Golden, Clayton Jr. Named to Respective Naismith Semifinalist Lists

Third-year head coach Todd Golden is a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year, while senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. is a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year.

Walter Clayton Jr. has sparked the Florida Gators throughout the season, including a 22-point effort against No. 7 Alabama on Wednesday. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Naismith Awards on Friday announced that Florida Gators men's basketball head coach Todd Golden and guard Walter Clayton Jr. made the cut as semifinalists for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year and Player of the Year awards, respectively.

Both lists are down to 10 final candidates. 

two Naismith semifinalists 🔥

📰: https://t.co/9Fjt5lLaDN pic.twitter.com/N2uxeypLFM

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 14, 2025

This will be a second attempt at a coach of the year honor for Golden after missing out on the SEC Coach of the Year award to Auburn’s Bruce Pearl. 

In his third year with the program, Golden has taken the Gators back to heights they haven’t reached since the 2013-14 season. The Gators have reached their highest regular season AP ranking since 2013-14, being voted as high as the No. 3 team in the country this year. 

They were able to achieve this feat because of the wins against No. 1 Auburn, then-number No. 1 Tennessee and top 10 Alabama. Not to mention, the wins over the Tigers and Crimson Tide came on the road.

Florida also has its highest winning percentage since 2013, having an overall record of 27-4 and a conference record of 14-4. A big reason why is because Golden led this team to a perfect non-conference record in the 2024-25 campaign, posting 13 consecutive wins to begin the campaign. 

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden after his team's 90-71 win over Ole Miss. Golden has led Florida to a 27-4 record at the end of the regular season in his third season leading the program. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

However, he couldn’t have accomplished all this without Clayton Jr. The senior is leading the team in points (17.2), assists (4.3) and 3-pointers (84) this season. Taking on the role as the team's leader and go-to guy when things get tough, Clayton Jr. has made big-time shots when called upon, and more often than not has made the right decision with the ball in his hands.

Clayton Jr. was also just recently named a first-team All-American, the first in program history, by The Sporting News. 

Florida's next game is against Missouri on Friday at 7 p.m. in Nashville for the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The rematch with the Tigers will be televised on SEC Network.

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