Keyontae Johnson makes one more "start" for the Florida Gators
It had been 448 days since Keyontae Johnson suited up in Orange and Blue and started for the Florida Gators. That streak ended Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.
Saturday afternoon in Gainesville, Johnson was a surprise addition to the lineup. Florida and Kentucky had agreed to allow the moment to happen to honor Johnson, the 2021 SEC preseason player of the year.
He was averaging 16.0 points, shooting 64 percent from the floor before collapsing at FSU. Johnson was introduced in front of the crowd and embraced his family. He then was inserted into the lineup, a move coordinated between both Florida and Kentucky, before being subbed out of the game to a standing ovation.
It was last December when Johnson collapsed while coming out of a timeout at Florida State. Johnson was rushed to the hospital, where he spent the night before finally being transported to Shands Hospital in Florida.
Johnson was able to get out of the hospital and has spent the past season and a half with the Gators as a player coach. He affectionately earned the nickname “Coach Key” and has done whatever he can to help the team, while not being able to play.
Johnson has worked tirelessly to get back on the floor but that may not ever be in the cards for him. What Johnson has been is a friend, teammate, coach, leader and inspiration to all those he encounters.
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Johnson joins six other Gators on Senior Night
Florida will have seven players honored on Senior Night. Johnson joins Tyree Appleby, Colin Castleton, Anthony Duruji, Myreon Jones, Phlandrous Fleming, and Brandon McKissic will all be introduced for the final time in Gainesville.
Johnson is the only one of the seven that committed to Florida out of high school. Appleby came to Florida in Transferred from Cleveland State in 2019 and sat out the 2019-20 season. At CSU, he scored 899 points. He’s made 40 starts in 55 career appearances at Florida.
Castleton transferred from Michigan in 2020 and was immediately eligible to play at Florida. He has been a monster down low for the Gators the last two seasons and their best player in 2022. At Florida, he’s made 45 starts in 48 games played. Castleton has averaged 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 56.3 percent from the floor and 73.9 from the free-throw line.
Duruji transferred to Florida from Louisiana Tech. He scored 632 points in 54 games with the Bulldogs. At Florida, Duruji’s played 53 games, with 44 starts. He’s averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds over his two seasons at UF, including 8.8 and 4.3, respectively, in 2021-22.
