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C Zed "Finger Guns" Key (transfer to Dayton)

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SKULL SESSION: THE BUCKEYES HAVE THE BEST HOME WINNING PERCENTAGE THIS DECADE, ZED KEY IS READY TO TAKE OVER FOR KALEB WESSON, AND SOME FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS TO ENJOY


ZED KEY IS READY. We don't know if Kaleb Wesson is staying for one more season or if he's going to take his talents to somewhere that will pay him money to play basketball.

If younger Wesson does decide to move on, incoming freshman Zed Key is ready to go in his place after having his senior season end abruptly due to the coronavirus.

“No one wants their season to end like that, but it wasn’t only just us,” Key said. “There were multiple teams across the country that were affected by this. Just to see your senior season end and not to be able to play with those guys again, I was really upset. I took it hard.”

His next chance to play will come with the Buckeyes. Key signed with the program in November, then put together a season in which he was one of five finalists to be named New York’s Mr. Basketball. He is listed as a three-star prospect, the No. 4 player from New York and the overall No. 154 national recruit, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings.

...

Should junior center Kaleb Wesson opt to enter the NBA draft, Key said he’s preparing to help fill the void.

“It’s a really big opportunity,” he said. “They’re looking for me to come in and be a presence right away. I’ve just got to work hard every day to make sure I have that spot and get better every day. I’m excited to go out there.”

If Kaleb does leave, things are gonna look quite a bit different. After basically building the team around a big man for the past three years, they're going to have to uh, do something else because outside of 6-foot-10 Ibrahima Diallo, there's a solid chance Zed Key and Kyle Young are the tallest guys on the roster next year at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-8.

Welcome to small ball!

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...this-decade-zed-key-is-ready-to-take-over-for
 
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ZED KEY (FRESHMAN)
What he’s done: Based largely on starring in June’s NBPA Top 100 Camp that earned him more than one scholarship offer per day for a week-long period, Key went from a borderline top-300 overall prospect to the No. 154 player in his class. Ohio State got heavily involved, extending a scholarship then hosting him for an official visit in September. Less than two weeks later, the 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward committed to play for the Buckeyes.

Next season’s outlook: On a team suddenly bereft of interior depth, the potential for Key to earn an important role as a freshman exists. He could play minutes off the bench as a backup power forward and center next season. A bit of a throwback big man, Key isn’t flashy, but his touch around the rim, length and rebounding stand out. He’ll be the closest comparison to Kaleb Wesson on the 2020-21 roster, provided the outgoing big man doesn’t change his mind and stay in school.

 
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I know people are concerned about our big man recruiting and obviously it is a priority for the staff with the 2021 and 2022 offers... but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Zed ends up a three-year starter for us at "center." We will still need more quality options at the position going forward, but if you watch the game on YouTube where LuHi plays Sierra Canyon, Key really embodies a lot of what I think Holtmann is looking for in the post (and man did Illinois get a nice PG in Curbelo).
 
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key's game is highly translatable to college right out of the gate. good hands, good feet, good size, good strength, good athleticism. hits the boards and hustles. think his playing time will be largely determined by defensive aptitude and foul rate. if he can be trusted there, then i see little reason that he can't be an 18-minute guy. kaleb's 30 minutes gotta go somewhere, and i don't see young and liddell pairing up for heroes' minutes. hate to say it, but i kinda look at diallo as a bonus. would be great if he makes me eat my words. i just don't see diallo overtaking key, though, and i highly doubt ho1tmann will go 4-deep in the post, especially since wing depth should be our strength.

in my eyes, all of this points to key having quite an impactful -- and largely unexpected -- season for a first-year player. perhaps not freshman kaleb's 21 minutes for 10 & 5, but perhaps not too far off.
 
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Q: Zed, how have the last two months been like? What have you tried to do to stay active and keep building on your game?

Key: “This is just a crazy time. I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning and running up hills. I just got back from a hill workout. I’ve been lifting weights and getting my body ready for college and just getting stronger.

“Basketball-wise, I have a full court in my backyard. I go back there and work on my game. I have a trainer I’ve known come by and I’ve just been working on my game.”

Q: Your senior year got cut short because of the virus. Do you feel as a team you did what you set out to do this past year?

Key: “Most definitely. We traveled all over the country. We went to Hawaii, South Carolina and Florida to play against the best teams. We were winning against the best teams. This season was our best season. The team was great and everyone got along. It was just a fun season. I wish we could have played in March, but with the Coronavirus it was cut short.

“It was fun to be able to travel like that. We traveled for most of our games. It was a fun season to play.”

Q: What were the things you wanted to improve on from a year ago at this time? What have you worked hard on to improve on within your game?

Key: “I have definitely worked hard with my conditioning. That’s why I’m outside every day running. I’ve been working on my basketball game with my ball skills and my ball handling. I’ve worked on my post moves. I’ve tried to develop my skills the right way. At Ohio State, you can’t just do one thing. You’ve got to be versatile.”

Q: What was the highlight of your season? Did one or two games stand out?

Key: “The two biggest moments of the season were definitely the Sierra Canyon game and the Patrick School game the week after. The Sierra Canyon game was televised and LeBron James’ son was playing. All of these top five-star players were playing. It was just a fun environment to be in. The crowd was loud and cheering for us. There were a bunch of dunks. To have the fans come up and say ‘Good game’ after and be cheering for you, it was just an honor to be able to play.

“The Patrick School game, the LuHi gym was packed. I’ve never seen the LuHi gym that packed. It was full. Both sides of the bleachers were full. The atmosphere in there, the home crowd was loud. I was feeling it that game and I thank my teammates for getting me the ball in the right spots. That was a credit to my teammates. I had 37 points, but that was a credit to my guards for getting me the ball.”

Q: Andre Curbelo, your teammate, is going to Illinois. It looks like Ohio State and Illinois could be Big Ten contenders in the years ahead. Have you talked about that rivalry going forward?

Key: “I just told him, ‘Look, we’re going to beat you. Ohio State is the better team.’

“He said he was going to come down the lane and get buckets on us. I said, ‘There is no way you’re going to get buckets on us. I’ve been playing with you for so long, so I know everything that you’re going to do. I’m going to tell them you’re going to do this or that.’

“But it will be fun to play against him. Just to have a teammate go to the same league and play against him, it will be fun.”

Q: Going back a year to last June and the NBPA Top 100 Camp, it seemed like you played well there and the interest from Ohio State and other schools picked up at that point. What was that time like?

Key: “When I went in there, I was like, ‘Go in there and show them how you play. Don’t change your game. Just show them you are a good basketball player.’ I did that and after that it was just crazy. It was crazy after that. My phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

“Coach Holtmann called me and said, ‘We would like to offer you a scholarship to Ohio State.’ In my mind, I was like, ‘Wow, that is a really big program and a top program in the Big Ten and in the country.’ It was an honor to see my hard work pay off. To have these top schools like Ohio State noticing my game and how I played, it was a good feeling.”

Q: Did you make a visit to Ohio State before you committed? How did that all work out?

Key: “I made an official visit in September. I loved the coaching staff and the campus. I liked the players there. I felt at home there. I said, ‘I could see myself playing there,’ and I committed.”

Q: Was there anybody who you made a special connection with at Ohio State?

Key: “Well, Eugene Brown, who is also a freshman coming in. Of the players who are there, probably Duane (Washington), E.J. (Liddell) and Justin (Ahrens). I developed a good bond with Coach Holtmann and all of the coaches who are there.”

Q: What kind of a role have they talked about with you? The center position seems wide open and they have two good power forwards with Young and Liddell. What is your hope and what have they talked with you about?

Key: “They just said, ‘Come in and play how you played in high school and just turn it up.’ I know I have to be in really good shape and I just have to continue what I’ve been doing. They like my post play and my motor. That’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

Q: What kind of potential do you see at Ohio State? They finished fifth in the Big Ten and were headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. Is that part of what you were looking at?

Key: “My goal is to win a national championship. I always knew about Ohio State, but I didn’t really know about the program. Once I started to learn about the program, I said, ‘I could really see myself playing here.’ ”

Q: Given the pandemic, a lot of the plans for the summer are in flux. Have they talked about when you might be able to move to Columbus and begin working out as a team?

Key: “I know all my summer classes will be online. We’re having a meeting this week about it just to talk about what’s going to happen for the summer. Coach Holtmann said we might get there late June or early July, but nobody knows anything for certain just yet.”
 
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