FILE – In this November 29, 2019 file photo, Florida forward Keyontae Johnson, 11, watches during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marshall in Gainesville, Florida.
APs
Kansas State basketball fans can start dreaming a little about what the Wildcats can achieve in Jerome Tung’s first season as head coach.
The Wildcats added a big transfer to their roster on Saturday when Keyyonte Johnson announced his intention to end college life in Manhattan.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 229-pound forward from Norfolk, Virginia was once a Florida star, and now he’s looking to make a similar impact in K-State. He averaged 14 points and his 7.1 rebounds in his last full season with the Gators in 2019-2020.
He was the SEC’s First Team All-Conference Player as a sophomore and the league’s Preseason Player of the Year heading into the junior campaign.
If Johnson can replicate those numbers in a purple uniform, K State will be on a realistic path to the NCAA Tournament and finish high in the Big 12 standings. Both of these aspirations seemed like pipe dreams months ago when I was rushing to.
Johnson chose K over Memphis, Nebraska, and Western Kentucky.
K-State welcomed Johnson at a recruitment call in July. There was optimism at the time that the Wildcats were leading his services, but Tan had to wait until Johnson found out his decision after traveling to Memphis and Nebraska.
Johnson is an exciting late addition to Tang’s first recruiting class at K-State. Not only will he give the Wildcats his 12 scholarship players next season, but he will give them the potential to make a difference on his court front.
The Wildcats were projected to be the 68th best team in the nation by Bart Tobik’s preseason rating index before Johnson joined the mix. After that, he jumped to 42nd place.
In other words, he could be the difference between competing for a spot in the NIT and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
However, there are some questions as to how quickly he will return to his original form.
Johnson hasn’t played a live game in nearly two years. His last appearance was on December 21, 2020. Collapse during a non-conference game in Florida for heart problems.
Police later investigated him for possibly sexually assaulting a woman in Florida. the charges against him were finally dismissed.
Since then, he has pondered his options for the future.he Reportedly insured for $5 million that he could medically benefit from retiring from basketball.
He seems to have decided to play college basketball again.
His next destination is Kansas.
Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State Athletics with The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. Winner of more than 10 national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and his four children.
