Braxton Key, a starting forward for most of his two seasons at Alabama, will transfer from the Crimson Tide basketball program.
UA officials confirmed The News’ report on Friday morning with a release announcing that Key had been granted a release.
“I met with Braxton on Thursday and had a good talk with him,” Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said in the release. “Braxton certainly has a bright future, but he has to do what’s best for him. We wish him nothing but the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
“This was not an easy decision to make,” Key said. “I’ve enjoyed my two seasons at the University of Alabama. I want to thank the coaches, support staff and my teammates for helping me get better each and every day. I especially would like to thank all the fans for their support over the past two years.”
Key, an All-SEC Freshman selection in 2016-17, missed the first 10 games of the 2017-18 season after undergoing knee surgery just days before Alabama’s first practice in October. Key appeared in 26 games last season, starting 17. He averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds as a sophomore after averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman. He scored a career-high 26 points in the Crimson Tide’s 2017 win over Georgia in Athens.
Key, who played for national high school champion Oak Hill Academy before coming to Alabama, will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the upcoming season. He is the third player to announce he is leaving the Alabama program since the season ended with a loss to national champion Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March. Leading scorer Collin Sexton announced his intentions to enter the NBA Draft while Ar’Mond Davis, who sat out the season as a redshirt, is
leaving as a graduate transfer.
Thank you University of Alabama, Roll Tide! 🙏🏾🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/9MksP60Qsc
— braxton key (@btwice_11) April 20, 2018
Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil@tidesports.com or 205-722-0225.
