Walter Clayton, Jr. has made transition from MAAC to SEC look easy as former Iona Star leads Florida into Final Four

Walter Clayton, Jr., who began his career at Iona, now leads Florida into Final Four. (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

SAN ANTONIO — Walter Clayton, Jr. began his Final Four weekend with a typical activity enjoyed by most college students.

Thursday morning, as the Florida locker room opened to the media, the Gators’ senior point guard was locked in on a video game—College Football 25, to be exact.

Clayton, who had played football in high school and received offers from FBS heavyweights the likes of Georgia and Notre Dame, wasn’t trying to relive his youth when battling teammate Cooper Josefsberg in the video game. And while the 27-14 score Clayton—playing as his alma mater—led by before he was pulled away for media obligations suggests that he may still know a thing or two about life on the gridiron, his revelation after scoring his last touchdown in the game masked that.

“I haven’t played this game in two months,” he quipped. “I don’t even have a console.”

As it turns out, video games are not the only thing Clayton has made look easy, as his transition from football to basketball has mirrored that over the past four years. Spurning the big-money lure of college football to play basketball for Rick Pitino at Iona, Clayton was named player of the year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as a sophomore, sharing a backcourt with a future NBA player in Daniss Jenkins as Iona dominated the league and could have been a Cinderella story had the Gaels not drawn eventual national champion UConn in the first round.

Clayton then transferred to Florida to move closer to his Lake Wales home, nearly three hours south of Gainesville. The decision was not easy, as Pitino had made a play for him upon taking over at St. John’s, but once again, Clayton made the step up in competition look modest by comparison. This season, the first team All-American has picked up where he left off, averaging over 18 points and four assists per game as Florida prepares for its fifth Final Four this weekend, and first since 2014.

“I definitely enjoy it,” Clayton said of the big stage and his presence on it. “Not many people get this opportunity to play in this or go this far in the tournament, so I definitely enjoy it. I’ve been able to do it because I’ve got such a great team around me. We’ve got guys who kind of cover up each other’s flaws and weaknesses, and we’re just a great team, so that’s how I’ve been able to do it.”

Through this tournament run, Clayton—always a lethal knockdown shooter—has taken his clutch game to another level, knocking down 14 of his 31 attempts from 3-point range and singlehandedly clinching Florida’s wins over UConn and Texas Tech in the second round and regional final, respectively. When asked how he is able to flip the proverbial switch, Clayton dismissed the notion of finding another gear, instead crediting the game for finding him in the right moments.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say flipping a switch,” he said. “At the end of the game, some shots just become a little more open, you could say. I wouldn’t say it’s hard to believe. I’ve worked for it my whole life, and whatever opportunities have come, I’ve just tried to execute on those opportunities, make good on them.”

Clayton’s decision to transfer to Florida was a self-admitted close call, one in which his then-newborn daughter played a large role as he was thrust into a choice “between two families,” in his own words. Four years, two schools, and two sports later, every choice, every move, could be validated by reaching the summit of the sport.

“It’s definitely been a long journey,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of family with me. The nights have been rough, obviously, they didn’t think maybe I could do this, do that or stick with it. But it’s definitely been a long journey and I’m thankful for it.”