Florida hoops hosting Iona transfer on official visit over weekend
Florida basketball’s efforts in the transfer portal continued on Friday when the team hosted former Iona guard Walter Clayton Jr. on an official visit, according to the New York Post.
Clayton broke out over the last two seasons with the Iona Gaels, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting an efficient 43.1% from three-point range in 2022-23. He led the country with a 95.3% free-throw percentage as well, making him one of the best shooters on the open market.
Despite entering the portal just a couple of days ago, Clayton is already down to two programs, the University of Florida and St. John’s University. Florida presents an opportunity to play in one of the toughest conferences in the country, and St. John’s is where former Iona coach Rick Pitino is headed after agreeing to a new deal.
“It’s really just between St. John’s and Florida, to be honest,” he said. “My mind is either going back down South or coming with Coach P.”
A reunion with Pitino seems like a tough story to beat, but student-athletes don’t always make decisions based on what their heart wants. The business decision might be going to UF and getting a closer look from pro scouts against tougher competition.
Clayton would immediately jump into the starting lineup with eight players from last year’s Florida team already gone. Right now, Denzel Aberdeen, Alex Fudge, Alex Klatsky, Riley Kugel, Jack May, Will Richard and Aleks Szymczyk remain on the team. Kugel could be selected in the upcoming draft, leaving Richard as the lone guard with playing experience on the team.
Adding a player like Clayton would be massive for Florida. It would give the Gators another scoring option in the backcourt that finished the season with almost twice as many assists as turnovers. UF didn’t exactly have that with Kyle Lofton and Myreon Jones last season, and both are out of college eligibility anyway.
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