Latest news with #ClaytonJr.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Walter Clayton Jr.'s Two-Word Reaction to Wednesday's Big College Basketball Announcement
Walter Clayton Jr.'s Two-Word Reaction to Wednesday's Big College Basketball Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Florida Gators wouldn't have won their first national title since 2007 without star Walter Clayton Jr. Advertisement The 6-foot-3 guard from Lake Wales, Florida, was named first-team All-SEC, a consensus first-team All-American, and the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player this past season. He averaged 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. But now, Clayton Jr. is off to the NBA after playing two seasons under Rick Pitino at Iona and two more under Todd Golden at Florida. While he continues preparing for the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25, the Gators are finalizing their schedule for next season. On Wednesday, March Madness announced in a joint post with the Florida Gators and UConn Huskies that the two teams will meet in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 9 at Madison Square Garden. "BOX OFFICE SHOWDOWN IN MSG 🍿," March Madness captioned its post. "@gatorsmbk and @uconnmbb will go head-to-head in the Jimmy V Classic 🔥." Clayton Jr. was one of many to see the post and left a two-word message in the comment section: Advertisement "Go Gators." Walter Clayton Jr.'s comment on March Madness' post.@marchmadnessmbb/Instagram Florida and UConn have faced each other three times since Huskies head coach Dan Hurley took over in Storrs. The most recent meeting came in the Round of 32 of last season's NCAA Tournament, where the Gators pulled out a 77-75 win to end UConn's 13-game NCAA Tournament winning streak. The other two matchups took place on Nov. 17, 2019, in Storrs and Dec. 7, 2022, in Gainesville, with UConn winning both. Related: Florida Reveals Availability Plan For 7-Foot-9 College Basketball Player Related: Florida Star Sends Parting Message After National Championship Run This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
NBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC News
What came after the Florida Gators' national title win is what has people talking
In many ways, the culmination of the men's NCAA College Basketball Championship managed to perfectly capture the essence of the Florida Gators' fearless leader, Walter Clayton Jr. With time ticking down, the senior guard watched as Houston Cougars sharpshooter Emmanuel Sharp (the name is serendipitous) caught a pass at the top of the key and geared up for a potential game-winning three. Clayton — alone in the paint — raced to the top of the key, leaped high in the air and managed to affect Sharp's view of the hoop so severely that the Cougars guard attempted to land without shooting the ball, what would constitute a clear "up and down" traveling violation and an automatic turnover. Instead, Sharp dropped the ball, a scramble ensued, and the Florida Gators sealed their third championship as time expired, leaving Cougars fans stunned and the Gators and their fanbase erupting in euphoria. But it's what Clayton Jr. did next that served as a reminder that there's truth to that old adage, 'It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.' He walked over to Sharp, who was kneeling on the hardwood, hands buried in his face, and placed his arm on his opponent's back. He offered some words of encouragement and gave him a hug, literally just moments after the game had ended. The show of sportsmanship elicited an immediate reaction from fans across the country. "This is what sports are all about 100,' the NCAA posted on X. One user writing in the thread, 'Class act! [The] Houston Cougars were worthy opponents and deserve respect and empathy! Go Gators!' Another person posted, 'Showing a bunch of class by Walter Clayton Jr.,' as dozens of others remarked on what they saw as an example of 'great sportsmanship.' The back story for Clayton might help to explain the mind-set behind his touching action. A highly sought-after four-star recruit in football, Clayton received offers from blue chip programs like Notre Dame, Florida State, Georgia, Nebraska and even Florida, according to USA Today. But Clayton Jr. wanted to play basketball, and elite programs weren't interested. So he caught on with a lower-profile program, Iona — then led by Coach Rick Pitino — and used three years of playing time there to showcase his basketball bonafides. Originally from the Orlando area, the next stop for the blockbuster talent was Gainesville and the University of Florida, where his star truly shined. But Clayton Jr.'s commitment to team — and group over self — is a trait that appears to have endured throughout his basketball journey. And on Monday night, it spoke volumes about his DNA on the court and empathy, too, for all players in competition, whether they share his jersey or not. 'The feeling is just surreal, it's a crazy feeling, I honestly can't even explain it' Clayton Jr. said when asked about what it felt like to win a national championship. 'And we all understand that we're all just picking each other up throughout the year,' he continued. 'I think the way we won … is just an exclamation mark on the year, and it's great to win like that, knowing the fact that we're just a brotherhood, together.' In San Antonio, the power of brotherhood was on full display.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who Is Walter Clayton Jr.'s Girlfriend? Tatiyana Burney's Relationship History
Photo Credit: Mitchell Layton | Getty Images Florida Gators point guard Walter Clayton Jr.'s girlfriend became the center of attention among fans recently. NBA enthusiasts have been eager to learn more about the basketball star's partner, especially after he sealed the victory of his team against Houston in the NCAA Championship. Advertisement So, here are all the details fans need to know about Clayton Jr.'s girlfriend and their relationship history. Who is Walter Clayton Jr.'s girlfriend? Walter Clayton Jr. is dating Tatiyana Burney as of writing. While Clayton Jr. enjoys a huge fan following and a public life, he has mostly been private about his relationship. Thus, not much information about Burney is available online for fans. However, she has made an appearance on her boyfriend's Instagram account. In a May 2022 post, the basketball star posted a carousel of images, sharing some of the couple's intimate moments. In the caption, he wrote, 'All because of you, I'ma be a better man. Now I wanna do things I ain't never did.' Walter Clayton Jr. and Tatiyana Burney's relationship history Walter Clayton Jr. and his girlfriend Tatiyana Burney have reportedly been together since middle school in Lake Wales, Florida. Albeit, the exact timeline of their relationship is not yet revealed. Advertisement According to The Independent Florida Alligator, the couple also had to pass the challenge of a long-distance relationship when Clayton Jr. was at Iona University in New York. They later reunited when he moved back to Florida, and Burney moved to Gainesville to support him. In 2023, Clayton Jr. and Burney embraced parenthood for the first time with the birth of their daughter, Leilani Leigh Clayton. Following the arrival of their daughter, the Florida Gators player also shared the child's photo on Instagram. While talking on the Trial to Triumphs podcast about Burney in November 2024, Clayton Jr. said, 'My girl, shout out to her, she's done a great job just allowing me to focus on basketball. She's doing a great job being a mom, and helping me be a better father.' Furthermore, Tatiyana Burney has been a constant source of support in Walter Clayton Jr.'s life and is often spotted cheering for him at his matches. The post Who Is Walter Clayton Jr.'s Girlfriend? Tatiyana Burney's Relationship History appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Florida Gators' Thrilling Championship Run Proves March Madness Is Here To Stay In NIL Era
The 2025 NCAA Tournament may have lacked upsets, but it more than made up for it with thrilling ... More games among the best teams during March Madness. (Photo by) Prior to the start of the Final Four, the negative storylines were well in place that the demise of March Madness was here during the NIL era of college basketball. After all, we were seeing all four No. 1 seeds represented in the Final Four, the first time since 2008 that's occurred. In fact, it was hard to think of many upsets throughout the run of the 2025 tournament outside of No. 12 McNeese State over the No. 5-seeded Clemson Tigers. Even following one of the most thrilling set of semifinals matchups in NCAA tournament history between Florida-Auburn and Houston-Duke, much had been made over the fact that two No. 1 seeds in the Florida Gators and Houston Cougars were matching up. It was just the 11th time that two No. 1's in the championship game were matching up since 1979. It also marked just the second time since that year that back-to-back title games saw two No. 1's going at it. We can put those topics to rest. The Gators pulled off a thrilling 65-63win over the Cougars, overcoming a 12-point deficit against the nation's best defensive unit. Despite their best player, Walter Clayton Jr., being stifled for zero points during the first half, the Gators (and Clayton) overcome their sluggish start to go on a 14-3 run to take control of the game during the second half. Hope seemed lost for the Gators as they fell behind 42-30 with under 16 minutes remaining. Several questionable calls went against their way, including three off-the-ball fouls that changed the momentum of the game. This was during a time Clayton Jr. had yet to score a point and had started the game 0-for-5 from the field. And then the Gators slowly took control. Clayton Jr. finally scored his first points of the game at the 14:57 mark of the second half and Florida went on an 8-0 run shortly thereafter, punctuated by Thomas Haugh's layup – with the foul and free throw – to trim the deficit to just three points. 'Just keep going,' said Clayton on his mindset despite the struggles. 'Stats don't mean nothing. The only thing that matters is that score. Just keep going out there and try to make plays.' Up until Alijah Martin's free throw that gave the Gators a 46-45 lead with 46 seconds left, Florida had led for a total of just 17 seconds during the game. It's a lead the Gators would never relinquish and what eventually led to Alex Condon's game-winning steal that saw Houston's Emanuel Sharp unable to get a shot off as time ticked off. 'Probably not, no,' said Haugh when asked if there was any moment it felt like the Gators were in control. 'It was anybody's game out there at the end, but we came out at the end, made a play and got it done. We didn't lead for much time.' It's not an overstatement to say it – this year's Final Four was one of the best of all time. While many like to lean towards the negative in today's age, complaining about how schools are buying their players with NIL money and how the college programs with the most money have eliminated the potential of any cinderella teams, the fact is this -- March Madness is still exciting. It just looks a bit different in today's age. It remains to be seen how the NCAA Tournament Championship produces in the TV ratings department, but the early returns are positive. In an age where ratings are declining across the board – the NFL is the only sport that is foolproof in that regard – the first two games of the Final Four averaged 15.3 million viewers and peaked at 20.4 million. For perspective, that ranks as the highest viewed Final Four since 2017. It's no coincidence that this year's average margin across the three games was 3.6 points. Games hadn't been this closely contested since 2017, when the average margin was also 3.6 points per game. Viewers reveled as they witnessed Duke – led by future No. 1 NBA pick and National Player of the Year Cooper Flagg – crumble, blowing a 14-point lead in their loss to Houston. It was the fifth-largest blown lead in Final Four history. Viewers were then treated to the main event which saw the Gators overcome a massive deficit of their own to knock out the defensive-dominant cougars, tied for the third-largest comeback in a national championship game. 'I didn't feel like we had much control of the game,' said Gators head coach Todd Golden after the game. 'I thought Houston was controlling tempo. I thought they were controlling with their physicality. There was an interesting technical call on our bench that I thought was an issue we had to battle through. It was our defense. It was stops.' In other words, this year's tournament certainly didn't lack in drama. While there may have been no cinderella teams in this year's tournament, it was replaced by quality play where the absolute best teams actually made it to the Final Four. In other words, because the four best teams in college basketball throughout the entire season represented the Final Four, there was little room for any potential blowouts. What you saw in the Final Four was the best player – a generational prospect – who will not only be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but will likely be one of the dominant forces in the league for the next decade in Duke's Flagg. What you also saw was two dominant teams from the SEC in Florida and the Auburn Tigers – the Tigers were No. 1 in the country for eight consecutive weeks – and a Houston team that had previously been in the title game back in 2022. This was their third consecutive season they were ranked No. 1 in their region and the second consecutive year they led the nation in points allowed. That may be frustrating for casual fans who tune in only during the NCAA Tournament to see bracket busters and no-name teams pull off upsets. Many of those no-name teams in which casual fans don't even know what state they play in. This year's Final Four may have only seen the 'superpower' teams make it, but as the Gators illustrated on their path to a championship – along with the three other teams – that's not such a bad thing after all. March Madness here is to stay during the NIL era.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Walter Clayton Jr.'s Defensive Play Caps Florida's NCAA Championship
Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. sprinted as fast as he could. This was it. The national title was on the line. Houston guard Emanuel Sharp, the man Clayton was guarding, had run from the left block under the basket and caught the ball beyond the 3-point line at the top of the key. About five seconds remained in Monday night's NCAA men's basketball championship game in San Antonio. Sharp jumped up to take the shot, but here came Clayton Jr., closing out on Sharp and extending his left arm. The hustle play rattled Sharp. Instead of shooting, Sharp pulled the ball back, but because he had left the ground he knew he couldn't touch the ball or it would have been a double dribble. And so, the ball just laid on the floor before Florida's Alex Condon dove on it near midcourt as time expired, clinching the Gators' 65-63 victory and the program's third national title. 'We work on it in practice, closing out, jumping to the side so you don't foul the shooter,' Clayton Jr. said. 'He pump faked, threw the ball down. (It) ended up being a good play.' Florida coach Todd Golden was more effusive, calling it an 'amazing play.' 'When Condo got on the floor, I figured it was either going to be a jump ball or we were going to come away with it,' Golden said. 'Next thing I knew, game was over. Just an incredible moment and something I won't forget.' Clayton Jr. won the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player award, scoring all 11 of his points in the second half, having a game-high seven assists and capping a sensational senior season. He was named a first team Associated Press All-American and averaged more than 24 points per game in the NCAA tournament entering Monday, including scoring a career-high 34 points in Saturday's 79-73 victory over Auburn in the Final Four. Still, Clayton Jr. struggled for much of Monday's game. He was held scoreless in the first half, going 0 for 4 from the field, with all of his attempts coming on 3-pointers. Clayton Jr. couldn't shake an aggressive Houston team that routinely double-teamed him. The Cougars showed why they entered the game first in analyst Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency metric and allowed just 58.5 points per game, the lowest average in Division 1. Clayton Jr. finally scored when he made two free throws with 14:57 remaining, cutting Houston's lead to 42-34. He had his first field goal with 7:54 left when he drove past Houston's Terrance Arceneaux for a layup, drew a foul and connected on the free throw to tie it at 48-all. After Florida center Rueben Chinyelu was called for a personal foul and a technical foul for slamming the ball on the court, Houston made 3 of 4 free throws to take a 3-point lead. Clayton Jr. then came down and converted another 3-point play to make it 51-51. Clayton Jr. tied it again at 60 apiece when he made a 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining. All told, the game was tied 12 times. And after trailing 42-30 early in the second half, Florida went ahead 64-63 on Alijah Martin's two free throws with 46.5 seconds remaining, the Gators' first lead since they were up 8-6. Sharp then dribbled off his leg thanks to a reach-in from Florida guard Will Richard. Denzel Aberdeen, a 54% free throw shooter, made 1 of 2 free throws to give Florida a 65-63 lead with 19.7 seconds remaining. Houston had one last possession, but Florida's defense came through as Clayton Jr. disrupted Sharp's shot attempt and Condon's hustle play made sure the Cougars wouldn't have another chance. 'My motto (is) we all can go,' said Clayton Jr., who made just 3 of 10 field goals and missed 6 of 7 3-pointers. 'I understand that if it ain't my night, somebody going to pick me up. We understand we all just picking each other up throughout the year, man. We been doing that all year.' Florida (36-4) snapped Houston's 18-game winning streak and became the first team this season to defeat the Cougars (35-5) when scoring less than 70 points. The Gators scored their second-fewest points of the season and shot just 40% from the field and 25% on 3's, but they held the Cougars to 35% from the field (31% in the second half), including 24% (6 of 25) on 3's. Midway through the second half, the Gators stopped Houston on nine consecutive possessions over more than four minutes, cutting a 48-42 deficit to a 48-48 tie. And over the final 2 minutes and 5 seconds, Florida forced four turnovers and held Houston scoreless. 'Our defense won us the game tonight,' Golden said. The victory followed a familiar script. It was the fourth time in six NCAA tournament games that the Gators trailed in the second half. They fell behind two-time reigning national champion Connecticut by six points in the second round, trailed Texas Tech by 10 points in the Elite 8 and were down to Auburn by nine points in the Final Four. 'I feel like it just goes back to how connected we are as a team,' said Richard, who had a team-high 18 points, including 14 in the second half. 'I feel like we all don't have any quit…I just like our resiliency and how we fight through adversity throughout the game.' Said Condon: 'We got together in the huddle at one point when we were down (and) said we're good. No one is really stressing out too bad. We just have a lot of confidence in each other, knowing that our shot was going to fall down the stretch.' On Monday night, Florida led for just 1 minute and 4 seconds, but it was enough to win its 12th consecutive game and 18 of the final 19. During that stretch, the Gators defeated seven teams that were ranked in the Associated Press top 25 poll entering the tournament, including No. 2 Houston, No. 4 Auburn, No. 7 Alabama (twice), No. 9 Texas Tech and No. 11 Maryland. Florida tied the school record with 36 victories, the same as in 2014 when the Gators lost in the Final Four and more than the 2006 and 2007 national champions that had a future Hall of Fame coach in Billy Donovan and three players (Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer) that were top 10 NBA draft picks. These Gators may not have the star power of the previous NCAA title teams, although Golden, 39, became the youngest coach since North Carolina State's Jim Valvano in 1983 to win a national title, so he could add more championships in the coming years. Still, Florida is more than a deserving champion, showing it could compete on the biggest stages all season. The Gators finished second in the regular season in the Southeastern Conference, a league that sent 14 teams to the NCAA tournament and ranks among the best ever. They then won the SEC tournament title and the NCAA title, thanks to their resiliency, never more so than on Monday when it looked like Houston was on its way to winning the program's first NCAA championship. Instead, the Gators were celebrating at the Alamodome after tying for the third-largest comeback in a national title game. 'They did a great job of never getting too high, never getting too low,' Golden said. 'When we went down 12 in the second half, we stayed the course. We didn't point fingers, didn't start to try to make hero plays, gambling defensively. We got rewarded because of that toughness that we displayed.'
