Florida transfer Keyontae Johnson celebrated K-State’s win over Gators in special way
Keyontae Johnson was the most popular man inside Bramlage Coliseum.
As soon as Kansas State put the finishing touches on a 64-50 victory over Florida in Saturday’s Big 12/SEC Challenge, it felt like every single person within the arena was lining up to get a picture with him.
First came his former teammates at Florida. Before the 6-foot-6 forward transferred to K-State and became one of the best players in his new conference, he started his college basketball career with the Gators and still has friends on the roster. They all smiled ear to ear as they posed for photos at midcourt. Next came K-State fans asking for selfies as the Wildcats celebrated with a victory lap around the hardwood. Finally, his family members meandered down to the floor to get a few keepsakes of their own.
The demand for Johnson’s time was so high after this particular game that he was still in full uniform and on the court snapping pictures an hour after the final buzzer sounded.
It was like watching a groom on his wedding day. He couldn’t say no to anyone.
“It’s a once in a lifetime memory and you will never get that feeling or that moment back,” Johnson said. “I was just trying to embrace the moment and show my love for my former teammates and our fans.”
This was an opportunity for everyone to appreciate Johnson. Even though he didn’t play a particularly strong game against Florida, he still found a way to finish with 13 points and 11 rebounds as K-State roared to a 36-17 halftime lead and never looked back.
Had Johnson been able to successfully convert a windmill dunk, rather than missing the slam attempt off the front of the rim in the second half, it would have been a truly amazing day for him.
Johnson is now averaging 18 points and 7.7 rebounds on a team that is ranked fifth nationally and off to an unexpected 18-3 start. He is one of the biggest reasons why the Wildcats have wildly exceeded expectations this season and has put himself back on the NBA Draft radar after it looked like his basketball career might be over a few years ago.
There something poetic about him validating all that success with a win over Florida.
“It was really cool,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said. “As a fan I wanted to see him have a good game and I wanted him to get the win. I think our team wanted him to get the win. We knew it was important to him, even though he didn’t make a big deal out of it.”
Some college basketball players don’t want to play games against their former team. Johnson is not one of them.
“Today was amazing,” Johnson said. “It was a special day just seeing my old teammates. It was fun out here playing against them. It felt just like practice. We were out there joking around throughout the game but we were also competitive. It was a great experience. I’m glad that this conference had this game going on and let me play Florida. I really appreciate it.”
Johnson has no hard feelings against his former team because of the journey he took to K-State.
He was a star with the Gators for more than two seasons, averaging 14 points and 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore on his way to first-team all-conference honors in the SEC. Back then, he was a projected NBA lottery pick and the best returning player on a Gators team that was expected to do big things when he was a junior. But things didn’t work out that way.
His season ended early when he had a health scare during a nonconference game against Florida State. Johnson collapsed on the court because of a heart inflammation in December of 2020, and no one knew if he would make it through the night, let alone dribble a basketball again. He survived the incident and his passion for the game never wavered, but he didn’t play organized hoops again until he transferred to K-State this season.
It’s not the path he expected to take, but things have worked out nicely for him.
As fate would have it, Dave “Duke” Werner, the Florida trainer who helped him survive that scary incident at Florida State, was on the Gators’ sideline on Saturday. Johnson and several K-State coaches gave him a big hug.
That was just another wrinkle that made this a special game for Johnson. It showed how far Johnson has come since his near-death experience at Florida. It also reminded him that he is lucky to be where he is today.
“I was definitely looking forward to it, just seeing the athletic trainer, Duke,” Johnson said. “He was one of the main people that saved my life on the court. So just seeing him on on the bench and just talking to him after the game really brightened up my day. I don’t think this day could have been any (better). I played a good game and got to see people that care for me and show them love.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2023 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Florida transfer Keyontae Johnson celebrated K-State’s win over Gators in special way."