Former Florida Gators forward [autotag]Keyontae Johnson[/autotag] is off to a hot start with his new team, the Kansas State Wildcats. After collapsing on the court against the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee in December of 2020, the former All-SEC player seems to have finally returned to full strength.
A lot of patience was spared on Johnson while he was in Gainesville as both the fans and the program wanted nothing more than to get their star player back on the parquet. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards for the 6-foot-6-inch, 230-pound athletic frontcourt player who was unable to be cleared by the university’s medical staff.
One school’s loss is another’s gain as exemplified by Johnson’s move to the middle of the country, where he has caught the eyes of many as a member of the Wildcats. CBS Sports writer David Cobb is among those who have taken notice, including the former Gator in his latest college basketball star power index. Here is what he had to offer on the forward’s return to greatness.
It has been a long time since Johnson played through the grind of a college basketball season. He served as a coaching assistant of sorts at Florida in 2021-22 while held out for medical reasons following a scary collapse he suffered in the fifth game of the 2020-21 season. In essence, the 2019-20 season was the last time we regularly saw Johnson on the court. That was three seasons ago, and while he was spectacular for the Gators that year and earned all-SEC honors, it was fair to wonder how good he would be at Kansas State this season. Well, he’s been nothing short of spectacular while averaging 17.7 points for first-year coach Jerome Tang. The Wildcats are off to a 12-1 (1-0 Big 12) start, largely due to Johnson. He leads the team in scoring and is averaging 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals while making 56.9% of his shots.
🚨 NEVER A DOUBT 🚨#KStateMBB x @Keyontae pic.twitter.com/zNwXO1e7gu
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) November 24, 2022
Thanks in part to Johnson’s efforts, the Wildcats currently hold 41 votes in the latest AP Poll, 38 votes in the Coaches Poll and ranked No. 17 in the NET. KSU next faces the Baylor Bears (No. 16 Coaches, No. 19 AP) on Saturday, Jan. 7 with tipoff slated for 6 p.m. EST.
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