GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. and sophomore forward/center Alex Condon earned preseason All-Southeastern Conference honors in the league’s media vote, the SEC announced on Monday. Clayton earned first-team recognition while Condon garnered third-team.
Clayton returns for his senior season after garnering second-team All-SEC honors last season while leading the Gators with 17.6 points per game. His 633 points scored in 2023-24 marked the fifth highest in a single season in program history. Clayton will handle the ball more in 2024/25 than he did a year ago.
“He’s going to be an attacking point guard that’s making plays, trying to score,” Head Coach Todd Golden said on Clayton. “And the great thing about Walt is he always naturally makes the right play. He’s trying to score, he’s trying to be aggressive, but if he sees a help defender there, he’s going to find his teammate, and that’s something that he’s consistent in doing.”
Condon earned SEC All-Freshman honors last season, averaging 7.7 points and 6.4 rebounds off the bench. His rebounding average and his 45 blocked shots led all SEC freshmen in 2023-24. Condon made his first career start in the Gators’ NCAA Tournament game vs. Colorado, becoming the first player in team history whose first start came in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think my freshman year I did a good job at showing glimpses of what I can do,” Condon said. “I just want to be consistent every night this year and be that guy that coach can turn to if they need a big or if someone’s in foul trouble. [I’m] just confident that I can give him what he needs.”
As a team, the Gators were predicted to finish sixth in the league. UF finished sixth in 2023-24 with an 11-7 SEC record, then made a run to the SEC Tournament championship game for the first time in 10 years. Earlier today, Florida also received a No.21 National ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
UF’s season tips off on Nov. 4 in Jacksonville, where the Gators will face South Florida at 8:30 p.m. on SEC Network.