Fans Rally, Raise More Than $350K For Family Of Zakai Zeigler After Family House Burns Down

KNOXVILLE -- College basketball fans and just kind hearted people from around the country all chipped in to raise more than $350,000 for the family of Zakai Zeigler, whose family's home in Queens, New York burned down on Feb. 26, destroying everything.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes met with the media on Friday evening and discussed the overwhelming support for Zeigler and his family.

“It shows you we live here in a part of the country — East Tennessee, the state of Tennessee, nationally — people, saw what happened and certainly said hey, we want to step in and do our part,” Barnes said. “I think it speaks volumes to anybody that contributed to help him.

"Before anything could happen, it was already moving in a way that I’m not sure any of us knew what would happen. I think he would tell you it has overwhelmed he and his family, the kind of support they’ve received.”