Tennessee junior center Tamari Key is among 20 players named as preseason watch list candidates for the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced on Friday.
Key becomes the fourth Lady Vol in 2021 to garner watch list status from those organizations. Jordan Horston (Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award), Rae Burrell (Cheryl Miller Award) and Alexus Dye (Katrina McClain Award) also were among the nation’s top-20 projected players at their respective positions of shooting guard, small forward and power forward.
Named after three-time All-American,1994 National Player of the Year and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, the annual award in its fifth year recognizes the top centers in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
“Lisa Leslie is one of the most decorated basketball players of all time, men or women, at the collegiate, international and professional levels, said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The student-athletes that have been named to the watch list for this award are unquestionably among the best our game has to offer, and we’re excited to watch them take the court and do what they do best this season. We thank Lisa for her involvement in this selection process, as well as our esteemed committee members and Dell Technologies who makes our fan voting component possible.”
A 6-foot-6 native of Cary, N.C., Key finished her sophomore year with averages of 8.9 ppg., 5.6 rpg. and 2.9 bpg., shooting 62.8 percent from the field and earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team. She led the team in field goal percentage at 62.8 and was tops for UT and second in the league in blocks averaged (2.9). She would have led the SEC in field goal percentage, but she didn’t have enough attempts to qualify.
Key, who was named to the 2021-22 SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC Second Team, ranked No. 11 in the NCAA in blocks (72) and blocks per game (2.9) a year ago. Her 72 blocks ranked as the No. 8 all-time Lady Vol season total, while her career tally (158) ranks No. 8 as well. Her 59.2 career field goal percentage stacks up No. 4 all-time at Tennessee.
Setting career highs of 23 points and 10 blocks while adding a season-high 10 rebounds against Florida last season, Key became just the fourth Lady Vol to ever record a triple-double, joining the ranks of Jordan Reynolds (14 rebounds, 11 points, 10 assists vs. UNCW on Dec. 29, 2016), Shekinna Stricklen (17 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists vs. Oklahoma on Jan. 3, 2010) and Shelia Collins (18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals vs. Florida State on Feb. 8, 1985).
Basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award include Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (2020-21), Megan Gustafson, Iowa (2019) and A’ja Wilson, South Carolina (2018).
For more information on the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LeslieAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies goes live today, October 29.
2022 Lisa Leslie Award Candidates*
Queen Egbo / Baylor
Sara Hamson / BYU
Jenna Staiti / Georgia
Mackenzie Holmes / Indiana
Monika Czinano / Iowa
Ayoka Lee / Kansas State
Hannah Gusters / LSU
Shakira Austin / Mississippi
Jessika Carter / Mississippi St.
Elissa Cunane / NC State
Aliyah Boston / South Carolina
Kamilla Cardoso / South Carolina
Francesca Belibi / Stanford
Tamari Key / Tennessee
Ila Lane / UC Santa Barbara
Olivia Nelson-Ododa / UConn
Eleah Parker / Virginia
Elizabeth Kitley / Virginia Tech
Nancy Mulkey / Washington
Bella Murekatete / Washington St.
*Players can play their way o
About Lisa Leslie:
Widely regarded as the best player in the country during her senior year of high school, Leslie decided to play basketball close to home at University of Southern California. While at USC, she set Pac-10 records for scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, earning All-Pac-10 honors each of her four seasons. In 1991, she was named national freshman of the year and went on to earn All-American Honors the following three seasons. In her senior season, she won multiple national player of the year awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year and the WBCA Player of the Year. In the summer of 1997, the Women’s National Basketball Association was launched and with it, Lisa Leslie became a household name. The Los Angeles Sparks landed the hometown star, who would go on to help them win two world championships. As an eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP, Leslie became the face of the WNBA. In 2002, she became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Leslie retired as the all-time leading rebounder in WNBA history and was an eight-time First Team All-WNBA performer. Internationally, Leslie won four gold medals in Olympic competition. Since retiring from professional play, Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for several networks, while exploring fashion modeling and acting as well.
-UT Athletics
