Tennessee is involved with several post players in the 2020 recruiting class already, but it appears as though a new target has emerged for the Vols.
According to Andrew Slater of 247Sports, Tennessee and Butler are the latest schools to reach out to 6-foot-8 power forward Zed Key out of New York. The three-star power forward plays for Long Island Lutheran in Glen Head, New York.
#Louisville was in to see 4⭐️PG Andre Curbelo’20 @papicurbelo11 of @NYJayhawks & @LuHiBasketball today #Butler and #Tennessee latest to reach out to 6’8” PF Zed Key @ZedBasketball14 of @NYJayhawks & @LuHiBasketball . Seton Hall will be in tomorrow for Key. pic.twitter.com/izelwY45bA
— Andrew Slater (@Andrew__Slater) April 30, 2019
Right now, Key is rated as the No. 256 overall prospect in the 2020 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, but his ratings appear very out of date considering he’s listed as both a small forward and center on 247Sports. Along with Tennessee and Butler showing him recent interest, Key holds offers from Cincinnati, Florida, Illinois, Penn State, Seton Hall, and St. Louis among many other programs.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound big man appears to have hit a growth spurt over the last couple years, and he’s added on some extra beef to fill out to a more prominent post player for Long Island Lutheran. He played for Brentwood in New York at one point but has since transferred.
Watching some film of Key, it’s evident that he has a lot of skills and is fairly developed as a post player. He has a great hop-step and hook shot, and the added bulk he has makes him even better at rebounding. He’s more athletic for his size than you might expect, and he actually has a pretty good jump shot, too. He’s not afraid to shoot a three even, though that doesn’t look to be a huge part of his game. Conditioning might be a concern for him, but he has a very solid foundation of skills to build around and hone.
Game vs Brooklyn Collegiate ?⚫ @LuHiBasketball @KeyPlayerNation @TlrWorldWidellc @dsportymouth @HSBasketballBR @PantherNasty @daves_joint @ShayzDayz @courtcred @AllThingsHoops @PrepHoops @HoopReview @usatodayhss #LuHiBasketball #basketball #team #WeNotMe pic.twitter.com/RgxsyuzB1H
— Zed Key (@ZedBasketball14) February 12, 2019
⬅️ @ZedBasketball14 ⬇️?? pic.twitter.com/TrjjyMdus2
— KeyPlayer®️Logo (@KeyPlayerLogo) April 20, 2019
In 13 recorded games this season for Long Island Lutheran, Key averaged 16.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and around two blocks per game according to PrepCircut.com.
The Vols have been heavily involved with four-star power forward P.J. Hall out of South Carolina in the 2020 class, and they remain involved with five-star center Walker Kessler even after he decided not to reclassify to the 2019 class. Four-star center Justice Ajogbor and three-star center Dylan Cardwell are two other post targets for the Vols in the 2020 cycle.
Tennessee has yet to offer Key, but the fact that UT is checking in on him shows there’s interest on their part, and an offer could be coming. It’s likely that new Tennessee assistant coach Kim English is the person scouting Key since English is expected to be heavily involved in the northeast.
