Teonni Key (Vicky Graff Photo)
Teonni Key had a productive first season at Kentucky but coach Kenny Brooks wanted her to “broaden” her game this season and was confident she would.
“She put in so much work to expand her game, to fine tune her game, to be confident in some of the things that she hasn’t done well. Because of that, because of her work ethic, we’ve kind of given her carte blanche. Just go. Just play. You make a mistake, it’s on me,” Brooks said before the season started.
“If you make another mistake, it’s on the other coach. We want her to just play with confidence because when she does, so many wonderful things can happen.”
Key is averaging 11 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals per game while playing 23 minutes per game going into Sunday’s game with Hofstra. She’s shooting 56 percent from the field and 71 percent at the foul line.
Brooks believes when Key is at her best she gives Kentucky a chance to beat any team it plays.
“No question in my mind that she’s going to have a year that’s going to be impacted not just by her play but by her leadership, and that’s just as important to us because I half jokingly said she’s going to run for President,” the UK coach said.
“She could because she’s that striking of a personality, and everyone wants to follow her. She’s our leader, enforcer, she’s the one that the girls look to. She really has that demeanor that people are willing to follow her.”
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