Keyontae Johnson of Kansas State enters name into NBA Draft
He waited until the last day of April 23, but Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson has declared for the NBA Draft after his lone season in Manhattan. It was a sensational year for him at K-State where he was picked as an All-Big 12 first team selection and was an AP All-American as well.
Johnson was consistently called by those in the Kansas State community the best sport in college basketball, and he backed it up with individual accolades, a lot of smiles, a banner year statistically and a near Big 12 championship that was followed by an Elite Eight run that consisted of wins over Michigan State and Kentucky.
He averaged 17 points and seven rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
Johnson joins other K-State players Markquis Nowell, Desi Sills, Tykei Greene, Ismael Massoud, Abayomi Iyiola and Anthony Thomas that have announced their departures from Kansas State. Of course, Massoud and Thomas have entered the transfer portal.
The difference is that Nowell, Sills, Greene and Iyiola have zero college eligibility remaining. Keyontae Johnson could have another year if he applies for a waiver. While he hasn’t conveyed an interest to do so, he has entered his name into the draft with the intent of maintaining his college eligibility.
Before making his mark at K-State, Johnson was terrific at Florida and was the preseason SEC Player of the Year. However, a health scare ended his career at Gainesville and he chose Kansas State over other options and found a new home in The Little Apple.
Whether it is another year of college ball or the professional game, he has a bright future and that is the best part of it. He has defeated the odds, overcome the greatest obstacles and is back on the track of making money playing the game that he loves.
If Johnson wishes to play another season of college basketball, the deadline to remove his name from the pool of draftable players is June 12.
