Florida basketball head coach Todd Golden reacted immediately to Walter Clayton Jr's crazy 34-point game in the Final Four. In between the Final Four and the national title game, there was some time to reflect.
As a result, Golden sat down with Andy Katz and explained his thoughts on Clayton's clutch gene.
“It's been an absolute joy to be part of it,” Golden said. “Coming in, a transfer from Iona, Walter has delivered in a huge way for us. Both as a leader, on and off the court. His ability to step up in big moments has been fantastic.
“There's not a guy in America, in my estimation that you would rather have the ball in his hands down the stretch of a game on the line. He's always able to step up and take advantage of those opportunities.”
Those are some bold words from Golden, but it has been some that he has thought of, all season. After Florida won the SEC conference tournament, they secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
In the Final Four, they squared off with fellow SEC rival and No. 1 seed, Auburn. As a result of his heroics, Clayton's 34 points were the reason that the Gators moved on to the national title game.
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Clayton Jr's dynamic play has been a major proponent to the success of Florida basketball. For Golden himself, he is a three-point specialist as a head coach. He thrives in transition and playing the pace and space game.
As a result, the guard took a whopping 7.8 threes per game, and connected on nearly 40% of them. He is thriving in Golden's high-octane offense.
Still, Florida basketball will take on Houston in the national championship game. One of the best offenses in the country against one of the best defenses in the nation.
It will be a slugfest on all sides, and one that will be chippy as well. After all, Golden dismissed Kelvin Sampson's ‘fear' narrative surrounding the game.
All that the Gators will be focused on is the task at hand. They will be reaching for their first national title since 2007, when the crew of Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer went back to back.
Still, this will be Golden's first title if he were to win on Monday. If that is the case, then he will have Clayton Jr's clutch gene to thank for sealing the deal on the 2025 NCAA tournament.
