A Grand Return to the Court

By: D. Scott Fritchen

He made a statement without saying a word. This was the beginning of the Keyontae Johnson journey at Kansas State. He wore his white No. 11 jersey, a tattoo "WRITE YOUR OWN STORY" emblazoned upon his left biceps, and he sauntered onto the court prior to tipoff at Bramlage Coliseum with a story to tell, all right, and he wrote beautifully through his actions. Every step told a tale, how the 6-foot-6, 230-pound native of Norfolk, Virginia, the 2020-21 Preseason SEC Player of the Year, was back on a basketball court — this one at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan — a spot he wouldn't have thought about several years ago, before the medical issue that sidelined him for two years.

Yes, this was his story to tell, a tale about mini-conquests, about one step at a time, about fighting back tears when things appeared bleak, and a tale about gratefulness, a teary made-for-a-movie epic in which he stars as the ultimate hero of second chances, because there he was at Florida that day on December 12, 2020 against Florida State, the day that everything changed, the day that he cannot remember, the day that college basketball will never forget.

"It's just a blessing, really," Johnson says, finally, after K-State's season-opening 93-59 win over UTRGV on Monday. Johnson scores a team high-tying 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-for-5 on 3-pointers, to go along with two rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.

"I thank God every day," he continues. "Without Him, I wouldn't be here. He gave me a second chance at life. Every day, before I get on the court, I just thank Him, and keep praying for a helathy season. It means a lot for people to recognize me and it just shows the work I've put in and how (much) I've overcome over the years.

"Without Him, I wouldn't be here."

Yes, the tattoo directs him to compose a story, and Johnson's story is just beginning in Manhattan, and it might twist, and it might turn, but it won't wilt like wheat in winter, and it might only grow more immense as he takes further root in the Flint Hills.

His first shot was a wide-open 3-pointer and the crowd thundered in approval exactly 6 minutes into the game and he smiled at the ball as he swished through the net — "The smile came from the crowd. The crowd was into it. It felt really good to get my shot," he says — and he smiles again in the postgame interview room. Second shot? 3-pointer. This one arrived from the left side of the court in stride less than three minutes later. Once he showed that he could shoot from outside, he hit Tykei Greene with an alley-oop dunk. Then he caught a baseline alley-oop of his own from Markquis Nowell, sending it down strong with two hands, his elbows above the rim. Moments later, he drained his third 3-pointer, catching the ball in rhythm from Greene in the far corner opposite the UTRGV bench.

That gave Johnson 11 points in his first 13 minutes in a K-State jersey.

"It's great, man," Nowell says. "Just seeing a guy who's worked over and over and over again to be in the shape that he's in now, and to be able to still have his scoring ability after two years, it's just great to be alongside him. He's so versatile and has a high basketball IQ. I love playing with him."

It's sometimes hard to sort everything out until perspective sets in, until time passes, and sometimes that time period is an hour and sometimes it's a day and sometimes it's a week or a month or a year, but here's something we know: We probably haven't been treated to a better 11-points-in-13-minutes stretch by a player in a while.

He shot 4-for-7 from the floor, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers, to go along with two rebounds and three assists in his first half of basketball in nearly two years.

Late in the game, Johnson took three long baseline strides, got hacked across the arms as he was in midair, then sank his first pair of free throws as a Wildcat. A moment later, he skied high along the opposite baseline, got double-teamed, and had the ball knocked away. This time, as play stopped, he tossed the ball into the basket, and walked to the K-State huddle slightly shaking his head. And oh, how good it must feel to be frustrated over basketball again, to have the opportunity to be frustrated again, just as it must feel so exhilierating to smile victoriously after his first win, a win of any kind, and this win in a Wildcats jersey.

"I'm really excited," Johnson says. "Just coming in, I had a big expectation for the team. Coach Tang told me he's not trying to rebuild and that's what I like. On my visit, talking with Markquis we had the same goal. We want to get a lot of wins together this year."

We can see why Johnson was one of Tang's top targets when he arrived as head coach. Since Johnson announced that he would join K-State as a graduate transfer on August 20, excitement has steadily built. Johnson was the object of a 20-minute sitdown interview with a national TV basketball personality at Big 12 Media Days at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, and has was the object of more national media requests by the time the second half rolled around Monday night.

Everybody wants a moment of his time. Among the vast landscape of college basketball, he is a national story, and he'll continue to be as such, as his comeback from his on-court medical ailment seemed murky nearly two years ago.

Johnson played the most minutes of any player in the Wildcats' closed scrimmage, didn't play as much in the exhibition game against Washburn, and emerged Monday in the starting lineup ready to ball.

By the time his journey nears its end, the 22-year-old could be in the running for All-Big 12 accolades and he'll own this: He'll be the year's greatest comeback story in college basketball.

"I don't want to put a ceiling on him or put a floor on him," K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. "He's a really good basketball player and he's really talented and every moment that he gets to play is a special opportunity. He's just one of those guys that can go get it. He can get hot and go get it."

Johnson went to Florida as the No. 70-rated player in the country by ESPN, a four-star recruit with many, many buckets ahead of him, who had 24 scholarship offers, including UConn, Kansas, Ohio State and Texas Tech after averaging 18 points while leading powerhouse Oak Hill (Va.) Academy to a 44-2 record his senior season.

Johnson earned 2019-20 First Team All-SEC honors with 14.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a sophomore. The 2020-21 Preseason SEC Player of the Year was averaging 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists at the time before he went down with his medical issue against Florida State that prevented him from completing his junior season. He made an honorary start on Senior Night against No. 7 Kentucky on March 5, 2022 and received the opening tip before exiting the court to a standing ovation.

He came to K-State after graduating from Florida, where he scored 789 points to go along with 468 rebounds, 99 assists and 80 steals in 71 games with 55 career starts over three seasons. There's a reason why Johnson was projected as a late-first to early-second round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

"Johnson is a tough and physical wing who has the frame of an NFL linebacker," NBADraftRoom.com wrote. "He's an energy guy who plays with passion and heart. He's a very good defender and rebounder and the type of guy everyone loves to have on the team. He doesn't need the ball in his hands a lot and doesn't stop playing if he's not scoring."

Johnson doesn't run, rather he appears to float, and he carries that "it" factor that the great ones possess, and yes, K-State had its own "Shark Week," which was when he really came alive, and now we're seeing the beginning of Jaws, where the water is calm, hardly a ripple, before the music begins and things escalate quickly, because he'll strike at any time, from anywhere, and the only question becomes how quickly. There will be a time, too, when the rest of the Big 12 hears the music, a low, slow, syrupy drawl, gradually intensifying as he begins to prowl, heading toward the surface, carrying an appetite for Bears or Jayhawks or Red Raiders.

For now, it's opening night of college basketball season, it's time to raise the curtain, roll the opening credits, and start things from the beginning: an opening shot of Bramlage Coliseum, a raucous purple-clad student section, the lights, the pep band blaring wildly, and banners, and cheerleaders, and a shiny hardwood floor, and a Powercat at center court, and bright white nets.

Johnson emerges from a huddle donned in his white No. 11 jersey, a tattoo that beams "WRITE YOUR OWN STORY" and he has several eye-popping moments on the basketball court, and he'll have many, many more as the days wear on. He smiles because he is here. He smiles because of his instant love with the K-State student section. He smiles because he is having fun and enjoying life.

On a night of victory, he is truly a victor.

"Keyontae Johnson played a basketball game, a real game, for the first time in two years," Tang says. "We have to be really excited about that."

The story is just getting started.

Kansas State University Athletics

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