Myron MedcalfApr 7, 2025, 11:23 PM ET
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- Covers faculty basketball
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Graduate of Minnesota State College, Mankato
SAN ANTONIO — When Walter Clayton Jr. determined to withdraw from the NBA draft closing 12 months, he posted his announcement with two phrases on Instagram: “1 extra.”
Ultimate 12 months in his first season with the Florida Gators, the workforce went 24-12. The Gators had a couple of large wins — significantly over then-No. 10 Kentucky in January and within the SEC match, the place they reached the championship recreation — however ended the season with a first-round disenchanted to 10-seed Colorado.
Clayton had unfinished trade. And when he confirmed up for his junior season at Florida, one thing was once other.
As he entered the foyer of a Birmingham, Alabama, resort for SEC media day, he had obviously packed on extra muscle all over an hard offseason. He’d additionally chopped off his braids, a brand new genre for the famous person who additionally had a brand new function and a brand new place.
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However Clayton’s greatest exchange was once no longer visual that day, even though it was once there.
“We took an enormous step this summer season, making improvements to our video games,” Clayton mentioned then. “Everyone has been within the health club. I believe the workforce is much more centered now. I believe it is going to be an excellent 12 months.”
And it was once, most likely more than the rest Clayton and the Gators can have imagined then. Regardless of a subpar offensive efficiency through Clayton within the nationwide name recreation (he scored 11 issues, through a ways his NCAA match low), the Gators reduce down the nets on the Alamodome after shooting this system’s 3rd nationwide championship and its first in 18 years.
After the win, the match’s Maximum Exceptional Participant, Clayton — whose 11 issues all got here in the second one part and integrated a 3-pointer that tied the sport at 60 — and his teammates concept in regards to the street they would traveled to achieve this second.
It began again in Would possibly, when Clayton withdrew from the draft — and altered the trajectory of Florida’s 2024-25 season. That selection stays essentially the most vital domino that led this workforce to the name it received on Monday evening in San Antonio.
That is the tale of Florida’s run to the nationwide championship, from the start during Monday evening’s conclusion.
CLAYTON ALWAYS HAD large basketball goals.
Whilst SEC faculties like Florida and Georgia attempted to draw him to their campuses with soccer scholarships, he would not relent. He hand over soccer as a sophomore as a result of he so badly sought after to be a basketball famous person, however the pandemic had robbed him of a possibility to play at the summer season circuit and earn high-major gives. At Iona, then again, Rick Pitino’s steerage helped Clayton win MAAC Participant of the Yr in 2023 sooner than he darted into the switch portal and again house to play at Florida. He was once an All-SEC second-team variety closing season with actual NBA aspirations, however he in the long run determined his goals wanted extra time to cook dinner in Gainesville, so he withdrew from the draft.
His choice to go back served his ambitions on a couple of ranges. Clayton sought after extra time along with his 1-year-old daughter, Leilani, who lives close to Gainesville. However he additionally got here again to recuperate and lift his draft inventory.
“I believe for him, going to get NBA workout routines closing spring and summer season, I believe it was once in reality, in reality large for him,” Florida trainer Todd Golden mentioned. “So to get some just right comments from six or seven NBA groups — it in reality motivated him.”
To reach his NBA goals, then again, Clayton additionally knew he’d want extra alternatives to turn out he is usually a playmaker on the subsequent stage. Golden had an answer: He moved Clayton to indicate guard.
“Looking at him play pickup, pushing the ball in transition, he confirmed to us and proved to us that he may do this, turn out to be the principle ball handler and lead the workforce,” Golden mentioned. “I believe he is finished an out of this world task of having himself in nice form. He works on his recreation a ton. Having any person that is such an elite danger to attain with the ball in his arms always clearly makes everyone else so bad as smartly.”
Clayton’s renewed motivation upon his go back impressed his teammates, as smartly. As quickly because the offseason, after workout routines with Clayton at his new place and the seamless integration of Florida Atlantic famous person Alijah Martin, the Gators had visions of a vibrant long term. They knew they’d a possibility to be just right. And so they had been decided to do the entirety they might to recuperate.
To create a extra unified workforce, Victor Lopez, the workforce’s energy and conditioning trainer, grew to become to his navy roots. Lopez, a former member of the USA Marines who served in Iraq, met with the leaders who ran the Marines ROTC place of work on campus and requested them to place the Gators via military-style workout routines.
At 6 a.m. closing summer season within the dew-soaked grass of Gainesville, the Gators did bear-crawls, carried weights throughout fields, flipped tires and finished situps with massive logs sitting on their chests.
“It was once lovely easy: It was once to peer if guys would ruin underneath pressure,” Lopez mentioned.
However Lopez had different objectives. He purposely paired probably the most hardest gamers on his workforce with gamers who had no longer but advanced a an identical resilience. The Gators left the ones summer season drills with a brand new feeling: In addition they knew they would by no means hand over.
“It was once arduous,” Rueben Chinyelu mentioned. “However it is simply one thing that stored us going. We had been having amusing whilst doing it, however we had been additionally competing. We discovered who sought after to compete. Who has that aggressive spirit, who needs to surrender, who does not need to surrender, who needs to deal with issues even if it is tricky … Simply with the ability to do this helped us be informed extra about each and every different and know what we will be able to do.”
A win towards North Carolina in December set the tone for the Gators’ 2024-25 season. AP Picture/Nell Redmond
THOUGH THE PLAYERS had been assured, out of doors, there have been extra questions than solutions about Florida coming into the season.
“A large number of questions had been requested closing summer season and q4 if we’d have sufficient ballhandling in this workforce, sufficient playmaking,” Golden mentioned.
Because of the ones doubts, the Gators had been picked to complete 6th within the SEC’s preseason ballot, at the back of Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas A&M. However their speedy begin to the season instructed the Gators could be a contender in 2024-25.
Even though the Gators did not play a difficult nonconference time table (ranked 238th within the nation, in line with KenPom), they had been dominant — and undefeated — in November and December. Coming into a Dec. 17 matchup towards North Carolina within the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, the Gators had defeated their first 10 combatants of the season through a mean of 21.1 issues consistent with recreation. However that slate had additionally featured seven sub-100 KenPom combatants. North Carolina, which had struggled towards one of the crucial harder nonconference slates within the nation, represented Florida’s hardest check of the season to this point.
That evening, the Spectrum Middle sounded just like the Dean Smith Middle in Chapel Hill, with hundreds of Tar Heels fanatics within the development. The Gators went up early, however the Tar Heels bounced again: With 7:50 to move, the Tar Heels took a two-point lead on Seth Trimble’s three-point play.
The Gators did not panic — they regained keep an eye on of the sport and held directly to win 90-84 after a couple of three-point performs through Clayton within the ultimate mins.
The adversity they’d expected this season had in the end arrived — they usually had controlled to combat via it.
“That is once we knew,” Clayton mentioned, “that we belonged.”
The pundits took realize, too. Undefeated and with a brand new top-10 rating, the Gators had modified their fortunes and attracted nationwide buzz.
With Clayton (39% from the 3-point line) operating the display, Florida blossomed into one of the crucial peak offensive gadgets within the nation. Consistent with Synergy Sports activities knowledge, Florida — No. 2 in adjusted offensive potency on KenPom — is rated as an “superb” workforce in pick-and-roll eventualities. Clayton had emerged as an SEC Participant of the Yr contender, too. It was once transparent that his supporting forged may compete with any workforce within the nation.
But, the ones early highs additionally had every other impact: The Gators had, admittedly, misplaced a few of their edge.
“Clearly, we went undefeated in nonconference,” Clayton mentioned. “Every time you lose a recreation, some groups soar again otherwise.”
Of their first SEC matchup, the Gators ran right into a Kentucky squad that was once simply as relaxed in high-scoring affairs as they had been. Mark Pope’s offensive machine had already spawned 4 100-point efforts by the point the Wildcats hosted Florida at Rupp Enviornment on Jan. 4.
That day, the Gators produced 139 issues consistent with 100 possessions, an out of this world scoring charge. However Kentucky (147 issues consistent with 100 possessions) was once even higher. In its first lack of the 12 months, Florida have been bested at its personal recreation.
“We began off no longer the best way we would have liked to,” Condon mentioned in regards to the 106-100 loss at Kentucky. “They shot the lighting out of it.”
HUMBLED, THE GATORS needed to regroup. They had been a workforce that had no longer tasted defeat in November and December and had entered the SEC time table with momentum. However after solely 40 mins of convention play, they had been considered a program that may have completed its lofty document because of its comfortable nonconference time table, no longer its ability.
“I in truth was once as excited as you’ll be able to be after that [loss at Kentucky],” Golden mentioned. “A large number of folks have puzzled the energy of time table we performed in nonconference. Going at the street, enjoying in Rupp Enviornment towards a workforce that we knew was once in reality just right, we did not guard essentially smartly sufficient, however we performed smartly in that recreation. It was once an excellent recreation. In some way, it gave us self assurance shifting towards.”
Regardless, the Gators didn’t have time to sulk. The SEC would no longer permit it. The most powerful convention in The usa — most likely the most powerful convention of the previous 30 years in males’s faculty basketball — created nightly demanding situations for its contributors, and Florida’s subsequent task featured the league’s maximum implementing outfit on the time: a No. 1-ranked Tennessee squad that had no longer misplaced a recreation.
The Gators replied with a lopsided, 30-point win over the Volunteers.
It was once their first house win over a No. 1 workforce and simply the 3rd victory towards a top-ranked squad at school historical past. Martin, Alex Condon and Denzel Aberdeen all completed in double figures that day. The Gators additionally accrued one in all their highest wins at school historical past with out Clayton (seven issues) enjoying like a celeb. Florida demonstrated that evening that it was once no longer a one-man display. However the Gators additionally confirmed they might play elite protection, proved through Tennessee’s 15-point tally within the first part.
“I believe that week, with the ones two contests, defined to us and constructed numerous trust inside our program that we belonged on the peak of the SEC,” Golden mentioned.
Positive sufficient, through February, the Gators had risen to the highest tier of the convention. However subsequent up was once Auburn, a squad that had received 14 consecutive video games. Superstar Johni Broome had emerged as a real danger to Cooper Flagg within the race for the Wood Award.
If the sheer matchup wasn’t sufficient of an issue for the Gators, the workforce had different problems. Martin had suffered a hip harm and would no longer be to be had for the sport. Quick-handed, the Gators had been briefly down 15-5. The Auburn crowd cheered in anticipation of the extension of a successful streak.
Clayton (19 issues) had different concepts, then again, as he led a 43-23 run within the closing quarter-hour of the primary part. It was once an insurmountable rally for the Gators.
“I believe we simply performed very unselfish that recreation,” Condon mentioned.
It was once additionally an indication of items to return for Clayton and the supply of newfound self assurance for a Gators workforce that had traveled 312 miles to get essentially the most vital win of its season to this point.
“We had been locked in. I realized from pregame warmups that guys had been dialed in, locked in and in a position to take at the No. 1 workforce within the nation,” Martin mentioned. “All over the sport, we had been simply enjoying arduous. We had been tremendous bodily. We were not fearful in regards to the referees or the calls.”
And extra importantly, if the Gators may beat Auburn at the street — smartly, they might most likely beat any individual, any place, they concept.
Clayton had inspired his teammates all season, however he put himself at the map all over the NCAA match. Jamie Squire/Getty Pictures
DURING A PRACTICE forward of the NCAA match, Clayton evenly dribbled a ball close to midcourt and casually introduced a shot.
It went in.
“He does it at all times in observe,” Aberdeen mentioned. “It is not anything new to us.”
Not anything about Clayton’s achievements within the NCAA match have stunned the Gators. However those that had no longer adopted his maturation into an AP first workforce All-American would quickly see for themselves.
Within the opening around of the NCAA match, Clayton (23 issues, 4-for-9 from the 3-point line) led a workforce that scored 53 issues within the first 16:45 of a win over Norfolk State. The Gators completed with a clip of 144 issues consistent with 100 possessions. For point of view, the Golden State Warriors workforce that received a name with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson all over the 2016-17 season recorded a charge of 115 issues consistent with 100 possessions.
From there, Clayton (23 issues) helped the Gators beat UConn, the protecting champion, with snatch pictures down the stretch of that recreation, too. And when his workforce wanted him after Condon reaggravated his ankle harm towards Maryland within the Candy 16, Clayton delivered and was a playmaker to push Florida to the end line.
However the Elite 8 matchup towards Texas Tech is what made Clayton a family identify. Down 9 issues with 3:14 to play, Condon seemed over at Clayton all over a overdue timeout.
“He was once simply calm,” he mentioned.
Clayton scored 8 of his 30 issues all over a game-winning run, which additionally integrated snatch performs through Martin, Haugh and Will Richard.
“There was once like a minute and a part left, 20 seconds left at the shot clock, and he will get the ball in the course of the paint,” Micah Handlogten mentioned. “He dribbles immediately out of doors the 3-point line. He hits a turnaround 3-pointer to move up through one. I do not even know what was once going via his head.”
Positive, the Gators knew they had been just right. However that run? It made them really feel like they could be a workforce of future.
AUBURN WANTED REVENGE. After its house loss to Florida on Feb. 8, Dylan Cardwell known as a players-only assembly. In that room, the Tigers weren’t shy about calling one every other out following the loss.
In addition they replayed movie in their victory over Iowa State within the Maui Invitational for 3 consecutive days. Why? They sought after to bear in mind what it have been love to play with an depth they would lacked towards the Gators two months sooner than their rematch within the Ultimate 4.
Issues can be other this time, it appeared. Early in the second one part on Saturday, Auburn had a nine-point edge after the Tigers had outplayed Florida within the first part.
Nevertheless it did not topic. As a result of Florida had Clayton.
“I believe like he is within the zone each time he touches the rock,” Sam Alexis mentioned about his workforce’s self assurance with Clayton at the roster. “We’ve got were given Walt. He’ll let it fly.”
Auburn trainer Bruce Pearl had vowed that Clayton “cannot be the most efficient participant” at the courtroom within the rematch, however the Florida famous person scored a career-high 34 issues within the Alamodome on Saturday.
“That Walter Clayton Jr. is the actual deal,” former North Carolina head trainer Roy Williams mentioned from his seat within the entrance row. “He is the actual deal.”
Everybody within the development felt the similar approach after Clayton scored 30 issues or extra within the Elite 8 and the Ultimate 4, a feat in males’s basketball that had no longer been completed since Larry Fowl pulled it off for Indiana State in 1979, consistent with ESPN Analysis.
Previous to Saturday’s recreation, Clayton have been seen as an outstanding ability who may elevate Florida to the nationwide name. However after that recreation towards Auburn, he’d put himself ready to depart San Antonio with a distinct label: legend.
“I most likely will have to have finished extra to lure the ball out of his arms somewhat bit,” Pearl mentioned after his workforce’s loss. “Consider it or no longer, that was once a part of our recreation plan, however we simply did not execute it. Simply type of say all issues are roughly equivalent: Clayton was once the adaptation. He was once simply flat out the adaptation. We could not comprise him down on that finish.”
Two nights later, for 25 mins and 3 seconds, Houston had discovered the kryptonite. Clayton — who’d scored 64 issues blended in two earlier outings — have been silent and scoreless till early in the second one part, when he hit a couple of unfastened throws.
The Gators had spent the evening on the Alamodome tussling their approach out of a double-digit deficit, looking ahead to their famous person to don his cape and save them once more.
However simply when it appeared as though Clayton’s candle had burned out, he did the one factor he knew to do: He stored combating.
There was once a 3-point play overdue within the recreation. Then every other difficult bucket, a nasty and unfastened throw. He seemed within the air and screamed after that shot. It seemed adore it was once all coming again to him. He may really feel it going down once more.
And certain sufficient, a snatch Clayton 3-pointer tied the sport, 60-60, with 3:14 to play.
In spite of everything, Clayton confirmed up sooner than it was once too overdue.
As a result of, as Florida has identified all season and Houston discovered firsthand on Monday evening, it is by no means too overdue when Clayton is at the flooring.
