Kelsey Key feels right at home on Westfield’s hardwood court
By RICHIE HALL
When Kelsey Key came back to Westfield this spring after being hired as the Shamrocks’ new girls basketball head coach, she was returning to a familiar place.
Key played AAU basketball in the Westfield area, while also playing her high school ball at Frankton. Now she’s back in Westfield and has jumped right into her new role with the Shamrocks.
“I started working with them in May,” said Key. The coach said the team would do “a couple workouts a week,” then began playing summer tournaments in June, such as in the Mojo Up Pacers Athletic Center league. Westfield played in tournaments at Butler University, Marian University and Indiana Wesleyan University, where Key graduated from in 2017.
Key grew up in central Indiana, graduating from Frankton in 2013 in addition to competing in AAU in Westfield.
“The level of basketball and the tradition, all of that was appealing,” said Key. “And the city of Westfield itself is appealing in a lot of ways. The people, the community feel, the support for basketball, all of those things made the job super appealing to me. Just super excited to go through the interviewing process and learn and grow.”
Key played at Northern Kentucky before heading to IWU, where she was an All-Conference player, third team All-American and an Academic All-American. After graduating, she was an assistant coach at Indiana Wesleyan, then also served as an assistant coach at Gannon University in Pennsylvania and Bethel College. She also was an assistant at Cedarville University in Ohio before coming back to Westfield.
“All of those experiences have shaped me in a lot of ways,” said Key. “I think the first things is, it’s taught me how to build really good relationships with players.”
Key said she’s also learned much from the coaches she’s worked with, including “Xs and Os” and leadership styles. In addition, since she has played college basketball, Key can use that expertise to help any of her new players who want to play at the next level.
“My hope is to continue to keep learning and growing,” said Key.
Next season’s Westfield roster will be a little different, as the Shamrocks graduated several talented players, including Indiana All-Star Alyssa Crockett. But Key said this current group of Shamrocks is playing hard, noting that they “really enjoy competing” and enjoy playing basketball.
“It’s going to be new players stepping up into new roles,” said Key. She also enjoys their personalities, which aligns with something Key wants them to be aware of – “Their identity and who they are does not come from what they do,” said Key.
“Basketball is a game that teaches you so much,” said Key. “I’m coaching great, great young people, which is always fun.”
And of course, there will be the exciting in competing in Sectional 8. Westfield is in a sectional that has seen multiple state champions and Miss Basketballs over the previous five years, and that challenge is something that Key is ready to take on.
Key is aware it will be challenging but said if “you want to do anything special, you got to do things the hard way and get outside your comfort zone.” That also includes competing in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.
“You want to play the best every single night and that’s what you get in the conference,” said Key. “That’s what you get in the sectional. Some of the best basketball in the state of Indiana. I’m excited. I just want our girls to go out every single night and compete. We just want to compete.”