Showing support

After Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler suffered a season-ending knee injury three minutes into the Volunteers’ 75-57 home victory over Arkansas on Feb. 28, he got an encouraging text message from Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile.

Brazile suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament — the same injury as Zeigler — on Dec. 6 against North Carolina-Greensboro and also was out for the season.

“After I went down, [Brazile] texted me and said, ‘Things are going to be OK,’ ” Zeigler said. “It meant a lot to me that he did that.

“In the SEC, we go out on the court and compete against each other, but at the end of the day, the players care about each other.”

Brazile watched Ziegler fall to the court.

“It was a non-contact injury, so I knew as soon as he went down it probably wasn’t something good,” Brazile said. “When they came out with the news he was out for the season, I wanted to let him know that a fellow SEC player was here for him.”

Brazile is close to being cleared to go full speed and is expected to be ready for the season-opener against Alcorn State on Nov. 6.

“I’m glad to see he’s doing well,” Zeigler said.

An All-SEC secondteam and All-Defensive Team selection, Zeigler said recovery is going well. He is not quite full-go in practices, but is active.

“Our performance coaches, they’re doing a great job with me and keeping me up,” said Zeigler, who in 30 games last season averaged

10.7 points and led the Volunteers with 161 assists and had 59 steals. “I’m feeling really well. I’m just staying with my teammates, and they have my back. Keeping my mind away from basketball, that has helped me a tremendous amount.”

Asked if he would miss games early in the season or be limited, Zeigler filibustered by taking long drinks from a bottle of water.

“It’s still up in the air,” he said. “If you ask me, I’m ready to go today. It’s just whatever the doctors say at that point.”