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When Walter Clayton Jr. backpedaled, passing up a layup for the go-ahead 3-pointer to give Florida basketball the lead at long last, all Terrence McGriff saw around him at the Chase Center in San Francisco were smiles and cheers of relief.
Yet, the only emotion the Bartow basketball head coach could register was tears. Those emotions came from knowing how hard Clayton worked to reach this moment.
Four years ago, Clayton held just one Division I offer from an in-state school.
Last Saturday, with the entire nation watching, the Polk County native literally put the Gators on his back and carried the squad past Texas Tech 84-79 in the Elite Eight. Now, he’s taken UF to the sport’s biggest stage for the first time in 11 years. There at the Final Four in San Antonio, he’ll be greeted by National Player of the Year frontrunners Johni Broome and Cooper Flagg, but Clayton Jr. won’t be looking up to them. He’ll be their peer.
“He's had to go from the ground up, and I was so proud that I broke down with tears of joy because of his journey,” McGriff said. “He earned the right to take that shot and make that shot.”
When Clayton Jr. transferred from Lake Wales to Bartow, he held offers from Florida, Florida State and Alabama, just to name a few. His college future seemed set… if he wanted to play football, that is.
Clayton was a four-star safety prospect. He took a visit to Gainesville, where his friend from Polk County – former Florida defensive lineman and current Chicago Bear Gervon Dexter – played.
Clayton also played basketball at Lake Wales, and he decided to change directions. He didn’t want to be in the sun. He didn’t want to follow family members before him onto the gridiron. He wanted to chart his own path in the sport he loved.
“I enjoyed basketball way more. It wasn’t fun to go out there and practice football,” Clayton said. “Obviously if you don’t practice it, other guys are going to get ahead of you.”
With the change came a transfer to Bartow to play for McGriff – a coaching legend who already had won a state championship when Clayton arrived. Upon arriving, Clayton asked McGriff what he needed to accomplish to receive college attention in basketball. Given his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame, the coach gave him a simple message: Shoot the ball.
“What everybody sees with him, his ability to shoot the ball, it's not something that came naturally,” McGriff said. “He was a decent shooter, but to do what he's doing now, it’s from his junior year in high school to now.”
What Florida fans have seen for the past two years, Bartow fans saw in 2020 and 2021. Clayton put the Yellow Jackets on his back through his shooting and led them to back-to-back state titles. In the process, he slayed competition from South Florida and Orlando – a massive feat for a Polk County athlete.
For all this success, in one of the best states for high school basketball, what did Clayton get? A miniscule amount of D1 offers and none from Power 5 programs.
McGriff called one of Florida basketball's biggest boosters and Polk County native, John Frost. Frost pleaded with Mike White to give Clayton an offer. The former Gator coach said no.
Iona, led by the legendary Rick Pitino, expressed interest. McGriff supported his commitment to the Gaels wholeheartedly. It was a chance to leave home, play in a low-stakes environment and learn under a national title-winning coach.
In New Rochelle, Clayton locked himself in the gym. Him and Pitino spent 45-minute sessions working on his shot. The coach allowed and encouraged Clayton to shoot more – a practice McGriff started and Todd Golden continues today. That was important since Clayton is, by nature, a pass-first player.
“He's not hesitant to shoot because he's afraid. He's hesitant because he's a team guy,” McGriff said. “He’d rather have an assist than a three, but the team needed him to shoot.”
Clayton started 31 games his sophomore season and averaged 16.8 points per game as the Gaels advanced to the NCAA Tournament. As a 13 seed, Clayton scored 15 points against eventual national champion UConn, but the team lost 87-63.
Pitino saw the writing on the wall and bolted for St. John’s. He pleaded for Clayton to join him in Queens. He said Clayton could continue his tutelage under a Hall of Famer and play home games in the basketball Mecca that is Madison Square Garden, but the Florida man was ready to come home after a two-year sabbatical.
“This is his dream. You've seen pictures of him with Gervon Dexter,” McGriff said. “They dreamed of being Gators in football and basketball.”
A feather in UF’s cap was Golden – who wasn’t around when Clayton graduated high school. FSU and Miami came calling when he entered the transfer portal, but they had the same coaches. Golden could preach an exciting, modern, analytical brand of basketball.
“As soon as I hit the portal, they hit me up,” Clayton said. “Obviously, the previous staff didn’t recruit me and Golden and them came in and everything clicked.”
McGriff acknowledged the risk Clayton took. He left a legend to play for a coach with one NCAA Tournament appearance and coming off a 17-16 season. It was worth it, though, especially because Clayton saw a conference on the rise. The SEC could prepare and send him to the next level.
That’s come to fruition even more so this season as the SEC orchestrated maybe the best season the sport has seen. Clayton’s success against the best teams in the country has helped him with NBA scouts.
His draft stock has risen in the last two weeks since the tournament began. Kevin O’Connor from Yahoo Sports said Tuesday that Clayton’s draft stock has rose from No. 55 to 30.
His “clutch” gene is a big reason why. It’s something that can’t be taught. Along with a simple fact: He’s a winner.
O’Connor noted that Florida was projected to finish sixth in the SEC before the season. People wondered how the team could pass Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee. How did it happen? Walter Clayton Jr.
“My message to the NBA guys would be: Is winning important? He's going to affect winning,” McGriff said. “Not just because what he does on the court, but he brings people together.”
All that draft talk can wait five days, though. A national title is on the line. For him, for the Gators, for Polk County, for Gainesville, for the state of Florida.
McGriff knows Clayton can be trusted in the Final Four due to his knack for knowing what is needed. That tendency will carry over vs. Auburn.
“If it requires him to have 10 assists and 15 points, great. If it requires him to have 30, great,” McGriff said. “If it causes him to hit eight threes, great. If it causes him to get to the free throw line and go 13 for 14, great.”
Golden concurs and said Clayton never gets too high or too low.
“I don’t anticipate that changing before this weekend,” Golden said. “I think he’s going to absorb it. I think he's going to take it all in and continue to compete at a really good level.”
The coach holds deep gratitude for Clayton. He bought into his vision, and like in the movies, it has miraculously paid off for him.
“It doesn’t always go perfect. It’s gone pretty well for him being an all-league guy last year,” Golden said. “Now coming back and being an All-American, leading us to the Final Four.”
The Gators tip off with the Tigers from San Antonio Saturday at 6:09 p.m.
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected] and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How Florida basketball's Walter Clayton Jr. overcame odds for March Madness glory
Continue reading...
Yet, the only emotion the Bartow basketball head coach could register was tears. Those emotions came from knowing how hard Clayton worked to reach this moment.
Four years ago, Clayton held just one Division I offer from an in-state school.
Last Saturday, with the entire nation watching, the Polk County native literally put the Gators on his back and carried the squad past Texas Tech 84-79 in the Elite Eight. Now, he’s taken UF to the sport’s biggest stage for the first time in 11 years. There at the Final Four in San Antonio, he’ll be greeted by National Player of the Year frontrunners Johni Broome and Cooper Flagg, but Clayton Jr. won’t be looking up to them. He’ll be their peer.
“He's had to go from the ground up, and I was so proud that I broke down with tears of joy because of his journey,” McGriff said. “He earned the right to take that shot and make that shot.”
A risky move
When Clayton Jr. transferred from Lake Wales to Bartow, he held offers from Florida, Florida State and Alabama, just to name a few. His college future seemed set… if he wanted to play football, that is.
Clayton was a four-star safety prospect. He took a visit to Gainesville, where his friend from Polk County – former Florida defensive lineman and current Chicago Bear Gervon Dexter – played.
Clayton also played basketball at Lake Wales, and he decided to change directions. He didn’t want to be in the sun. He didn’t want to follow family members before him onto the gridiron. He wanted to chart his own path in the sport he loved.
“I enjoyed basketball way more. It wasn’t fun to go out there and practice football,” Clayton said. “Obviously if you don’t practice it, other guys are going to get ahead of you.”
With the change came a transfer to Bartow to play for McGriff – a coaching legend who already had won a state championship when Clayton arrived. Upon arriving, Clayton asked McGriff what he needed to accomplish to receive college attention in basketball. Given his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame, the coach gave him a simple message: Shoot the ball.
“What everybody sees with him, his ability to shoot the ball, it's not something that came naturally,” McGriff said. “He was a decent shooter, but to do what he's doing now, it’s from his junior year in high school to now.”
What Florida fans have seen for the past two years, Bartow fans saw in 2020 and 2021. Clayton put the Yellow Jackets on his back through his shooting and led them to back-to-back state titles. In the process, he slayed competition from South Florida and Orlando – a massive feat for a Polk County athlete.
For all this success, in one of the best states for high school basketball, what did Clayton get? A miniscule amount of D1 offers and none from Power 5 programs.
McGriff called one of Florida basketball's biggest boosters and Polk County native, John Frost. Frost pleaded with Mike White to give Clayton an offer. The former Gator coach said no.
Iona, led by the legendary Rick Pitino, expressed interest. McGriff supported his commitment to the Gaels wholeheartedly. It was a chance to leave home, play in a low-stakes environment and learn under a national title-winning coach.
Under the tutelage of a legend
In New Rochelle, Clayton locked himself in the gym. Him and Pitino spent 45-minute sessions working on his shot. The coach allowed and encouraged Clayton to shoot more – a practice McGriff started and Todd Golden continues today. That was important since Clayton is, by nature, a pass-first player.
“He's not hesitant to shoot because he's afraid. He's hesitant because he's a team guy,” McGriff said. “He’d rather have an assist than a three, but the team needed him to shoot.”
Clayton started 31 games his sophomore season and averaged 16.8 points per game as the Gaels advanced to the NCAA Tournament. As a 13 seed, Clayton scored 15 points against eventual national champion UConn, but the team lost 87-63.
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Pitino saw the writing on the wall and bolted for St. John’s. He pleaded for Clayton to join him in Queens. He said Clayton could continue his tutelage under a Hall of Famer and play home games in the basketball Mecca that is Madison Square Garden, but the Florida man was ready to come home after a two-year sabbatical.
“This is his dream. You've seen pictures of him with Gervon Dexter,” McGriff said. “They dreamed of being Gators in football and basketball.”
A feather in UF’s cap was Golden – who wasn’t around when Clayton graduated high school. FSU and Miami came calling when he entered the transfer portal, but they had the same coaches. Golden could preach an exciting, modern, analytical brand of basketball.
“As soon as I hit the portal, they hit me up,” Clayton said. “Obviously, the previous staff didn’t recruit me and Golden and them came in and everything clicked.”
Home at last
McGriff acknowledged the risk Clayton took. He left a legend to play for a coach with one NCAA Tournament appearance and coming off a 17-16 season. It was worth it, though, especially because Clayton saw a conference on the rise. The SEC could prepare and send him to the next level.
That’s come to fruition even more so this season as the SEC orchestrated maybe the best season the sport has seen. Clayton’s success against the best teams in the country has helped him with NBA scouts.
His draft stock has risen in the last two weeks since the tournament began. Kevin O’Connor from Yahoo Sports said Tuesday that Clayton’s draft stock has rose from No. 55 to 30.
His “clutch” gene is a big reason why. It’s something that can’t be taught. Along with a simple fact: He’s a winner.
O’Connor noted that Florida was projected to finish sixth in the SEC before the season. People wondered how the team could pass Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee. How did it happen? Walter Clayton Jr.
“My message to the NBA guys would be: Is winning important? He's going to affect winning,” McGriff said. “Not just because what he does on the court, but he brings people together.”
All that draft talk can wait five days, though. A national title is on the line. For him, for the Gators, for Polk County, for Gainesville, for the state of Florida.
McGriff knows Clayton can be trusted in the Final Four due to his knack for knowing what is needed. That tendency will carry over vs. Auburn.
“If it requires him to have 10 assists and 15 points, great. If it requires him to have 30, great,” McGriff said. “If it causes him to hit eight threes, great. If it causes him to get to the free throw line and go 13 for 14, great.”
Golden concurs and said Clayton never gets too high or too low.
“I don’t anticipate that changing before this weekend,” Golden said. “I think he’s going to absorb it. I think he's going to take it all in and continue to compete at a really good level.”
The coach holds deep gratitude for Clayton. He bought into his vision, and like in the movies, it has miraculously paid off for him.
“It doesn’t always go perfect. It’s gone pretty well for him being an all-league guy last year,” Golden said. “Now coming back and being an All-American, leading us to the Final Four.”
The Gators tip off with the Tigers from San Antonio Saturday at 6:09 p.m.
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected] and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How Florida basketball's Walter Clayton Jr. overcame odds for March Madness glory
Continue reading...
