In the summer of 2021, one of the North Carolina Tar Heels’ newest recruits, Teonni Key, tore her ACL, which sidelined her for the entire season.
Key returned the following season and immediately scored a career-high in her collegiate debut.
After averaging 2.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 10.1 minutes in her redshirt freshman season, Key was back on the bench in the fall of 2023 with another lower-body injury. While the details of this injury were never released, the Tar Heels revealed that her left foot was in a walking boot, which caused Key to miss the first ten games of the season.
After two back-to-back injuries, an athlete’s mental ability to step back on the court plays a significant role in whether or not a comeback will be solid or fatal for their career.
“Obviously, something like (the injury) is not something you ever expect, but when it happens, it’s something you can deal with. Take it in and attack it head-on,” Key said. “Coming back from that was just really challenging in all aspects. But once the time came where I was able to step back on the court it felt very natural.”
Natural it was.
In her 2023-24 season debut against Western Carolina, Key led her team with a career-high ten rebounds. In the entire season, she upped her stats and averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds while gaining a season-high of 11 points after shooting 5-6 against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Feb. 15, 2024.
While rehabbing both injuries, Key remained grounded throughout the process. She knew that getting healthy, building strength and finding her rhythm and the teams would take time.
Her journey with injuries, Key believes, prepared her more for the game, with the star saying she is now more ‘mentally tough.’
“Obviously, getting the flow of the back definitely took some time, but that’s just like the normal growing pain of coming back from being out so long,” Key said. “It was a challenge but it was something that has helped me as a player now, just being more mentally tough and being able to persevere and getting a different feel and aspect of the game.”
Over the past offseason, Key transferred from UNC to Kentucky, following coach Kenny Brooks from the Atlantic Coast to the SEC. When leaving the Tar Heels, Key made her decision based on where she would have the most opportunities as, after missing her freshman year and half of her second season, she wanted a fresh start.
“I wanted to transfer simply because I just wanted more opportunities for myself and wanted to be a part of something that was trending in the right direction on the court as well as off the court,” Key said. “I chose Kentucky mostly because I’ve known Coach Brooks, played against his system for a few years, we both came to the ACC. So just being able to see [his system] and how I would fit into the success he’s had as a coach.”
In Lexington, Key is under pressure to stay healthy and continue to significantly impact her new team. In her five games as a Wildcat, Key has averaged 27 minutes, 11.6 points and 8.8 rebounds. She is third overall in blocks within the SEC, averaging 2.8.
Key also believes she can follow through for her team in high-pressure moments and knows it depends on her training.
“In those moments, when there are the big lights, whenever there’s high pressure, you fall to the level of your training and just knowing that you’ve worked hard to get her,” Key said. “We all have worked hard here, regardless of who it was. So, just trusting that, trusting the staff and the system you’ve worked on all year long.”
