Florida forward in critical condition
NO. 20 FLORIDA STATE 83, FLORIDA 71
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton told assistants and administrators that Florida could decide whether to continue after standout forward Keyontae Johnson collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Coach Mike White let his players make the call — not once, but twice. With tears in their eyes and their teammate’s condition uncertain, the Gators wanted to play.
They were obviously and understandably distracted the rest of the way.
Freshman Scottie Barnes scored 17 points and No. 20 Florida State defeated Florida 83-71 on Saturday after Florida suddenly lost its best player.
Johnson, the SEC’s preseason player of the year, was taken off the floor on a stretcher in the opening minutes and transported to Tallahassee Memorial for evaluation. Florida officials said he was in critical but stable condition and would remain there overnight.
White canceled postgame interviews to join Johnson at the hospital as his players boarded a bus for the twohour trip back to Gainesville. Johnson’s parents were flying in from Virginia to be with their son.
Whether the game should have resumed surely will be debated. White let his players choose both times — moments after Johnson left the court and then again at halftime.
“Whatever they thought was in the best interest of their team, then I would accept it,” Hamilton said. “My administration asked me, and I told them we would be OK with whatever they decided. It was my understanding that they wanted to play.”
Johnson, a junior from Norfolk, Va., had just dunked in transition a couple of minutes before he crumpled to the hardwood as the team broke its huddle. The Gators were emotional wrecks as they watched the situation unfold, and a couple of them buried their faces in towels as White gathered his team in prayer.
Several Seminoles were in tears as well and took a knee to do the same.
“Those types of things can affect you in some adverse ways,” Hamilton said. “We’re just all hopeful and praying that he’s OK. If it affected our players in an emotional way, I can imagine what the situation was with his teammates.”
Officials gave both teams extra time to regroup before restarting. The Gators weren’t the same afterward.
Florida (3-1) was ahead 11-3 after Johnson’s dunk. The Seminoles (3-0) scored the next seven points and pulled away from there. They outscored the Gators 42-24 in the first half after Johnson was stricken.
Johnson averaged a teamhigh 14 points last season to go along with 7.1 rebounds. He also led the Gators with 38 steals. He had five points in four minutes Saturday.
Like many of his teammates, Johnson tested positive for covid-19 during the summer. The coronavirus can lead to myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle, and it is common for athletes. At its most severe, myocarditis can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and has been a documented cause of death for young, otherwise healthy athletes.