“Thank you for an amazing five years and all the unconditional love and support that you have shown me. I have found a forever home and family here,” Tennessee fifth-year player Tamari Key wrote on social media. “I have found a forever home and family here,” Key wrote. Despite not wearing the orange jersey again, fans are grateful for the time they had with Key. Key made her retirement from college basketball and decision to forego her COVID year announcing on Tuesday.
A year on the bench Key played her final minutes of college hoops just 10 minutes away from her hometown of Cary, North Carolina, in front of scores of her supporters. Her news comes just a day after Tennesse fired head coach Kellie Harper, and a week after the Vols lost to NC State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Although Key ends her career on her own terms, her last two years begged the question of whether she’d get to make that decision at all.
It was still unknown when Key would return to the court.
At the moment, it was frightening. Key informed the media before to Tennessee’s withdrawal from the NCAA Tournament that “it was just the unknown of what my next steps were, once I got diagnosed.” We therefore simply decided to take each day as it came.
Key intermittently trained during the summer before receiving the all-clear to play in October. Key claimed that she had spent most of the early regular season getting her legs back because she hadn’t played to her full potential over the summer. Key played for slightly more than 4.5 minutes per game on average in November.
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Having patience
As she reflected on the years, Key stressed the value of patience—something she struggled to acquire.
“I believe that patience will be a constant in my life. Patience is the key, no matter what life throws at me. During March Madness, Key admitted to The Next, “I’m still not a patient person.” “It helps to just give myself grace, rely on my teammates, and know that the coaches have our backs.”
Key told The Next that her greatest life hardship was striving to get back into basketball, other than losing a relative in middle school.
Furthermore, her diagnosis precluded a prompt recovery. Not only did she miss the entire season, but even after being given the all-clear to go back, she had to climb back
“You then put yourself in her position and consider how difficult it must be to cope with her feelings at that precise moment—not just the shock of her diagnosis, but also her desire to go somewhere and the time it takes to get there. Harper said to the media earlier this month, “That’s hard.” And I’m incredibly proud of her for her battle. She simply returned each day after that. She never experienced extreme sadness.
Key battled to return to the court and reach her career-high scoring, rebounding, and blocking averages of 10.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game from her junior year. She only averaged around half of the numbers from her junior season this season.
Nonetheless, Key’s influence could always be sensed in the paint. Harper referred to her as a “mistake eraser,” and her colleagues observed the positive effects of her simple presence on both sides. Her blocks scared opponents away when playing defense, and she was a consistent target when playing offensive.
A boss at the changing area
In addition to her health, Key experienced the graduation of her closest colleagues, Jordan Walker, a close friend, and her girlfriend, Jordan Horston, last year. It was challenging. Key mentioned, “Those were my girls last year.”
However, Key quickly established camaraderie with her new squad and adjusted. Key never considered herself a leader, but at Rocky Top, she discovered that aspect of herself.
“I don’t think I truly wanted that [leadership] role when I was growing up. However, arriving at this point, accepting my leadership role, and appreciating the importance of my voice inside the team,” added Key.
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