10:46 AM ET
Alexa PhilippouESPN
- Covers women's assemblage hoops and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford postgraduate and Baltimore autochthonal with further acquisition astatine the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
Tennessee women's hoops elder halfway Tamari Key volition miss the remainder of the 2022-23 play aft humor clots were discovered successful her lungs, the programme announced Thursday.
Key, a four-year starter who missed her archetypal crippled arsenic a Lady Vol connected Tuesday, volition person attraction nether the guidance of the University of Tennessee Medical Center and Tennessee athletics squad physicians, the squad said. Tennessee said she is expected to marque a afloat recovery.
"My sole interest close present is that Tamari continues to get the aesculapian attraction and guidance she needs and begins the gradual process of healing and returning to afloat strength," Tennessee manager Kellie Harper said successful a statement. "This is overmuch bigger than basketball. We are truthful grateful that this aesculapian information was caught. Our full programme volition beryllium close beside Tamari during this process and welcomes prayers and affirmative thoughts from Lady Vol Nation and beyond."
After averaging 10.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per crippled arsenic a inferior successful 2021-22, Key entered her elder play arsenic a preseason All-SEC first-team prime and connected the Naismith Trophy ticker list. Last season, she was a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award, fixed to the nation's champion center, and a antiaircraft subordinate of the twelvemonth semifinalist.
The quality comes arsenic the Lady Vols (5-5) person stumbled aboriginal connected successful the season, falling from a preseason top-five squad with Final Four aspirations to unranked by the 4th canvass of the season. Tennessee evened its grounds astatine .500 Tuesday without Key down a 69-39 triumph implicit Chattanooga.
In summation to Key's absence, the squad has besides been without apical scorer Rickea Jackson, a transportation from Mississippi State, for the past 2 games owed to a "coach's decision." Harper has said she volition beryllium retired indefinitely.
Tennessee has a monolithic upcoming nonconference conflict versus Stanford connected Dec. 18.
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