Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson living out dream after life-threatening scare

Nowadays, Keyontae Johnson has a everlasting smile on his face.

He’s dwelling out a dream that at a number of factors appeared unrealistic, by no means thoughts unlikely.

A little bit over 27 months in the past, the star ahead collapsed on the courtroom whereas taking part in for Florida.

On Saturday, he hopes to guide third-seeded Kansas State to the Closing 4 out of the NCAA Event’s East Area.

“I can’t be blessed sufficient to be right here, so simply making an attempt to get pleasure from life, benefit from the second,” the Norfolk, Va., native stated on Friday. “You’re solely in faculty for therefore lengthy. So all people that comes again to Okay-State or beforehand at Florida all the time advised me, get pleasure from faculty life right here as a result of it’s going to be gone.

“Basketball was nearly taken away from me, so I’m going on the market to have enjoyable and present my teammates the love and pleasure that I’ve for them.”

On Dec. 12, 2020, whereas taking part in for the Gators in opposition to Florida State, Johnson collapsed on the courtroom and was rushed to a close-by hospital.

He was positioned in a medically induced coma for 3 days and was initially identified with acute myocarditis, which is irritation of the guts muscle.

It was later revealed to be “athlete’s coronary heart,” a rise in cardiac mass as a consequence of intense coaching.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson was an honorary assistant coach for Florida final yr — he was referred to as “Coach Key” — and since college docs wouldn’t clear him medically, he entered the switch portal.

Two different docs cleared him, giving Johnson confidence he wasn’t placing himself in danger, and he transferred to Kansas State.

“I don’t actually give it some thought,” Kansas State’s main scorer (17.7) and rebounder (6.9) stated. “I simply go on the market and play.”

Initially, he did give it some thought.

However as he pushed himself by means of offseason exercises together with his new group, it started to fade.

By the autumn, his focus was on serving to Kansas State on the ground.

“I had a objective for myself coming into the basketball season, I needed to benefit from it. And my objective was to attempt to change this system,” Johnson stated of Kansas State, which was picked to complete final within the Large 12 below first-year coach Jerome Tang. “I used to be preseason Participant of the 12 months within the SEC, so I simply needed to switch my abilities to the Large 12, what they name the professional league.”

His collapse sidetracked Johnson’s profession by sidelining him for greater than two years.

However there was a constructive to return out of it.

He regularly receives messages from others who’re coping with — or have handled — comparable coronary heart issues, giving them hope to make their very own comeback.

“Lots of people hit me up simply saying I’m inspiring them,” Johnson stated. “They inspire me and I’m motivating different individuals, and I really feel like that’s simply driving me to maintain going.”