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One of the best back courts in the country played its final game at the O’Connell Center on Saturday in a 90-71 victory against Ole Miss.
Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin have brought the Florida men’s basketball program back to national prominence with their versatile play. The Gators (27-4, 14-4 SEC) had their best regular season since 2014. What makes their record even more impressive is doing it in one of the most talented conferences in NCAA history, with 13 of the 16 SEC teams expected to make the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Each guard has something that makes them special. Clayton is known for his NBA-level range, Martin for his intense physicality on both sides of the floor and Richard for his ability to make shots in the clutch. Each game, the senior trio has proven any one of them can drop more than 20 points. Despite their individual attributes, what makes these three so special is their leadership.
“They [Clayton, Richard and Martin] have been pivotal in my development,” Florida center Alex Condon said. “They’re awesome leaders and are crucial for this team’s success.
Will Richard
Three years ago, Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin hired Todd Golden to replace Mike White as coach. Golden’s first order of business was to construct a roster that would bring Florida basketball out of a period of mediocrity.
The first transfer he bought in to complete this mission was Will Richard:
“It has been night and day, that’s what makes it so special — seeing how we grown from that first year to now,” Richard said.
In his three years at Florida, Richard has only gotten better with experience. From 2022 to 2025, his minutes, points and assists have all increased. He has been invaluable to this year’s campaign, with his signature moment being a buzzer-beating layup to propel the Gators against South Carolina.
“When we first got down here we didn’t know anybody and we were flying around trying to figure out who we were going to add to the program,” Golden said. “The last stop on that first tour that coach Kevin Hovde and coach Jonathan Safir and I had was in Nashville to go see a Belmont transfer named Will Richard.”
Walter Clayton Jr.
This man needs no introduction. As the best player on the No. 4 team in the nation, Clayton has earned First-Team All-SEC honors from the league coaches and The Associated Press and has a serious case to be a First-Team All-American and Jeremy West Award winning player.
Last year, the Lake Wales, Florida-native transferred from a Rick Pitino-led Iona squad to Florida and never looked back.
“With my family I’m closer so they can drive up and see me,” Clayton said. “It’s meant everything to me and I just appreciate Florida welcoming me in with open arms and allowing me to be myself these last two years.”
He averages 17.1 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game on 44.1% efficiency this season. A total game changer.
Golden said he had to battle with St. Johns to bring Clayton back home. St. Johns is the school Pitino took the reigns of after leaving Iona.
“When you’re trying to get this program back to where it’s been you need to hit on some big-time recruits that kind of change the trajectory of your program,” Golden said. “Walter is obviously that.”
Alijah Martin
When Martin walked down Billy Donovan Court on Senior Night, the entire arena was barking. That is what Florida got this season with Martin. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound guard brought a physicality and mental toughness that this roster lacked.
Martin made the Final Four with Florida Atlantic two years ago and hopes to add another appearance to his resume with this Florida squad. He has averaged the most points per game of his five-year career with 14.5 this season.
“Aljiah could have gone anywhere,” Golden said. “When we were able to get him to jump in last spring, we were like all right, we feel like we have a really, really tough, physical, mature back court we can play with.”
Finishing Strong
These three seniors still have more to prove. With the second-best record in the SEC, they earned a double bye in the league tournament. The Gators will play Friday in Nashville, Tenn., starting Friday needing to only win three games to claim SEC glory.
The Gators are a No. 1 region seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to Lunardi, If the play of this trio continues to elevate like it has all season, the Gators could make some serious noise in both tournaments.
“I feel really good having Walt, Will and Alijah out there — being able to play through them, and having their experience and their success and their confidence and their maturity and their leadership,” Golden said. “They have been great all year and I don’t anticipate that changing next week or the week after that.”
