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Walter Clayton Jr.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton with Florida in 2023
No. 1 – Florida Gators
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-03-06) March 6, 2003 (age 22)
Sebring, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school
College
Career highlights and awards

Walter Marterry Clayton Jr. (born March 6, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He was named a consensus first-team All-American in 2025. Clayton began his collegiate career with the Iona Gaels.

Early life and high school career

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Clayton was born in Sebring, Florida, and moved to Lake Wales, Florida, when he was 10.[1] He is the son of Cherie Ann Quarg, who played softball and basketball at Frostproof Middle-Senior High School[2] and Walter Clayton Sr., who played basketball and football at Frostproof.[3]

Clayton Jr. initially attended Lake Wales High School, where he played football and basketball.[4] In basketball, he averaged 17.5 points, five rebounds, and 3.2 assists as a sophomore.[5] Clayton transferred to Bartow High School after his sophomore year.[6] He averaged 15.4 points, 4.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game during his first season at Bartow as the Yellow Jackets won the Florida Class 6A state championship.[7] Clayton committed to playing college basketball for Iona over offers from East Carolina, Florida A&M, Charleston, Stetson, and James Madison.[8]

Clayton was considered a better college prospect in football and began playing the sport as a freshman in high school at the urging of his childhood friend, Gervon Dexter.[9] He had offers to play football from Florida, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Nebraska, and West Virginia.[10]

College career

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Clayton averaged 7.3 points per game during his freshman season at Iona.[9] He was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Year as a sophomore after averaging 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game during the regular season.[11] After the season, Clayton entered the NCAA transfer portal.[12]

Clayton ultimately transferred to Florida.[13] He also had considered transferring to St. John's and playing for his former Iona head coach, Rick Pitino.[14]

In his first season at Florida, Clayton averaged 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists and was honored as Second-Team All-SEC. He played an instrumental role in getting the Gators to the SEC Tournament Championship for the first time in 10 years and the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 3 years. Despite the loss, Clayton had 33 points in a historic performance against Colorado in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

After the 2023–24 season, Clayton declared for the NBA Draft. However, he ended up withdrawing from the draft and returning to Florida for his senior season. It was during this season that Clayton had one of the best individual seasons in Florida basketball history. He led Florida to a 27-4 record in the regular season while averaging 17.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. During this season, Clayton led Florida to wins over No. 1 Tennessee and at No. 1 Auburn, which was the first time Florida had ever beaten a No. 1 on the road. He also helped lead Florida to its best overall record and SEC record in 11 years. After the regular season, Clayton was honored as first-team All-SEC selection. On March 18, 2025, Clayton was named a first-team All American.[15]

Clayton went on to lead the Gators to the national championship, making a crucial defensive stop causing Houston's Emanuel Sharp to pump-fake on a potential game-winning three-pointer and lose his dribble. Clayton's teammate Alex Condon pounced on the loose ball to seal the Gators' third national championship in program history and first since 2007. Clayton was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP).[16]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
* Led NCAA Division I

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Iona 32 4 16.1 .434 .357 .787 2.2 1.6 0.8 0.3 7.3
2022–23 Iona 32 31 30.4 .455 .431 .953* 4.3 3.2 1.8 0.6 16.8
2023–24 Florida 36 36 31.0 .432 .365 .877 3.6 2.6 1.1 0.6 17.6
2024–25 Florida 39 39 32.6 .448 .386 .875 3.7 4.2 1.2 0.5 18.3
Career 130 101 27.5 .441 .379 .875 3.4 2.9 1.2 0.5 14.8

Personal life

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Clayton and his girlfriend, Tatiyana Burney, had a daughter in December 2023.[17][18]

References

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  1. ^ Harry, Chris (July 18, 2023). "Coming Home: From Gael Force to Gator". Florida Gators. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  2. ^ Quarg, Cherie (2002). Remember When ... (54 ed.). Frostproof, Florida: Frostproof Middle Senior High School. p. 139.
  3. ^ Burack, Emily. "Get to Know Walter Clayton Jr's Family". Townandcountrymag.com. Hearst Digital Media. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  4. ^ "Bartow's Walter Clayton put in hard work to become complete player". The Ledger. April 3, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  5. ^ "Clayton tops Elite 8 list for boys basketball". The Ledger. November 24, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "Two-sport star Clayton transfers from Lake Wales to Bartow". The Ledger. August 16, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  7. ^ "All-County: Clayton's focus on basketball paid off big". The Ledger. March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  8. ^ "Bartow's Clayton signs with Iona". The Ledger. November 17, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Braziller, Zach (March 15, 2023). "Walter Clayton Jr. traded football for basketball and it's paying off". New York Post. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Singer, Mike (June 23, 2019). "2021 Florida ATH Walter Clayton Is The "Total Package"". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Iona men's, women's basketball stars, coaches win 2022-23 MAAC awards". The Journal News. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "Reports: MAAC POY Walter Clayton Jr. to transfer from Iona". Marietta Daily Journal. Associated Press. March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  13. ^ Bass, Tobias; Moore, CJ; Vecenie, Sam (April 11, 2023). "Walter Clayton Jr. transfers to Florida: How former Iona guard fits with Gators". The Athletic. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  14. ^ Braziller, Zach (March 23, 2023). "Iona star Walter Clayton choosing between St. John's and Florida". New York Post. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Rosenberg, David. "Florida basketball G Walter Clayton Jr. named AP First Team All-American". Gatorswire. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  16. ^ Young, Ryan (April 7, 2025). "NCAA championship: Walter Clayton Jr. wins Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading Gators past Houston". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  17. ^ Marks, Brendan (April 8, 2025). "Walter Clayton Jr.'s fairytale Florida journey gets fitting national championship ending". The Athletic. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  18. ^ Mader, Daniel (April 7, 2025). "Walter Clayton Jr. family tree: Meet his parents, daughter and more about Florida roots". The Sporting News.
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