Photo via Walter Clayton (twitter)
The Florida Gators basketball program is officially on a recruiting tear.
Less than 24 hours after Marshall’s former seven-foot big man Micah Handlogten committed to Florida, Todd Golden picked up an even bigger commitment. Walter Clayton, Iona’s do-it-all guard and the fireplug of Rick Pitino’s former squad, is coming home. Clayton picked the Gators over Kansas and St. John’s, where his now-former coach Pitino is.
Originally from Bartow, FL, Walter Clayton was initially an unrated guard prospect out of high school. But Pitino saw value in him and coaxed him north to play for the Gaels. And the movie paid off: after playing somewhat sparingly as a true freshman, Clayton saw a massive increase in minutes as a sophomore, and promptly became a star.
This past season, Walter Clayton averaged 16.8 points a game, shot 43.1% from three, averaged 1.8 steals per game, 3.2 assists per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and even averaged 0.6 blocks per game. He was, without question, the Gaels’ most valuable player, and while he’s now taking a step up from the MAAC to the SEC, a lot of what he does well is easily translatable.
Firstly, don’t be fooled by his “point guard” label. Clayton can play the one, the two, and if necessary, probably even the three if he absolutely had to. He’s a very good facilitator of the offense, and can make it seem as though everything flows seamlessly through him, but the “point guard” label feels like it somewhat limits his value.
For starters, his scoring ability. Clayton is a dead-eye three point shooter, as evidenced by his 43.1% three-point percentage a year ago. The act of squaring up, releasing the ball at the peak of your leap, and executing the mechanics of forcefully flicking a basketball all translate across various levels. If you’ve got the shot, you’ve got the shot, and Clayton does.
Same goes for the free throw numbers. Clayton shot an impressive 95.3% from the free throw line a year ago, going 102-107 from the stripe. That speaks to both his ability to draw the contact to get to the line, and then connect when he’s there.
And then there are all the other ways Clayton can put the ball in the basket. He’s an excellent ball-handler, making him effective both in transition and on ordinary dribble-drives. He’s also got a nice midrange jumper, making him a respected all-around scorer.
With Clayton in tow, the Gators have begun forming a solid nucleus of players. Riley Kugel is coming back, giving the Gators a strong foundation in its backcourt.
