Tag: Walter Clayton Jr

Gators add Iona G Walter Clayton Jr. through transfer portal

Florida basketball continues to add pieces through the transfer portal, and the latest addition is a lights-out shooter from Iona that was the conference player of the year last season.

For the second day in a row, the Florida Gators added a key piece to its men’s basketball team through the transfer portal.

Former Iona guard [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. announced his commitment to the University of Florida Tuesday morning, making him the 10th scholarship player on the Gators’ 2023-24 roster. Clayton’s decision is not only significant because it’s a new name for Gator Nation to learn, but he also chose UF over St. John’s, which is where his old coach Rick Pitino is now.

The SEC is obviously appealing, but Clayton’s commitment — along with the additions of big men [autotag]EJ Jarvis[/autotag] and [autotag]Micah Handlogten[/autotag] — signals that top transfer players are open to joining what Todd Golden and Co. have going in Gainesville.

Of course, Florida lost several players of its own through the portal, which has left an incredible amount of minutes to replace. Playing time in an elite conference is always enticing.

Clayton averaged 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Gaels last season and won the MAAC Player of the Year Award. The name of the game for Clayton is scoring, and he does it efficiently. He shot well over 40.0%  from three-point range last season and is a 95.3% shooter at the stripe.

Florida is adding a smart player that usually puts up good shots and makes the right decision. He’ll help space the floor for the bigs on the team and be the second option to [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] out wide often.

A starting five of Clayton, Kugel, [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and Handlogten seems realistic at this point, with [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag], Jarvis and [autotag]Alex Szymczyk[/autotag] all fighting for minutes off the bench.

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Florida hoops hosting Iona transfer on official visit over weekend

The Gators are getting one of their top targets in the transfer portal on campus this weekend for an official visit.

Florida basketball’s efforts in the transfer portal continued on Friday when the team hosted former Iona guard [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. on an official visit, according to the New York Post.

Clayton broke out over the last two seasons with the Iona Gaels, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting an efficient 43.1% from three-point range in 2022-23. He led the country with a 95.3% free-throw percentage as well, making him one of the best shooters on the open market.

Despite entering the portal just a couple of days ago, Clayton is already down to two programs, the University of Florida and St. John’s University. Florida presents an opportunity to play in one of the toughest conferences in the country, and St. John’s is where former Iona coach Rick Pitino is headed after agreeing to a new deal.

“It’s really just between St. John’s and Florida, to be honest,” he said. “My mind is either going back down South or coming with Coach P.”

A reunion with Pitino seems like a tough story to beat, but student-athletes don’t always make decisions based on what their heart wants. The business decision might be going to UF and getting a closer look from pro scouts against tougher competition.

Clayton would immediately jump into the starting lineup with eight players from last year’s Florida team already gone. Right now, [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Klatsky[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag], [autotag]Jack May[/autotag], [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] and [autotag]Aleks Szymczyk[/autotag] remain on the team. Kugel could be selected in the upcoming draft, leaving Richard as the lone guard with playing experience on the team.

Adding a player like Clayton would be massive for Florida. It would give the Gators another scoring option in the backcourt that finished the season with almost twice as many assists as turnovers. UF didn’t exactly have that with [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] last season, and both are out of college eligibility anyway.

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