KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women's basketball redshirt senior center Tamari Key has been cleared to practice without any medical restrictions, head coach Kellie Harper said on Thursday.
Harper said that the coaching staff and athletic training staff have been taking it slow with Key to make sure she is progressing at a safe pace ahead of the season.
"Our goal is not tomorrow," Harper said. "Our goal is getting her in full practice in October."
Harper said she was excited about how Key looked in the team's practice on Thursday, especially for having been out of action for quite some time.
"It was fun to get her back out on the court," Harper said. "I know [Key] feels like she has a long way to go to get back to where she was, but as a staff, we're going to have a lot of patience and we are just really excited that we're getting to make some progress forward with her."
Key announced she would return for the 2023-24 season in March. The former All-SEC selection had her senior season cut short after physicians discovered blood clots in her lungs during testing in December 2022.
The standout center has played in 99 games for Tennessee and started 93 of those contests. She was an All-SEC First Team selection leading up to the 2022-23 season and was a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. Key also holds the career blocks record at Tennessee.
