3/6/2023 basketball Edit

Tamari Key announces she will return to Tennessee next season

Tamari Key is in her fourth year with the Lady Vols program. (Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Ryan Sylvia • VolReport

Assistant Managing Editor

Born in Knoxville, Tenn. and a graduate of the University of Tennesee, Knoxville. Covering football, basketball, baseball and recruiting for VolReport.

Just nine games into Tamari Key's senior season, it was announced that blood clots were found in her lungs.

This cut her season short as she was forced to step away from basketball. Prior to the diagnosis, she was averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and two blocks per contest on 66.7% shooting from the field.

Since then, Key has been a leader on the sideline. She has attended every game and traveled with the team. Although she wasn't able to play, she still made sure her impact was felt.

With Key's recovery going along as planned, she is now eyeing a return to the court. On Monday night, she shared on her social media accounts that she plans on returning to Tennessee next season.

With blood clots posing a severe threat to the safety of a player, it is an excellent sign that she is confident enough in her health to make this announcement.

In her return to the court, the Lady Vols will be regaining one of the best post players in program history. Key holds multiple school records with two triple-doubles, 277 blocks and 3.1 blocks per game.

In her absence, Karoline Striplin, Jillian Hollingshead and Jasmine Franklin have manned the minutes at center. Striplin and Hollingshead will be able to return next season but Franklin is out of eligibility.

For Tennessee, it is currently awaiting to find out its opponent in the NCAA Tournament. Key won't be able to play in the postseason games but she will be alongside the team throughout the stretch.

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