BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference released its preseason All-SEC teams Wednesday, with a trio of Vols included on the first and second teams.
Senior guard Santiago Vescovi earned a spot on the first-team squad, while fellow guards, senior Josiah-Jordan James and sophomore Zakai Zeigler, were named to the second team.
Voted on by a select panel of both SEC and national media members, the two teams included five players apiece.
Tennessee’s three combined selections on the first and second teams are the most of any team in the conference.
Coming off a second-place regular-season finish and SEC Tournament championship this past spring, the Vols were picked to finish third in the league in the media’s projected order of finish behind preseason AP top-10 teams Kentucky and Arkansas.
A 2022 All-SEC first team and SEC All-Tournament team selection, Vescovi is Tennessee’s leading returning scorer after averaging 13.3 points per game a year ago.
Vescovi became just the second Vol in program history (Chris Lofton) to make 100 or more 3-pointers in a season in 2021-22. He finished with 102 total made 3-pointers, made multiple threes in 30 of Tennessee’s 35 games and registered double figure scoring outputs in 28 of 35 games.
Josiah-Jordan James, another SEC All-Tournament team selection, is the Vols’ second leading returning
James was especially efficient during the second half of last season—averaging 6.8 points per game during his first 16 games compared to 13.7 during his final 16 games.
Zeigler burst onto the scene in a spark plug role during his freshman season on Rocky Top in 2021-22, ending the season by garnering SEC All-Freshman and All-Defensive Team honors.
During conference play, Zeigler averaged 10.1 points and 2.2 steals per game—a mark that ranked second in the SEC. The first player off of Tennessee’s bench a team-high 19 times, Zeigler scored in double figures during 13 of Tennessee’s final 17 games and averaged 10.9 points per game during that span, up from a 6.8 points per game average during the first 18 games.
As a team, the Vols enter the season ranked 11th in the preseason AP Poll and are set to first take the court on Oct. 28 against No. 2 Gonzaga in the Legends of Basketball Classic exhibition in Frisco, Texas.
First Team All-SEC
Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
Colin Castleton, Florida
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky
Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Brandon Miller, Alabama
Jahvon Quinerly, Alabama
KJ Williams, LSU
Josiah-Jordan James, Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
SEC Predicted Order Of Finish
1. Kentucky
2. Arkansas
3. Tennessee
4. Auburn
5. Alabama
6. Texas A&M
7. Florida
8. LSU
9. Ole Miss
10. Mississippi State
11. Missouri
12. Vanderbilt
13. Georgia
14. South Carolina
-UT Athletics
