A Special Day for Keyontae

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Kansas State travels to play Kansas on Tuesday. It should be a riveting story, another riveting story in this tale of the Wildcats, who are enjoying the program's most success in 50 years and now embark upon this grand opportunity to defeat the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse for the first time since 2006.

Every K-State game will be against Big 12 Conference opponents from here on out, until the NCAA Tournament, that is, which will be a story in itself.

But before K-State travels to Lawrence for the 7 p.m. tipoff (ESPN+), and before the Wildcats try to sweep the Sunflower Showdown for the first time since 1983, the story pauses on the court at Bramlage Coliseum.

Keyontae Johnson hugs Florida trainer Dave "Duke" Werner in the post-game handshake line. K-State has just beaten Florida, 64-50, in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. It's the final non-conference game of the season. It's the official end of one chapter albeit an incredibly special one for Johnson, who had the opportunity to face his former team in a highly-anticipated matchup, the game that Johnson knew was coming when he chose to transfer to K-State, the contest that would mean so much.

My Duke! @dukewatc We love you & will never be able to express how grateful we are but we will ALWAYS try! pic.twitter.com/LkcGPFEODr
— Nika Johnson (@NikaJohnson11) January 29, 2023

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime memory," Johnson says afterward. "You'll never get that moment back."

The backdrop to the specialness of Saturday's has been well chronicled and the top storyline in college basketball on Saturday and is featured on ESPN's College GameDay. Afterward, the tickertape that runs across ESPN reads, "Keyontae Johnson scores 13 points against former team," the rest of the night.

But who knows the span of emotions that the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Johnson feels at that moment when he embraces Werner as they find each other at Bramlage Coliseum.

Werner was one of the people who saved Johnson's life that day in Tallahassee, Florida, on December 12, 2020.

"I ran out on the floor and just started using the training that I have to try and take care of the situation," Werner says on ESPN's College GameDay. "As soon as we got back into the tunnel, we started with CPR. If the proper medical personnel wasn't there, I think it could've turned out in a different way."

On Saturday, trainer and player reunite under the lights of Johnson's new home, Bramlage Coliseum.

"Just seeing Duke on the bench and talking to him after the game brightened my day," says Johnson, who after the game also poses for photos with some of his former Florida teammates.

"There's nothing that could prepare him for seeing Duke again," K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. "That was pretty special, that embrace at the end of the game."

Johnson finishes with 13 points and 11 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double, including his fifth this season. He ranks third in the Big 12 in points (18.0), field goal percentage (53.1%) and rebounds (7.7) this season. He's a surefire All-Big 12 candidate and listed as a top-50 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by BleacherReport.com.

Now Johnson and the Wildcats prepare for the remainder of the grueling Big 12 season, which begins with three consecutive top-20 matchups against Kansas, Texas and TCU. It'll be a drama-filled final 10 league games, and there's really no telling which team will emerge as league champion in the nation's top basketball conference.

"We'll come in and go to practice and watch film and just go 1-0 and go to KU," Johnson says. "We're going to give it our all. We want to go out there and compete and play the basketball we know how to play."

Yes, K-State, 18-3 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12, does an excellent job of playing its basketball. The Wildcats are off to their best start to a Big 12 season in more than a decade. They are undefeated at home. They can beat top-10 teams on the road. They can play stellar offense one night and play suffocating defense the next. The nation agrees: This team is fun to watch.

But the story pauses for a moment as Johnson finds Werner in the handshake line. There are emotions, so many emotions, and so much to process from the past 25 months, yet one thing is certain: Johnson is grateful for every day.

Some days are just a little bit more meaningful than others.

Such is the case against Florida on Saturday.

"Today," Johnson says, "was a special day."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Keyontae Johnson

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