Florida coach Mike White declined to do any postgame media interviews. He wanted to get to the hospital to be near Keyontae Johnson's side as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
No one could blame him.<\/p>\n
Johnson, the Southeastern Conference's preseason player of the year, collapsed coming out of a timeout against rival Florida State and needed emergency medical attention Saturday.<\/p>\n
Johnson, 21, was taken off the floor on a stretcher and rushed to Tallahassee Memorial for evaluation. The team said he was in critical but stable condition and later said he would remain in the hospital overnight.<\/p>\n
"I know you're fighting bro," teammate Tre Mann tweeted long after the game ended. "God got you."<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Johnson had just dunked in transition before he crumpled to the floor as the team broke its huddle. Several Gators were in tears and a couple buried their faces in towels as White gathered them in prayer.<\/p>\n
Officials sent both teams to the locker room to regroup, and the game continued a few minutes later. Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said administrators gave the Gators the option of continuing and said they ultimately decided to play.<\/p>\n
Florida clearly wasn't the same afterward, getting outscored 80-60 following Johnson's sudden and disconcerting exit. The 20th-ranked Seminoles won 83-71, extending their winning streak in the series to seven and their winning streak at home to 26.<\/p>\n
"Please keep praying for @Keyontae and his family," White posted on Twitter. "We all love him."<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeWhiteUF\/status\/1337845843030904833?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n Auburn coach Bruce Pearl gathered his team together after practice, told them about Johnson's situation and asked them join an assistant in prayer. The team posted a video of it on social media.<\/p>\n Johnson, a 6-foot-5 junior from Norfolk, Virginia, averaged a team-high 14 points last season to go along with 7.1 rebounds. He also led the Gators with 38 steals.<\/p>\n He scored five points in four minutes Saturday.<\/p>\n "Those types of things can affect you in some adverse ways," Hamilton said.<\/p>\n "We're just all hopeful and praying that he's OK. If it affected our players in an emotional way, I can imagine what the situation was with his teammates."<\/p>\n Like many of his Florida teammates, Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. Although the cause of Johnson's ailment was not immediately known, the coronavirus can lead to myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle. At its most severe, myocarditis can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and has been a documented cause of death for young, otherwise healthy athletes.<\/p>\n The Southeastern Conference mandates strict protocols, including rigorous heart testing, before players can be cleared to return to play following positive COVID-19 tests.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/em><\/strong> clicking here!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"