Tamari Key beginning to return to form for Lady Vols during crucial stretch

Tennessee struggled in out-of-conference play.

The Lady Vols went 7-5 in this stretch while missing key forward Rickea Jackson.

However, now, Jackson is back and Tennessee has strung together five consecutive wins.

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Jackson's return doesn't tell the entire story, though. After a year of turbulence for senior center Tamari Key, she has also played a crucial role during the win streak. In the Lady Vols' previous three contests, she has played an average of 20.3 minutes per game.

This is a massive step in the right direction for Key. To begin the year, she was still recovering from the blood clots found in her lungs at the start of last season. In her first 10 games, she played for an average of just seven minutes a night.

Not only is she playing for longer stretches, but Key is making a massive impact on the game while on the court. In the recent win over Kentucky, she locked down the paint while swatting away six shots.

"Tamari can completely change your defense," said head coach Kellie Harper. "It changes the opponent's offensive attack, so things that you can do every other game, you might scratch that for our game. We've seen that multiple times throughout her career, and we've seen that switch during games. There's a comfort there when you know you can get up and guard and know that she's standing behind you. I would love it as a defensive player knowing she's behind me."

Transfer guard Jewel Spear is already feeling that impact. She is finally getting a taste of what it feels like to play in front of an active Key.

This has allowed her to be freer on defense and apply more pressure knowing there's an anchor under the basket.

"We know when we have Tamari Key behind us, then we can pressure the other person even more, because we know Tamari Key is going to be down there and have our back," said Spear. "It's great having her behind us and knowing that she's going to make plays for us."

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While Key is glad she is making steps toward a full return, she knows there is more for her to accomplish. She isn't satisfied with where she is and wants to keep working toward the next step.

"It took a while," said Key on her return. "It was hard. But that said, it was hard being out, and it was hard trying to get back to feeling like myself. I'd rather just try to keep fighting every day, working hard in practice and getting shots up to try to get back to who I need to be for the team for us to be successful. I'm going to keep working. I'm proud of myself, but I know there is more in me. I'm just going to keep going."

What does taking the next step look like, though?

For Harper, it starts with just having more time to adjust to SEC play. She knows the more she sees the court, the more comfortable she will be.

This includes her hands, rebounding and more details of the game that can sometimes be overlooked.

"I just think it's time," said Harper. "I don't know that it's one thing. Right now, I think her hands, sometimes we don't go grab the ball with two on maybe some boards. Awareness. Those are things that will continue to be better with time. The more we do this, the more she plays, the better she's going to be. I'm just really proud of her. What an unbelievable journey that she has been on. I'm so proud that she's being able to affect the game. Even not at the best Tamari Key that we've ever had, she's still able to affect the game right now, and hopefully, she'll continue to move forward and understand that she's making a difference."

Key's next test will come on Thursday night against Florida. The Gators boast an impressive center in Ra Shaya Kyle who stands at 6-foot-6 and is averaging 12.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network.

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