There were some fears entering the fall that Al Key’s surgically repaired shoulder would slow him from building on his Kansas Jayhawk Community College Western Division Freshman of the Year honor from last season, along with his first-team all-conference wares.
And, to top it all off, Key, a 6-foot-4 guard from Decatur, Ga., was chosen as a third-team National Junior College Athletics Association Division-I All-America selection.
The high-scoring Key averaged a team-leading 18.7 points while also establishing himself as the team leader in assists (164) and steals (60) during the Cougars’ 26-7 campaign. This season, Key hasn’t missed a beat in being the driving force during Barton’s 10-0 start, which has it ranked No. 11 in the latest NJCAA D-I Top 25 poll.
“I think he’s had pretty good focus, even against the lesser teams,” Barton head coach Craig Fletchall said.
Key has put Fletchall’s and his own worst fears about his shoulder to rest. Despite having offseason surgery to repair a partial tear, Key has come back as strong as ever as a sophomore. He leads the Cougars in scoring (21.4 points-per-game average) and assists (46) while sharing the team lead with sophomore guard Turon Parker in steals (24).
During an 86-75 win over Hill (Texas) College last Saturday night during the second day of the Best Western Angus Inn/Barton Booster Club Thanksgiving Basketball Classic at Kirkman Activity Center, Key matched his career high with 36 points, hitting 11 of 15 shots and draining 14 of 18 free throws.
“He turned it up a notch and obviously, we don’t win the game unless he matches a career high,” Fletchall said.
Key has now scored 36 points on three occasions during his Barton career, including twice this season.
“People have taken notice,” Fletchall said. “In the last 10 days, he’s had UConn, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M and TCU in contact with him. Over the summer, when he had his shoulder surgery, we weren’t sure what was going to happen and he wasn’t able to shoot a basketball for six months. He’s getting a pretty good list now, and it was probably good that Algie didn’t sign early. Some of these schools realize they need to go the juco route. 
“They’re starting to realize that they need combo guards. I think teams that were looking at Al strictly as a one or a two. But I think now some schools are needing guards that are more versatile, and I really think that should help his stock. He’ll definitely have some coaches in the gym during the second semester.”
Barton wraps up its pre-holiday schedule with games on Friday and Saturday at the Scotties Classic in Highland. The Cougars play North Central Missouri at 3 p.m. on Friday, and the Midland University junior varsity on Saturday at 2.