ISU's Tyreke Key fought it for a long time, but season-ending surgery was the only choice

Nov. 8—Tyreke Key's mind was on a constant loop. Keep playing. Ignore the pain. Don't let anyone down. Tough it out.

Mind won out over body for Key for a long time, but finally? Key's body told him it was time to get fixed before it was too late.

On Monday, Key and Indiana State's men's basketball team announced that the All-MVC guard would have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder.

To say it was a difficult decision for the ISU veteran is an understatement, but Key realized the time to get his injury fixed had come.

"I've been dealing with it for years. Old me probably would have tried to end up fighting through it and playing, but that's unrealistic, it's going to keep getting worse," Key said.

Key said he's been playing with pain on and off since the original shoulder injury in 2020. He said it's hard to fight off his desire to aim to please.

"I'm a selfless thinker, I always think what is everyone else going to think? That's why I've played through injury, to not let anyone down — my family, my team and my community back home," Key said.

ISU coach Josh Schertz thought surgery was the best option for Key once all of the facts were laid out.

"Tyreke's decision to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery was the only choice after speaking with the doctor and looking at all available options. Both in the short and long term, doing the surgery now gives Tyreke the best chance to have not only the basketball career that he wants, but the quality-of-life post basketball that is so important to all who care about him," Schertz said in a press release.

Key subluxed his right shoulder for the third time at the end of October. A subluxed shoulder is just a medical term for partially dislocated shoulder, which doesn't sound serious at first, but it's a re-occurring injury that has more serious ramifications each time it re-emerges.

Key had the option to have season-ending surgery. Apart from the procedure itself, it was a difficult decision considering that he was already staying with the program for an extra year due to COVID-19-related roster liberalization. Or, Key could play on and hope the injury didn't occur again.

That was an unlikely prospect. Doctors explained to Key and ISU's athletic training staff that a re-occurrence was very likely and would have potentially more severe consequences.

"It was difficult knowing I've spent all of this time getting better, stronger and faster. I never went home during the spring. It was very frustrating and mentally drained from that standpoint," Key said.

"When the decisions were laid out on the table, it didn't seem realistic to [play]. I could go the whole year and not have the injury, or maybe make it to January and it's a bad episode. Now, I'm in the same position I'm in now, but then, I might have to sit out workouts for pro teams. [Surgery] was the best and smartest decision. There was too much risk over reward at the end of the day," Key continued.

The timeline of Key's previous subluxed shoulder injuries would bear that out. His first came during the latter portion of the 2020 season. Key said that one wasn't as bad as the next two.

Key suffered the injury again in the final week of the regular season in 2021 and missed two games at Valparaiso as a result. He played at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but said in hindsight, he probably shouldn't have.

"I bounced back quick after the first one, but the second one was more severe and I probably shouldn't have played, but once again, but my selfless thinking came into play and I didn't want to let anyone down. I rushed it back," Key said.

Even before the October injury, Key said he had flare-ups throughout the summer — a warning sign that something clearly wasn't right.

"I was fine for a while, but I had some mini-episodes in the summer and preseason. The [subluxed shoulder] that occurred in practice two weeks ago was the worst one I've had. Doc said if I keep going, it will keeping getting worse until it's a complete dislocation and obviously that comes with more severe consequences," Key explained.

Key said he will have the surgery on Friday. As for the season? Key will serve as a sort of unofficial player-coach.

"I'll be what coach wants me to be — a player's coach, especially to all of the young and inexperienced guys. I'll be around everyday helping out as much as I can. Coach wants me to be in the coaches' meetings to build my IQ of the game more. It's really just about being around and getting my rehab out of the way," Key said.

Key does have an injury redshirt season to use, so he is eligible to return for the 2022-23 season.