3. SR Zed Key
2023-24 season stats: 7.2 ppg and 4.3 rpg
Key is one of the few players on this roster who wasn’t originally a top-100 prospect out of high school. He was a three-star player in the 2020 class from New York and is an undersized 6’7 forward/center. But he’s managed to turn into a key piece of the team, starting the two previous years before this season.
Key’s best season was as a junior, averaging a career-high 10.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg in 25 mpg, including 22 points and 14 rebounds against Rutgers. His most famous performance was as a sophomore, going for 20 points in a home win over No. 1 Duke.
This past season, Key has been coming off the bench in favor of Okpara. He’s now playing at just 16 mpg, averaging 7.2 ppg and 4.3 rpg. And the minutes have been sliding even further as of late, not playing more than 15 mpg in the past two weeks and putting up a pair of goose eggs.
With a 5th year available if he so chooses, Key would likely want a fresh start somewhere else no matter who is the coach. One option could very well be St. John’s, who is going to lose Joel Soriano after this season. Though Key may not want to compete with Zuby Ejiofor, who has been playing more himself as of late.