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Zed Key enters transfer portal after four years at Ohio State
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The senior from Long Island saw his minutes and production decrease as the 2023-2024 progressed.
Following a season where his minutes and opportunities disappeared down the stretch, plus the fact that Chris Holtmann was fired, it was announced today that Zed Key plans to enter the transfer portal and use his final eligibility somewhere other than Columbus. The news was first broken by Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.
Key played in 120 games over four seasons, scoring 890 career points and grabbing 599 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 senior from Long Island was honored on Ohio State’s Senior Day on March 3, despite having one year of eligibility left. Turnover was expected when Chris Holtmann was fired, but the amount of expected departures was tempered a bit when Jake Diebler was hired as head coach.
Key was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020. He was the No. 153 player in the country, the No. 23 center, and the fourth-highest-rated player in the state of New York that year. He was the lowest-rated commit in Ohio State’s 2020 class, with Meechie Johnson and Eugene Brown both rated as four-star prospects.
Despite not being highly recruited by many power five schools, Key was a highly effective and efficient post player for the Buckeyes when healthy. His best season was his junior year (2022-2023), when he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 54.7% shooting, despite dealing with a gruesome and nagging shoulder injury for several games before eventually being shut down for the year in late February.
Key was a fan favorite, especially among younger fans. His finger guns celebration for and-one baskets and “raise the roof” gesture on dunks got Ohio State fans behind the baskets riled up at the Schottenstein Center every time he scored. He was almost always signing autographs before and after games for younger fans. By all accounts, Zed made the most of his four years at Ohio State.
But this past season Key lost playing time to sophomore center Felix Okpara, who established himself as one of the best shot blockers in the Big Ten. Okpara was the lob threat that Key never was, and made the offense run much smoother and faster than Key, whose skillset is more appropriate for a slow, deliberate half-court offense. As the season wound down and Holtmann was fired, Devin Royal also began eating into Key’s minutes.
The senior big man wound up playing the fewest minutes since his freshman year when he averaged 11.7 minutes per game. He finished this season with a final stat line of 6.7 points, 4.1 rebounds per game, and shot 51.6% overall in 15.5 minutes per game.
Key is the fourth member of the team to enter the transfer portal this off-season, joining Roddy Gayle, Scotty Middleton, and Bowen Hardman. With Zed’s departure, Ohio State now has three open scholarships for the 2024-2025 season.
It would not be surprising to see Key transfer somewhere on the East Coast, closer to home. Rutgers, Boston College, Buffalo, Providence, and Seton Hall all offered him out of high school, and could presumably kick around the idea of going after him once again with one year remaining. There’s always the possibility of him heading to DePaul to reunite with Holtmann, too.
Good luck to Zed, wherever he winds up!
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The senior from Long Island saw his minutes and production decrease as the 2023-2024 progressed.
Following a season where his minutes and opportunities disappeared down the stretch, plus the fact that Chris Holtmann was fired, it was announced today that Zed Key plans to enter the transfer portal and use his final eligibility somewhere other than Columbus. The news was first broken by Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.
Key played in 120 games over four seasons, scoring 890 career points and grabbing 599 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 senior from Long Island was honored on Ohio State’s Senior Day on March 3, despite having one year of eligibility left. Turnover was expected when Chris Holtmann was fired, but the amount of expected departures was tempered a bit when Jake Diebler was hired as head coach.
Key was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020. He was the No. 153 player in the country, the No. 23 center, and the fourth-highest-rated player in the state of New York that year. He was the lowest-rated commit in Ohio State’s 2020 class, with Meechie Johnson and Eugene Brown both rated as four-star prospects.
Despite not being highly recruited by many power five schools, Key was a highly effective and efficient post player for the Buckeyes when healthy. His best season was his junior year (2022-2023), when he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 54.7% shooting, despite dealing with a gruesome and nagging shoulder injury for several games before eventually being shut down for the year in late February.
Key was a fan favorite, especially among younger fans. His finger guns celebration for and-one baskets and “raise the roof” gesture on dunks got Ohio State fans behind the baskets riled up at the Schottenstein Center every time he scored. He was almost always signing autographs before and after games for younger fans. By all accounts, Zed made the most of his four years at Ohio State.
But this past season Key lost playing time to sophomore center Felix Okpara, who established himself as one of the best shot blockers in the Big Ten. Okpara was the lob threat that Key never was, and made the offense run much smoother and faster than Key, whose skillset is more appropriate for a slow, deliberate half-court offense. As the season wound down and Holtmann was fired, Devin Royal also began eating into Key’s minutes.
The senior big man wound up playing the fewest minutes since his freshman year when he averaged 11.7 minutes per game. He finished this season with a final stat line of 6.7 points, 4.1 rebounds per game, and shot 51.6% overall in 15.5 minutes per game.
Key is the fourth member of the team to enter the transfer portal this off-season, joining Roddy Gayle, Scotty Middleton, and Bowen Hardman. With Zed’s departure, Ohio State now has three open scholarships for the 2024-2025 season.
It would not be surprising to see Key transfer somewhere on the East Coast, closer to home. Rutgers, Boston College, Buffalo, Providence, and Seton Hall all offered him out of high school, and could presumably kick around the idea of going after him once again with one year remaining. There’s always the possibility of him heading to DePaul to reunite with Holtmann, too.
Good luck to Zed, wherever he winds up!
Continue reading...