Gators’ Johnson continuing to improve, get answers
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (BVM) — Dec. 12, 2020 started off like any other game day for the Florida Gators men’s basketball team. Preparation, intensity and excitedness as it began its season with a 3-1 record and the chance to knock off No. 20-ranked Florida State.
But this day, like all Florida basketball fans now know, was going to be a day unlike any other.
The Gators were in Tallahassee for the Sunshine Showdown, a series in which Florida holds the all-time record at 43-28. The ref threw the jump ball, the players started going up and down the floor and the game was underway. However, just a matter of minutes into the game, one player’s life would turn upside-down and his teammates would have tears in their eyes.
The Gators star forward and projected NBA Draft pick, Keyontae Johnson, collapsed on the Civic Center floor. Nobody knew the cause and nobody saw it coming, but Coach Mike White left it up to his players whether they wanted to continue on with the game or not. They were visibly shaken, faces hidden in towels, trying to make sense of what just happened.
The condition of their teammate was unknown, but they wanted to play on.
Rushed to a nearby hospital, doctors would say that Johnson’s condition was critical, but stable. But since the accident, fans want to know how the standout player has recovered and what is next. Well, Johnson’s family has been sending out sporadic updates, and things seem to be on the up-and-up for Johnson.
Just 10 days after the accident, Johnson was released from the hospital and roughly a week later, he rejoined the team. This time, though, not as a guy that teams were focusing on in their scouting reports all week, but in a coaching role. He’s there on the sidelines cheering on his team, and letting them know problems that can be addressed.
Whether he plays again or not this season is up in the air, as doctors still haven’t come to a conclusion on why Johnson collapsed on that scary day. If it was up to Johnson, though, he’d be out on the floor, as he’s already mentioned to White that he’s ready to roll.
On Wednesday, Johnson’s family released their most recent update, which offered fans some more insight into what is going on with Johnson’s case.
During the summer of 2020, Johnson was diagnosed with COVID-19, which has been known to cause myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart’s muscle lining. In the Johnson family’s update, they announced that a consultation panel of physicians from the likes of the Yale School of Medicine and Vanderbilt medical school, amongst others, unanimously declared that his previous bout with COVID-19 did not have a correlation with his collapse.
After ruling this out, the hope is that now doctors can focus on other areas of investigation and come to a conclusion sooner rather than later. And of course, Johnson can now have some peace of mind. But in terms of what comes next for Johnson on the basketball court, following his social media pages may offer the most wisdom.
“His resilience has been inspiring to watch. He will spend the rest of the season focused on being the best coach and teammate he can be,” Johnson’s family said in an official update. “What comes next for Keyontae is for him to share on his own timeline.”
