From the article, something that seemed to have slipped by me: "...helping the Gators average a program-record 85.6 points per game."
Clayton was the Gators’ leader scorer last season, averaging 17.6 points per game. He earned second-team All-SEC honors and SEC All-Tournament team recognition during his first season at UF. Clayton was a top-five scorer in the SEC and his 633 points for the year ranks No. 5 in school history. He made some memorable shots during the season, including a 3-pointer to force overtime in the win at Kentucky. A native of Lake Wales, Fla., Clayton posted 15 games with 20-plus points and exploded for 33 points in the Gators’ NCAA Tournament game vs. Colorado, including a game-tying 3-pointer from the logo with 9.7 seconds left in regulation. Clayton also wrote his name in the Florida record books with 93 3-pointers made (8th/single season), 42 consecutive free throws made (tied-1st), 23 straight games with a 3-pointer (tied-8th, active streak entering 2024-25) and an .877 free throw percentage (10th/single season).
When you are ranked 327 in scoring defense, you better score a lot of points. I'm being a bit facetious, because I think the low scoring defense is a function of how we decided to play. As well as the skill sets on our team. The good thing is it's more fun to watch! We really need to get some substantial improvement in the defensive play from the backcourt this year to make deep run especially since we won't have hand lotion.
Walter was a blast to watch and follow last year! I am excited he is coming back, a fav of mine for sure! Maybe only 6-2 but Walter can sky. He's not just a shooter. Interesting unit coming up with the newbies coming in. Still hope UF can steal an assist man somewhere down the line. Looks like we will have some firepower at least with the guards.
You can see why we have added the guys we did: Martin, Alexis, Chinyelu. Also worth saying that Condon and Haugh were probably our best bigs defensively last year, and they stand to make a real jump as sophomores. We should be better defending the paint, contesting shots, and getting defensive rebounds with these four bigs. We should also be able to mix up our ball screen coverages far more, while still being better at our standard drop coverage (Handlogten struggled there last year). Martin and Aberdeen should be better defending the perimeter than any guy in our rotation last year. If we can just get a little more consistency on him that end from Clayton and Richard, we should be able to cut down on dribble penetration, and that in turn will cut down on fouls by our bigs that send opponents to the line (another real weak spot last year).
I believe Clayton will be considerably better on defense this season. Players who have been in a system tend to improve each year on defense, simply because they have a better handle on team defense. I wouldn't mind seeing us mix it up a bit more as a team. Throw some zone at the opponent several times a game just to get them out of sorts. Also surprise them with full-court press several times, not just at the end when we're behind. We have the athletes that could create havoc in the press, and in Condon and Chinyelu the rim protectors if the press is broken.
This locks up one of the starting guard spots. I’m probably safe in assuming Richard starts at the wing. If no other player is added, then I would guess the other guard spot goes to Aberdeen or maybe Martin. The bigs seem a bit more confusing. Maybe: 1. Aberdeen/Clayton 2. Clayton/Martin 3. Richard/Martin/Haugh 4. Alexis/Haugh/Condon 5. Condon/Chinyelu This would get us 8 deep, with Brown, Kublikas, and Rioux as bonus bodies. And Micah in a perfect world. Still seems like it would be nice to have another PG.
