ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Head coach Leonard Hamilton of the Florida State Seminoles looks on during a practice session ahead of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 27, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)The college basketball world seemed to stand still on Saturday afternoon after Florida star forward Keyontae Johnson collapsed during the Gators game against the Florida State Seminoles. He was put on a stretcher and carted off.
The scary event shocked both programs. Still, the game continued on after Johnson’s collapse even further confusing college basketball fans.
No. 20 Florida State went on to win comfortably 83-71. However, everyone’s thoughts remained with Johnson in a terrifying few hours.
Following the contest, reporters wanted answers on why the game continued. Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton offered up an explanation, saying that he differed to Florida before getting the game back underway.
“I told our staff I was going to let them make that decision. … It was totally up to them and whatever they thought was in the best interest of their team,” Hamilton said, via ESPN’s Myron Medcalf.
Per Leonard Hamilton, he let Florida officials decide if the game would continue after Keyontae Johnson collapsed: "I told our staff I was going to let them make that decision. … It was totally up to them and whatever they thought was in the best interest of their team."
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) December 12, 2020
Hamilton encouraged his team to keep Johnson on their minds during the remainder of the game. He added that a few players got on their knees and started praying during the injury timeout.
Leonard Hamilton said he told his players to pray for Keyontae Johnson after he collapsed. A few of them got on their knees and started praying during the timeout, he said.
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) December 12, 2020
According to Denver Parler of Florida men’s basketball communications, Johnson was brought to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital after he left the arena. He reported that the Gators forward is in “critical but stable condition.”
“Keyontae Johnson is in critical but stable condition at Tallahassee Memorial,” Parler tweeted. “We will provide more updates when we are able.”
Johnson entered the season as a presumptive SEC Player of the Year candidate. Through three games, he led the Gators with 19.7 points per game. Florida got off to a 3-0 start before Saturday’s loss.
Hopefully, Johnson is able to recover quickly and fully from the scary incident. Our thoughts remain with him and his family.
Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
