It was a sliding doors moment.
What if Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. chose to play football instead of basketball?
Would the Gators have made it to the Final Four?
Would Clayton be in the NFL by now?
Would he have been college football‘s next great star, instead of basketball’s next Steph Curry?
We’ll never know the answer to any of these questions, because luckily for the Gators, Clayton chose hoops.
And while it took him on a long and adventurous road to get to San Antonio, he finally made it.
And he now has the Gators just two wins away from bringing the national title back to Gainesville.
After hitting two of the biggest shots of the tournament so far, in Florida’s come from behind win over Texas Tech in the Elite 8, Clayton has the Gators on the precipice of college basketball immortality.
Clayton’s two late 3-pointers helped put the Gators back in the Final Four for the first time since 2014.
However, none of this would have happened if Clayton chose to play football in college instead of basketball.
Clayton was a four-star safety prospect coming out of high school, with offers from some of the biggest names in college football.
Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Nebraska, you name the school, and they probably offered Clayton and wanted him in a helmet.
Instead, he chose basketball and attended Iona, the little-known school in New Rochelle, New York and played under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
Clayton thrived for two seasons before transferring to Florida, in a full-circle moment.
As for the Curry comparisons?
Clayton says not so fast.
“That’s arguably the greatest point guard in the history of basketball, so I’ve got a ways to go,” Clayton said after the win over Texas Tech.
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“I wouldn’t compare myself, but just thankful for the recognition.”
While Clayton may not accept the comparisons quite yet, the rest of the country has taken notice.
And his former head coach couldn’t say enough good things about the star point guard and why he recruited him to come to Iona in the first place.
“We looked at the film, and what I liked is that he won back-to-back high school championships,” Pitino said.
“I wanted a winner at Iona, and he was a winner. Even though he was a football player, I liked the way he passed the ball. I liked what he was doing.
“And when he first came in, he struggled a bit like all freshmen do.
“Then he became MVP of the league. His sophomore year, he was a killer basketball player as he is now at Florida.”
Clayton chose basketball over football, and the rest was history.
Now he is two wins away from making more, and cementing his legacy as a Gator legend forever.
On the hardwood, just as he wanted.
How to watch March Madness in the UK
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March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
Click here to sign up to a Sky Sports subscription, or read our article on the best Sky Sports deals available now.
