Florida Gators Basketball

After spending the last four years with the Florida Gators, forward Keyontae Johnson has entered the transfer portal, according to Stadium's Jeff Goodman.

Johnson hasn't played in over a year after he collapsed on the court during a game.

T.J. Legacy-Cole of Fresh Take Florida reported in late March that police said Johnson sexually assaulted a young woman at a pool party in February.

Police said an investigation determined that Johnson had unprotected sex with a 19-year-old woman after she was intoxicated, though he told them that he had asked for her consent. Legacy-Cole reported that Johnson, who hasn't been arrested, faces a charge of sexual battery, which is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Johnson was the SEC Preseason Player of the Year for 2020-21. He was stretched off the floor in a game against Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020, after collapsing during a timeout. He was released from the hospital 10 days later.

Johnson was later named a player-coach for the Gators. Though he never played or practiced with the team again, he was honored as part of Florida's senior day this year. For his career, Johnson has averages of 11.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Saturday started off on quite the high note for the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team when it was named one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA selection committee's bracket preview.

That feeling didn't last long.

The Florida Gators earned a massive win for their NCAA tournament chances with a 63-62 victory over the Tigers in Saturday's SEC showdown. Tyree Appleby (26 points) and Colin Castleton (19 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals) led the way for Florida, while 28 points and seven boards from Jabari Smith weren't enough for Auburn on the road.

Auburn had an opportunity to win on the final possession after a frantic finish but didn't even get a shot off before throwing the ball away.

It appeared as if Florida was going to cruise to victory after much of the game was back-and-forth when Appleby's three-pointer extended the advantage to eight with just more than two minutes remaining.

However, the Gators fouled Smith on a three-pointer, turned the ball over multiple times and took ill-advised shots as the Tigers came clawing back.

A final Florida turnover on an inbounds pass in the last 10 seconds with a one-point lead looked to be disastrous, but Auburn was unable to generate a shot on the last possession.

While the Gators still need to do more work to ensure themselves a spot in the Big Dance, this was a major resume-booster. They now have quality wins over Ohio State and Auburn with chances to add more down the stretch of the regular season against Arkansas and Kentucky.

As for Auburn, a No. 1 seed is still very much on the table.

This was just the team's third loss of the season, although two of them have come in the past four games. Auburn is also still a game ahead of Kentucky in the loss column in the SEC standings and won the only head-to-head game between the teams this season.

All of the Tigers' goals are still ahead of them, but Saturday was not the performance they were looking for after receiving some validation from the NCAA selection committee.          

Florida men's basketball forward Keyontae Johnson is deciding between pursuing a professional career or cashing in on a $5 million insurance policy, per the Associated Press.

Johnson collapsed on the court during a timeout as the Gators were playing Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020. He has not played since.

Reasons for Johnson's collapse have not been made official, but the forward's family revealed that it was not COVID-related.

In addition, a Feb. 16 article written by Chris Harry of the Gators' official website revealed that the "expert team of cardiologists studying his case had not ruled out the possibility of Johnson playing basketball again."

Johnson chatted with Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel while hosting a basketball camp over the summer and talked about doctors' opinions on why he may have collapsed.

"That’s why they’re doing tests. That’s why it’s longer than expected. They just don’t know," Johnson said.

"They don’t know if it was my heart or it could be something else. It was just a freak incident; they’re just trying to figure it out to make sure I’m fine before they clear me."

However, Johnson made it clear that he wants to play again.

“I don’t know if it will be here, but I’m for sure going to play basketball again,” he said. “Just taking it day by day, going to see doctors and everything. They really haven’t given me a timeline yet.

“Hopefully, I get it soon.”

Johnson averaged 16.0 points on 64.1 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.0 minutes per game over four contests during the 2020-21 season.

He's still heavily involved with the program even though doctors have not cleared him to play again, per the AP.

"He's very much a big part of our program," Florida coach Mike White said.

No change in status at all. Not practicing. Coaching, helping organize practice, prepare for practice, doing some officiating. He's active in drill work.

He's getting a taste of some individual meetings with guys at times, trying to motivate, trying to hold [guys] accountable. He's doing whatever he can. He's an unselfish guy. He's a winner. He's always going to be, and he's doing whatever he can to help his teammates and to help us as a staff.

As the AP noted, Johnson has his eyes set on an NBA career, and he would need to be medically cleared and then pass numerous tests to work out for teams next year. 

He has the flexibility to take some steps to pursue the pro option while still keeping open the possibility of triggering the $5 million insurance policy, which the AP said he could take as a lump sum.

Five former players for the Florida Gators women's basketball team have shared details about alleged abuse by former head coach Cam Newbauer.

Per ESPN's John Barr, players said Newbauer routinely belittled and berated players and created a toxic and abusive culture:

Players described a pressure-cooker environment where the slightest misstep during a practice drill or a game could spark fury from their former coach. They said he threw basketballs at players, at one point hitting a player recovering from a torn ACL in her injured leg, made racially insensitive comments and routinely reduced players to tears during profanity-laced tirades.

Haley Lorenzen, who played for the Gators from 2014-18, told Barr that she didn't even pick up a basketball for more than a year after graduating because of her experience with Newbauer. 

"I had the opportunity to play professional basketball," she said. "I had an agent lined up. I even went to the WNBA combine and I got there and I just didn't even want to be there."

Details of the alleged abuse were first made public this week when Zachary Huber of The Independent Florida Alligator, Florida's student newspaper, published a story about Newbauer's history with the program. 

"For him, I felt very, 'You’re only useful to me on the court,'" Sydney Morang told Huber about her experience playing for Newbauer. "'I don’t really care about anything about you or how I treat you other than that.'"

Morang medically retired from basketball during her sophomore season because of a series of concussions. 

According to Barr, Sydney's parents, Frank and Lynn Morang, sent an email to Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin and school president Kent Fuchs in April 2018 that said Newbauer had "cultivated a toxic environment and is not equipped to coach young athletes who are at a crucial point in their development as women."

Current WNBA player Sydney Searcy told Barr that Newbauer would frequently call players "b---hes" and "made racially insensitive comments about the hair and tattoos of several Black players on his team."

Searcy and Mikayla Hayes also recalled witnessing Newbauer tell three Black players on the team to throw away their clothing. 

"He didn't like that they wore baggier or men's clothing, as if they dressed like thugs," Searcy said. "He had them go into the locker room and throw their clothes away. ... As a Black woman I saw the pain and the fear in their eyes."

Hayes noted other times in which Newbauer told a group of players on the Gators team who were gay that he "didn't like the way they looked or how they presented themselves."

Cydnee Kinslow, who played for the Gators as a graduate transfer during the 2020-21 season, told Barr "it was very difficult to play behind someone that we felt was very sexist and homophobic, racist, all those kinds of things."

Kinslow also described Newbauer's treatment toward women as "outrageous."

Newbauer was hired as head coach of the Florida women's team in March 2017. He spent the previous four years in the same position at Belmont. 

The school announced on June 1 that Newbauer's contract had been extended through the 2024-25 season. The 43-year-old announced his resignation on July 16, citing personal reasons. 

Despite no mention of the allegations by the school at the time of Newbauer's resignation, Florida issued a statement on Monday in the wake of Huber's reporting (via Barr):

There were concerns brought to our attention. Each time, additional information was sought, and these concerns were addressed directly with Cam as we required corrective actions and outlined clear expectations of behavior moving forward. Ultimately, we did not see the required improvements, and following discussions with Coach Newbauer he made the decision to resign.

Kelly Rae Finley, who was an assistant under Newbauer for the past four seasons, was promoted to interim head coach for the 2021-22 season. 

Florida Gators star Keyontae Johnson will not enter the NBA draft this year, announcing on Twitter that he's still awaiting medical clearance to begin playing basketball again after suffering a medical emergency during a game in December:

"I am progressing and steadily making progress daily in my health," Johnson wrote. "I am patiently waiting on my medical clearance. While speaking with my family, doctors, coaches and athletic trainer I've decided not to enter my name into the 2021 NBA draft. I plan to keep working to prepare for the upcoming season."

Johnson, 21, collapsed on the court during a road game against Florida State on December 12. The forward was initially listed in critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma but was able to begin communicating with others a few days later. Neither Johnson nor the Gators have disclosed the cause of his collapse, though his family did announce it was not related to COVID-19.

The Virginia native was named first-team All-SEC in 2020 after posting 14.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 31 contests that year. The media picked him as the SEC's Preseason Men's Basketball Player of the Year ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

In his three full appearances in 2021, the forward logged 19.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. 

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie had Johnson as a mid-second round pick on his 2020 draft board and moved him up to No. 14 in 2021 ahead of the college basketball season: 

"NBA evaluators were surprised when Johnson decided not to enter the 2020 NBA Draft, as many thought he had a chance to turn into a late first-round pick after going through even the truncated process. Again, NBA teams are constantly on the lookout for wings who do two things: defend multiple positions and shoot. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Johnson is a tank who can hit shots from distance, and then guard 1 through 4 at the collegiate level. By the end of SEC play last year, Johnson was one of the five best players in the conference and clearly earned All-SEC honors. Look for more of the same this year, and I’d expect he goes in round one in 2021."

Ranked the No. 69 overall recruit in the class of 2018 by 247Sports, Johnson picked Florida over offers from Minnesota, Texas Tech, Boston College and Wichita State. 

It's unclear when Johnson could return to the court. 

Florida men's basketball player Keyontae Johnson collapsed during a Dec. 12 game vs. Florida State and has been ruled out for the season for undisclosed health reasons, though the SEC Preseason Player of the Year plans to eventually return to the court. 

"I do. Right now, until the doctors say otherwise, I'm going to stick with the positive mindset that I'm playing again," he told Chris Harry of FloridaGators.com when asked if he thinks he'll play again. "Some time. Yes, I do." 

And how does Johnson's family feel about that?

"My dad is staying positive. My mom is, as well," he said. "I remember her saying, 'What happens if the doctors say you can't play again?' I told her, 'I don't know. We're not at that situation, yet.' If that happened, I'd probably want to be a coach and take what I've learned from here and try to be a step ahead. But my mindset is I'm going to play again." 

A cardiologist happened to be sitting courtside when Johnson collapsed and rushed onto the court to help him, perhaps helping to save his life. 

"I would say I'm blessed to be here, yes. There's just not a lot more to say that that," Johnson said. "I was passed out. I could have died. She jumped out on the court and saved me. If it isn't for her, I may not have had a second chance in life. You just can't take life for granted."

Johnson's health issues were not related to COVID-19, another fortunate piece of news for the young basketball star who averaged 14 points and 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore and 16 points per game in four contests this season. 

Johnson said that he watched the video of his collapse while he was recovering in the hospital:

"Oh yeah, I watched it in the hospital. My mom didn't want me to see it, but I watched it. I mean, I had to rewind it back a couple times. When I first saw it, I was like, 'Damn!' My mom was surprised by my reaction because usually I don't have a lot of reaction to stuff, but that was different. I wanted to see the video that everyone was talking about. My mom had kept my phone for like three days after I woke up, even though I wanted it back on that second day. When I got it back, I'd seen how my phone was blowing up. First thing I did was go to YouTube and typed in 'Keyontae Johnson collapse' and it was right there."

While Johnson can't play for the remainder of the season, he's been helping the Gators by coaching and scouting during the season, keeping himself involved with the team. 

"In the past, we'd had some guys, some instances, where players got hurt and mentally kind of went away. Got disengaged. I wanted to learn from that and stay engaged," Johnson said. "This was the best way I could also learn while not playing and still study guys, study teams, study plays. I like it."

For Johnson, however, the hope is that it will be a temporary role and he'll be able to return to the court before long. 

The family of Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson announced Wednesday that the player's medical emergency was not related to COVID-19.

The announcement came as the result of a "unanimous conclusion of all experts." 

Johnson collapsed in the middle of his team's game against Florida State in early December. He spent more than a week in the hospital and was placed in a medically induced coma before eventually being released.

Zach Abolverdi of the Gainesville Sun reported Johnson was diagnosed with a heart inflammation known as myocarditis, which has been linked to COVID-19. However, the family confirmed Wednesday it was unrelated to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"Our hope is that the experts' conclusion that this instance is not COVID-related will bring some peace of mind."

The family also confirmed he will not play the rest of the season, instead spending the time "being the best coach and teammate he can be."

Johnson rejoined the Gators last month but only in a supportive role off the court.

"He's obviously empowered because of his leadership qualities, his experience, his intelligence level," head coach Mike White said, per Mark Long of the Associated Press (via the Orlando Sentinel). "His words hold a lot of weight with these guys, as they should."

The Gators postponed several games initially after Johnson's medical emergency but returned to the court for conference play and are now 6-3 in the SEC.

The junior remains the team's leading scorer with an average of 16.0 points in four games.

Florida junior forward Keyontae Johnson was with his team for Saturday's SEC matchup against LSU, which marked his return to the bench after he collapsed during a Dec. 12 game against Florida State.

The 2019-20 second-team All-SEC selection was released from the hospital Dec. 22.

Zach Abolverdi of the Gainesville Sun reported Johnson was diagnosed with acute myocarditis, which is heart inflammation that may be related to his previous COVID-19 diagnosis. He's expected to miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

The Gators postponed their last four nonconference games following the Florida State contest. They returned to action Wednesday with a 91-72 victory over Vanderbilt.

Florida head coach Mike White announced Monday that Johnson had rejoined the team and was working with the coaches.

"Keyontae Johnson is back with us and doing well," White told reporters Monday. "He was at practice this morning and yesterday afternoon. He's in good spirits; he's helping us coach. He actually blew a whistle yesterday."

The Gators enter Saturday's game against the Tigers with a 4-1 record. Their only loss came to FSU.

Florida men's basketball player Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed during the Gators' Dec. 12 matchup with Florida State and was later diagnosed with acute myocarditis (heart inflammation), attended practice on Monday and assisted the coaching staff. 

"Johnson is back with us and doing well," head coach Mike White told reporters. "We're extremely grateful and thankful to everyone in this country and throughout the world who prayed for him."

White added that he had "no idea" when Johnson might be able to play again for the team.

Johnson's family released the following statement regarding his recovery last week:

"We continue to be amazed at the pace of his recovery. Along with so many well wishes and prayers, we've understandably gotten questions about the cause and extent of Keyontae's illness. As much as everyone involved wants firm answers, the process to draw definitive conclusions continues, and we ask for patience as the medical professionals continue their work. 

"We are committed to sharing not only updates on Keyontae but also any information we think could help others. When we have that, we will share it. Until then, we continue to be grateful for the care and support Keyontae is receiving."

Johnson, 21, was the SEC Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 14 points and 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore. He was voted to the All-SEC first team last season and was also a 2020-21 Wooden Award preseason selection. 

Zach Abolverdi of the Gainesville Sun (via USA Today) reported that Johnson is "expected to be out for a minimum of three months and will likely miss the rest of the 2020-21 season."