March Madness: NCAA drive runs in family for Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler and Saint Peter's Armoni Zeigler
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler reacts after hitting a three-point basket during the second half of an NCAA men's basketball game against Kentucky on March 9 in Knoxville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Wade Payne
Words and deeds can sometimes send different messages. So it was for the Zeigler brothers from Long Island on Wednesday in Charlotte.
In one of the more intriguing NCAA Tournament first-round story lines junior guard Zakai Zeigler and No. 2 Tennessee will be facing freshman forward Armoni Zeigler and No. 15 Saint Peter’s on Thursday night at Spectrum Center. The half-brothers — they share a father — embraced when they saw one another during shootaround sessions. In interviews it was a different story.
“I would say just everything he does, I do a little bit better, except for athleticism and height,” Zakai said when asked about the sibling rivalry. “Everything else, I do better, times probably about five.”
Armoni told reporters they are close, but added, “He’s not my brother any more — after the game, he can be my brother.”
The 5-9 Zakai, who grew up in Wyandanch, is a starter who averages 11.9 points and 5.8 assists for the Volunteers (24-8) but his biggest strength is his defense. He was this season’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-4 Armoni, who grew up in Amityville, started 10 games for the Peacocks (19-13) and averages 6.4 points in 19.0 minutes per game.
They went to different high schools until finally both ending up at Our Savior Lutheran in the Bronx. Coincidentally, each made a stop at Upper Room Academy in Dix Hills, but not at the same time. They always played together for the West Hempstead and Bronx-based New York Lightning travel team that’s run by Dana Dingle of Valley Stream. Dingle played in four NCAA Tournament with UMass including 1996 when the Minutemen played in the Final Four.
“It’s a big damn story,” Dingle said. “How often can we celebrate brothers from Long Island playing in the NCAA Tournament together and against one another? And each one of them lifted himself up from a time when it didn’t even look like they would get Division I scholarship offers.”
While there is a healthy sibling rivalry, there always was a desire to play on the same team. Armoni and Zakai wanted to play high school ball together for at least a year and dogged Dingle to get them a tryout with Our Savior Lutheran.
“It’s hard to get seen when you’re on Long Island if you’re not playing for a (powerhouse) like Long Island Lutheran and so I try to help the guys from Long Island if I can,” said Dingle, whose son Jordan transferred from Harvard to St. John’s and played this season for the Red Storm. “I just helped get them looked at.”
Armoni Zeigler of Amityville drives to the net during the Suffolk Class A boys basketball final against Kings Park at Whitman High School on Feb. 22, 2020. Credit: James Escher
Zakai was becoming an exceptional defensive player and took a post-grad year at Immaculate Conception High (New Jersey) before landing the scholarship offer at Tennessee.
“There are not that many people who can put their stamp on a game with their defense, but that’s what Zakai became,” Dingle said. He added, “Armoni even went with him on his visit to Tennessee.”
Armoni continued to develop at OSL and gained the offer to Saint Peter’s.
The half brothers were always close growing up and liked to play against each other.
“It's really cool — not too many times that two brothers face off in a big-time tournament like this,” Zakai said. “Our parents, they're just so happy for us.”
Armoni suggested he has something close to a .500 record against Zakai in one-on-one, but his older brother wasn’t having any of that.
“To clear the air, he's never beat me one-on-one,” Zakai said. “He's not even close in the series at all. And he's not even close in his scores. . . . Me and him, we're two competitive people. We've gotten in plenty of fights just over us being competitive. . . . but at the end of the day, it's still a team sport.”
Peacocks coach Bashir Mason said that as his team watched the selection show Sunday, it was almost like the players were hoping they’d face Tennessee to pit the brothers against one another.
“These guys are crazy, but I think this is the matchup they wanted,” he said. “When Tennessee popped up on the screen, our entire team pulled their cell phones out and started recording. When we got called next, there was a celebration. . . . That excitement for those two has probably trickled through both locker rooms.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
