Florida’s Walter Clayton has taken whirlwind journey to becoming March Madness hero

SAN ANTONIO — Walter Clayton Jr. has thought back on his journey on occasion. 

From being under-recruited out of high school to developing into a star at Iona University under Rick Pitino, to moving back close to home at Florida after nearly following Pitino to St. John’s and now this memorable run to the Final Four. 

It’s been a whirlwind, going from an unknown and unranked prospect to one of the stars of March Madness. 

“I feel like I’ve worked for this my whole life. Whenever opportunities have come, I just tried to execute on those opportunities,” the 6-foot-3 guard from Lake Wales, Fla. said on Friday on the eve of the Gators’ showdown against SEC rival and fellow No. 1 seed Auburn in a national semifinal. “There have been nights that have been rough, [when I] didn’t think I could do this or do that. It’s been a long journey. I’m thankful for it.”