Florida basketball is less than two weeks away from the opening tipoff of the 2024-25 campaign and the third year of the [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] era is surrounded by excitement unseen in Gainesville since the 2019 preseason. A big reason for that is the return of one of the team’s most important players from last season.
Combo guard [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. proved to be a crucial cog in Golden’s grand design for the Gators last year. His efforts led to a 24-12 final record including an 11-7 mark in SEC play and an appearance in the conference tournament semifinals.
Clayton had tested the NBA draft waters during the spring, but announced his return to the O’Connell Center in late May, marking the final piece of the program’s offseason tasks.
It should come as no surprise, then, that CBS Sports writer Cameron Salerno included the former transfer among his top 100 and one best players entering the 2024-25 season, ranking Clayton at No. 21 overall.
“The former Iona standout will play his second season at Florida after averaging a team-high 17.6 ppg last season,” Salerno begins. “Clayton’s most notable performance came in the NCAA Tournament, where he dropped 33 points in a loss to Colorado.”
While the Orange and Blue have seen a bit of roster turnover, the path is wide open for him to make his mark his senior year.
“With fellow guard Zyon Pullin off to the NBA, he should once again finish as Florida’s leading scorer and challenge for a spot on the All-America team.”
Florida basketball season opener
The Gators will face the South Florida Bulls in the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational to open the schedule on Monday, Nov. 4 in Jacksonville. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network.
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