Vescovi, Zeigler, Phillips earn All-SEC honors from League coaches

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - For the second straight year, Santiago Vescovi was a first-team All-SEC selection, while Zakai Zeigler earned second-team acclaim. Zeigler was also included on the All-Defensive team, while Julian Phillips was an All-Freshman team selection.

Pairing this year’s first-team selection with last season’s, Vescovi is just the fifth Vol since 2000 to earn multiple All-SEC first-team selections from the league’s coaches. Vescovi’s inclusion on this season’s team marks the fifth time that a Vol has been named first-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches during the Rick Barnes era—joining Grant Williams (2018, 2019) and Admiral Schofield (2019).

For the second straight year, Vescovi finished SEC regular-season play as the league leader in 3-point percentage, shooting .387 (46 of 119) from beyond the arc during conference games. He also finished second in the league in 3-point makes per game with 2.71.

Named to the SEC All-Defensive team for the second straight season, Zeigler is just the third Vol to earn multiple All-Defensive team honors—joining Josh Richardson and Yves Pons—and first to do it by his sophomore season.

Josiah-Jordan James was also selected as Tennessee’s representative on the SEC Community Service Team, the league announced. Since arriving on campus in 2019, James has been active in several different service projects in the Knoxville community, serving at the Emerald Youth Foundation, Beardsley Community Farm and at events with UT’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Copyright 2023 WVLT. All rights reserved.