Tennessee Vols guard Zakai Zeigler has become a beloved player in Knoxville as a true freshman.

Zeigler was an unheralded recruit that was an afterthought when he signed with the Vols last year.

The New York native, however, has brought an incredible amount of passion to Tennessee's basketball team this season. Zeigler has become a key player for Rick Barnes' squad and I think it's safe to say the Vols wouldn't be SEC Tournament champs without him.

On Sunday, after the Vols' win against Texas A&M in Tampa Bay, Barnes had some great things to say about Zeigler.

Barnes acknowledged that Zeigler wasn't even supposed to play this season — the plan was to redshirt him.

"Zakai came in, he brought us something," said Barnes. "Really and truly we thought we were going to redshirt Zakai. We did."

The reason Barnes decided to not redshirt Zeigler?

It was because of his defense.

"The way he guarded, right off the bat, his defense," said Barnes.

"We kept telling him some things he had to work on, and he is a tough guy," added Barnes. "You know what, he is very smart. He knows how to handle me. He does. He knows when I get mad, he just walks by me like my wife does."

"I think Josiah and Santi have told those guys, you know, Coach is going to tell you how he feels and don't take it personal. Just know that just listen to him. Sometimes I probably more in practice than in a game, I get emotional with them because I don't want to see mistake after mistake after mistake, and I can stop it. I can't during the game, but right off the bat, you knew he (Zeigler) had the DNA that this guy is going to play."

It's a good thing Barnes recognized that Zeigler needed to play early. Because this team would certainly be missing his heart, passion, defense, and shooting if he were sitting at the end of the bench redshirting.

Barnes deserves credit not only for finding Zeigler but also for making the decision to let him play as a true freshman.

Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports