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NCAA basketball fans watched as the Florida Gators' excitement turned to immense fear in a matter of seconds when star Keyontae Johnson collapsed during their game against No. 20 Florida State on Saturday morning.
Florida Gators head coach Mike White cancelled post-game interviews, and immediately went to visit Johnson at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The rest of the Gators team and staff boarded the bus back to campus, where they will wait anxiously for further updates on Keyontae.
Florida Gators Men's Basketball's twitter account recently shared this update on Keyontae Johnson's status:
Graham Hall, who covers the Gators for the Gainesville Sun, reported that Florida is flying in Johnson's family to be with him in Tallahassee. The Johnson family resides in Virginia and Keyontae's father, Marrecus, is a retired chief petty officer of the United States Navy.
Florida State Coach Statement on Keyontae Johnson
"Whatever they thought was in the best interest of their team, then I would accept it," said Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton, in regard to whether the game should continue after Johnson's collapse. "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."
Keyontae Johnson was given Preseason SEC Player of the Year honors before the season began, and his performance to this point this year has been nothing short of spectacular. This scary and unpredictable occurence is something that can not be controlled. We must hope for nothing but the best for Keyontae, and that his condition improves quickly and vastly.
The Florida Gators, who were clearly distraught after watching Johnson leave the court in an ambulance, were given the choice to stop the game or continue playing. The consensus among the team was to continue, though their performance seemed less enthusiastic following the absence of Johnson. The Gators lost the game 83-71, bringing their season record to 3-1.
The Florida Gators will play the University of North Florida Ospreys on December 16, but will be hoping for nothing but the best for their teammate, friend and brother Keyontae Johnson in the mean time.
