Lady Vols Center Tamari Key Named to Prestigious Watch List
Tennessee Lady Vols center Tamari Key has been named to the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Key joins Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, Jordyn Cambridge of Vanderbilt, Que Morrison of Georgia and Rhyne Howard of Kentucky as women to represent the SEC on the list. The entire list can be found here.
The North Carolina native has been Tennessee's defensive MVP and a brilliant presence on the offensive glass this season, stepping up in a big way with having star forward Rae Burrell out for the majority of the year in all of the non-conference games.
Key leads the nation in blocked shots and blocks per game with 73 and 3.842, respectively. Her season total reached 19 after her five block performance against Georgia, ranking eighth-highest in single season school history. The 6'6" junior is also third in UT history in all-time blocks with 231, behind Sheila Frost who has 249 and Candace Parker who holds the record with 275. Her 3.892 season average for blocks per game is first in Lady Vols history.
Key's junior season has been her best in the orange and white, as the dominant post player is averaging 9.9 points per game, averaging 8.4 boards per game and is shooting at a 62 percent clip from the field. Her presence on the offensive and defensive glass has allowed the Big Orange Women to rank No. 1 nationally in rebounds per game with 50.37 and out-rebound every opponent this year but one.
Up next for Key and the Lady Vols is a road matchup with the Auburn Tigers on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Auburn is currently averaging the least amount of points per game in SEC women's basketball, and Tennessee will be their third opponent in a week's span.
Photo Credit: Maria Cornelius of 247 Sports
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