University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Zeigler on Two CollegeInsider.com NPOY Award Finalist Lists, Lanier Tabbed to One
March 13, 2025 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Two University of Tennessee men's basketball players are finalists for CollegeInsider.com National Player of the Year distinctions, as revealed Thursday.
Zakai Zeigler is one of 30 finalists for the second annual Nolan Richardson Award, presented to a Division I player who is the heart and soul of his team and a leader on and off the court. He and Chaz Lanier are both among the 30 finalists for the Lute Olson Award, which is awarded annually to the top player in division I college basketball.
A senior guard, Zeigler is one of nine players who made the cut for both lists. The others are New Mexico's Donovan Dent, Louisville's Chucky Hepburn, Marquette's Kam Jones, Stanford's Maxime Raynaud, Alabama's Mark Sears, West Virginia's Javon Small, Purdue's Braden Smith and Wisconsin's John Tonje.
In addition, Zeigler and Lanier are one of three teammate pairs on the Lute Olson Award list. They join duos from Purdue (Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn) and St. John's (R.J. Luis Jr., and Kadary Richmond).
Zeigler, a The Sporting News Third Team All-American, is averaging 13.1 points, 7.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game this season. The 5-foot-9, 172-pounder is on pace to be just the seventh Power Five player this century (2000-25) to hit all those marks in a single campaign.
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler is the two-time reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and is, for the third straight season, among 10 semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The First Team All-SEC designee is a Bob Cousy Award finalist and a member of the Wooden Award Top 15 National Ballot.
Lanier is a fifth-year guard out of Nashville, Tenn., who is averaging 17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. A The Sporting News Third Team All-American designee, Lanier is a finalist for the Jerry West Award and is on the Wooden Award Top 15 National Ballot.
A 6-foot-5, 207-pounder, Lanier is shooting 40.5 percent from the long range on 8.35 attempts per game. He is one of nine Power Five players—10 occurrences—in the last 15 seasons (2010-25) to shoot above 40 percent from deep on over 8.0 attempts per game, a list that also includes players such as Marquette's Markus Howard (twice) and Vanderbilt's John Jenkins.
The Nolan Richardson Award is named in honor of a true legend whose frenetic style of fast-break basketball, with full-court pressure, helped him become the only coach to win NJCCA, NIT and NCAA national championships. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and 2008 and he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
The Lute Olson Award is named in honor of the late seven-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year who led Arizona to 11 Pac-10 titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and the 1997 national title. He entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, as well as the College Basketball Hall of Fame in both 2006 and 2019.
The recipients of both annual awards are determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com. The winners will be announced in April in San Antonio, Texas, the site of the Final Four.
Zeigler, Lanier and No. 8/6 Tennessee (25-6, 12-6 SEC) start postseason competition with an SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup Friday at 3:30 p.m. against a to-be-determined team at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., live on ESPN.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
2024-25 NOLAN RICHARDSON AWARD FINALISTS
Tytan Anderson, Northern Iowa
Steven Ashworth, Creighton
Luke Barrett, Saint Mary's
Austin Benigni, Navy
Henry Coleman III, Texas A&M
Jaylani Darden, Norfolk State
Geronimo de la Rosa, Columbia
Duke Deen, Bradley
Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
Jalen Jackson, Purdue Fort Wayne
Tavari Johnson, Akron
Kam Jones, Marquette
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Sean Pedulla, Ole Miss
Will Pruitt, Lipscomb
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
J'Wan Roberts, Houston
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
Ian Schieffelin, Clemson
Mark Sears, Alabama
Max Shulga, VCU
Javon Small, West Virginia
Braden Smith, Purdue
Devin Tillis, UC Irvine
John Tonje, Wisconsin
Nick Townsend, Yale
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
2024-25 LUTE OLSON AWARD FINALISTS
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Eric Dixon, Villanova
Cooper Flagg, Duke
P.J. Haggerty, Memphis
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Kam Jones, Marquette
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Alex Karaban, Connecticut
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
R.J. Luis Jr., St. John's
Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary's
Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
Derik Queen, Maryland
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
Kadary Richmond, St. John's
Richie Saunders, BYU
Mark Sears, Alabama
Javon Small, West Virginia
Braden Smith, Purdue
John Tonje, Wisconsin
J.T. Toppin, Texas Tech
Danny Wolf, Michigan
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler is one of 30 finalists for the second annual Nolan Richardson Award, presented to a Division I player who is the heart and soul of his team and a leader on and off the court. He and Chaz Lanier are both among the 30 finalists for the Lute Olson Award, which is awarded annually to the top player in division I college basketball.
A senior guard, Zeigler is one of nine players who made the cut for both lists. The others are New Mexico's Donovan Dent, Louisville's Chucky Hepburn, Marquette's Kam Jones, Stanford's Maxime Raynaud, Alabama's Mark Sears, West Virginia's Javon Small, Purdue's Braden Smith and Wisconsin's John Tonje.
In addition, Zeigler and Lanier are one of three teammate pairs on the Lute Olson Award list. They join duos from Purdue (Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn) and St. John's (R.J. Luis Jr., and Kadary Richmond).
Zeigler, a The Sporting News Third Team All-American, is averaging 13.1 points, 7.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game this season. The 5-foot-9, 172-pounder is on pace to be just the seventh Power Five player this century (2000-25) to hit all those marks in a single campaign.
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler is the two-time reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and is, for the third straight season, among 10 semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The First Team All-SEC designee is a Bob Cousy Award finalist and a member of the Wooden Award Top 15 National Ballot.
Lanier is a fifth-year guard out of Nashville, Tenn., who is averaging 17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. A The Sporting News Third Team All-American designee, Lanier is a finalist for the Jerry West Award and is on the Wooden Award Top 15 National Ballot.
A 6-foot-5, 207-pounder, Lanier is shooting 40.5 percent from the long range on 8.35 attempts per game. He is one of nine Power Five players—10 occurrences—in the last 15 seasons (2010-25) to shoot above 40 percent from deep on over 8.0 attempts per game, a list that also includes players such as Marquette's Markus Howard (twice) and Vanderbilt's John Jenkins.
The Nolan Richardson Award is named in honor of a true legend whose frenetic style of fast-break basketball, with full-court pressure, helped him become the only coach to win NJCCA, NIT and NCAA national championships. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and 2008 and he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
The Lute Olson Award is named in honor of the late seven-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year who led Arizona to 11 Pac-10 titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and the 1997 national title. He entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, as well as the College Basketball Hall of Fame in both 2006 and 2019.
The recipients of both annual awards are determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com. The winners will be announced in April in San Antonio, Texas, the site of the Final Four.
Zeigler, Lanier and No. 8/6 Tennessee (25-6, 12-6 SEC) start postseason competition with an SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup Friday at 3:30 p.m. against a to-be-determined team at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., live on ESPN.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
2024-25 NOLAN RICHARDSON AWARD FINALISTS
Tytan Anderson, Northern Iowa
Steven Ashworth, Creighton
Luke Barrett, Saint Mary's
Austin Benigni, Navy
Henry Coleman III, Texas A&M
Jaylani Darden, Norfolk State
Geronimo de la Rosa, Columbia
Duke Deen, Bradley
Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
Jalen Jackson, Purdue Fort Wayne
Tavari Johnson, Akron
Kam Jones, Marquette
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Sean Pedulla, Ole Miss
Will Pruitt, Lipscomb
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
J'Wan Roberts, Houston
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
Ian Schieffelin, Clemson
Mark Sears, Alabama
Max Shulga, VCU
Javon Small, West Virginia
Braden Smith, Purdue
Devin Tillis, UC Irvine
John Tonje, Wisconsin
Nick Townsend, Yale
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
2024-25 LUTE OLSON AWARD FINALISTS
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Eric Dixon, Villanova
Cooper Flagg, Duke
P.J. Haggerty, Memphis
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Kam Jones, Marquette
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Alex Karaban, Connecticut
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
R.J. Luis Jr., St. John's
Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary's
Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
Derik Queen, Maryland
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
Kadary Richmond, St. John's
Richie Saunders, BYU
Mark Sears, Alabama
Javon Small, West Virginia
Braden Smith, Purdue
John Tonje, Wisconsin
J.T. Toppin, Texas Tech
Danny Wolf, Michigan
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
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