When Florida got set for the tip-off in Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Kentucky Wildcats in Gainesville, it had a new face in the starting lineup.
One who hasn’t started a game this season, or even appeared in one in more than a year: forward Keyontae Johnson.
Johnson hasn’t been medically cleared to play since a terrifying moment on Dec. 12, 2020, on the road against Florida State. Early in the contest, he collapsed on the court and had to be taken to a local hospital in Tallahassee for three days and placed in a medically-induced coma. By Dec. 15, he was awake and responsive.
Though his basketball future is still on hold, he got to make one more start at the O’Connell Center on Senior Day.
Heart and soul of the Gators. 🧡💙@Keyontae pic.twitter.com/srU0cEELxq
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 5, 2022
He was officially listed as a member of the starting five, and he got to receive the tip-off to great fanfare from the crowd in attendance before kissing the court and hugging every player on the court, as well as Wildcats coach John Calipari.
Johnson, who remains a fixture of Florida’s team and is endearingly referred to as “Coach Key,” entered the 2020-21 season as a preseason First Team All-SEC selection. He was expected to be one of the best players in the conference, if not the entire country. But those plans were put on hold in just the second game of the season.
His exact diagnosis remains unclear, per his and his family’s wishes, but it was reported by ESPN in November that he could receive a potential $5 million insurance pay-out if he isn’t cleared to pursue a professional career.
Regardless of the route Johnson opts to go down, it was a special way for a special player to finish a Florida career that was cut short due to extenuating circumstances.
