a Kentucky basketball player, I would not like that guy. He plays with some attitude, plays hard” — Tony Vitello on Zakai Zeigler pic.twitter.com/dNceLqpnSA
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) March 2, 2023
On Tuesday, during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone's 3HL, Vitello briefly explained the origin of his love for Zeigler.
"The first time I fell in love with that guy (Zeigler) is there's a certain Italian coach in the SEC that kind of got in his face during a little brew haha," said Vitello. "And even though he was a freshman, he did not hold back from old Mr. (John) Calipari."
There was a famous squirmish between Zeigler and the Kentucky bench in his freshman season in 2022 that Vitello is likely referring to (that whole game was a bit chippy).
Tennessee, Kentucky and a little pushing and shoving. pic.twitter.com/aYTmYXzNHo
— Simon Gibbs (@SimonGibbs26) February 16, 2022
Zeigler was a senior this past season, but there's hope that he could be awarded an extra year of eligibility.
That will depend, however, on the outcome of a recent lawsuit filed by Zeigler against the NCAA.
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