Keyontae Johnson relishes reunion with UF athletic trainer, Gators
Former Gators star Keyontae Johnson had been looking forward to the Florida-Kansas State game since he pledged to the Wildcats.
When he was being recruited to K-State, the chance to match up against his old team was a selling point by Jerome Lang and his staff.
“I knew we were playing them when I committed here. That was like the first thing the coaches told me,” Johnsons said Kansas State’s 64-50 win over UF. “So, I was definitely looking forward to it.”
Johnson wasn’t just excited about competing against his former teammates, but also reuniting with UF men’s basketball athletic trainer Duke Werner.
Werner came to Johnson’s rescue in Dec. 2020 when he collapsed against Florida State. They embraced after Saturday’s game and posed for a photo.
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“Seeing the athletic trainer, Duke. He’s one of the main people that saved my life on the court. So, seeing him on the bench and talking to him after the game just helped brighten up my day,” Johnson said. “Just seeing the people that cared for me at Florida and them just showing how much love they’ve got for me.”
Johnson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He also shared a cool moment with Florida’s players in the post-game handshake line and took pictures with them afterward.
The Gators have five players on the current roster — Colin Castleton, Jason Jitoboh, Niels Lane, Alex Klatsky and Jack May — who were on the 2020-21 team with Johnson and Myreon Jones and Kowacie Reeves spent all of last season around him.
“Today was a special day just seeing my old teammates. It was fun out there playing against them, just felt back like practice and just joking around throughout the game but keep being competitive. I feel like it was a great experience,” Johnson said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime memory and you’ll never get that feeling or that moment back. So, just trying to embrace the moment and show my love for them.”
