If the pressure has increased since they arrived here late Wednesday afternoon, it’s certainly not showing.
For the second consecutive day, the UF men’s basketball team faced a large horde of media during its open locker room and afterward, took the court at the Alamodome for an open practice in front of several thousand fans. As the Gators made the rounds, they appeared to be having the time of their life heading into Saturday night’s national semifinal matchup against Auburn.
“I definitely enjoy it,” senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. said Friday. “You know, not many people get this opportunity.”
Clayton spent Thursday’s open locker room session mostly playing EA Sports’ NCAA Football 24 as reporters roamed the room and chants of “DJ Lagway” filled the air as Clayton played a Florida-Miami football game on a large TV. He went to a breakout room for interviews Friday, but back in the locker room, the video games and good times carried on.
The players joked around with each other when not answering questions, and they seemed as intrigued by the rush of attention as those carrying the microphones and notebooks searching for stories.
“This is amazing,” said 7-foot-9 redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux, who has not played this season but had a constant stream of visitors to his locker. “I have watched the Final Four and now I’m here.”
Well, hello, Olivier Rioux.
What? He’s only 7’9″ pic.twitter.com/yNygA9nvTO
— Dari Nowkhah (@ESPNDari) April 4, 2025
MODEL GATORS
Gators assistant coach Kevin Hovde is off to Columbia after the Final Four to become a head coach for the first time. But as Hovde winds up his three seasons on head coach Todd Golden‘s staff, he will remain appreciative of what the UF experience taught him about building winning teams.
Hovde spoke with former Gators head coach Billy Donovan, former UF assistants Donnie Jones and Dusty May, and others connected to the Gators over the years about what makes Florida a special place to coach. He heard a similar message repeatedly in his discussions with past Florida coaches.
“The common theme was it’s a place where you try to bring in guys with great attitudes that work really, really hard,” Hovde said. “And that’s, I think, what they had back in the back-to-back national championship teams. Obviously, they were extremely talented, but they had great dudes on the team.”
Golden and Co. have tried to do the same, adding a collection of undervalued transfers such as Clayton, Will Richard and Rueben Chinyelu to young players like Denzel Aberdeen, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh.
“When we got to Florida, I can remember talking to Todd and talking about just trying to bring in guys that were incredible attitudes, like Tim Tebow, for example,” Hovde said. “This is the kind of place that you can attract those guys who are talented enough. And if you can do that – obviously you have to evaluate the basketball part – the sky’s the limit. Every one of these guys has a great attitude and work really, really hard. They’re so appreciative of being at Florida, and that’s what makes us great, that pride and unselfishness.”
PRESSURE POINT
Golden recalled Friday how, after hearing from his agent that Florida was interested in talking to him in 2022, it was a job he wanted.
Still, following a successful season at San Francisco, Golden was an up-and-comer with other opportunities on the horizon. After speaking to Florida’s senior administrative staff the morning after his initial call with UF athletic director Scott Stricklin – and convinced he would be a great fit – Golden applied pressure on Stricklin to let him know if he was the guy.
“I would love to be your coach,” Golden told him. “I don’t want to miss out on some other opportunities that I have. If you feel the same way, let’s do this thing.”
The next day, a deal was reached. Three years later, Golden has the Gators in the Final Four for the first time since 2014.
“Excited that Todd is a Gator and the job he’s done,” Stricklin told Florida Victorious on Friday. “I think from a timeline standpoint, he’s exceeded what anyone would expect, to come in and in his third year to take the Gators to the Final Four.”
FINAL SHOT?
Clayton and Martin did an interview outside the locker room Friday with Daymeon Fishback of the SEC Network. Fishback played at Auburn from 1996-2000 and was a team captain on Auburn’s 1999 team that won the SEC regular-season championship.
Fishback wanted to know who would take the final shot – Martin or Clayton – if Saturday night’s matchup comes down to the buzzer.
“Him,” Martin said, motioning to Clayton.
“I’d say myself,” Clayton obliged.
ALBERT’S WAKEUP CALL
This is not your father’s Final Four.
College basketball’s biggest event has taken on a Super Bowl-like atmosphere with thousands of fans streaming into San Antonio for three basketball games and countless entertainment options on the schedule, such as a concerts by Pitbull, T-Pain, Jelly Roll and Chris Stapleton at the March Madness Music Festival.
Meanwhile, Florida’s staff is keeping busy with an array of tasks far from the spotlight of the court. Tickets must be distributed, donors and boosters attended to, travel for the players and coaches has to be crisply executed, and much more.
One of those behind-the-scenes duties included an early wake-up call on Friday morning for Nicole Jones, UF’s senior associate athletics director or marketing, fan engagement and branding. Jones and a colleague took Albert, the Gators mascot, to Fan Fest on Friday morning at 5:30 to shoot a segment for the “Today Show” and other national outlets.
The Final Four has grown so much since Florida’s first Final Four appearance 31 years ago in Charlotte, N.C., that this is not even your older brother’s Final Four.
QUOTE OF NOTE I
“Hopefully on Saturday, we don’t have to have those types of conversations down the stretch. Hopefully it’s more about, ‘we got to finish this game the right way, let’s play to win and to not lose.’ ” — Gators head coach Todd Golden on telling the team late in the game against Texas Tech how they had to be perfect in final three minutes to win
QUOTE OF NOTE II
“I have always wanted to make pops proud. Everything I do is for him and my family. It’s all for my family, my pops, my mom and everything she’s been through, my siblings. So, just being able to come out here and represent my family and represent Africa and represent the organization, it’s a big moment for me.” — Gators center Rueben Chinyelu on playing for his late father and family in Nigeria
QUOTE OF NOTE III
“I’d say I had more fun at the first one with FAU, just because it was new. I didn’t know what to expect. This one was more like staying focused and trying to get the job done. I’m still trying to balance having fun, but it’s kind of hard when you haven’t won a national championship and you want to do that.” — Gators guard Alijah Martin on comparing his first Final Four two years ago to this one
GATOR CELEBS
Florida’s first appearance in the Final Four in 11 years is drawing several famous Gators to the Alamodome on Saturday night.
Gators football coach Billy Napier and his family are scheduled to attend the game as Napier takes a break from Florida’s spring camp. The Gators host the annual Orange & Blue Game on April 12 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
In addition, several former UF basketball standouts are making the trip, including Dan Cross, a starting guard on UF’s first Final Four team in 1994, Jason Williams, Chandler Parsons, Eddie Shannon, Matt Bonner, Jonathan Mitchell and Walter Hodge, a member of UF’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2006 and ’07.
Former Gators receiver Chris Doering, a regular at the O’Dome during the regular season, also plans to attend.
FREE THROWS
Martin played his first college game in San Antonio and will play his final one here. On Feb. 12, 2021, Martin’s FAU team visited the University of Texas-San Antonio and played in front of less than 400 fans at USTA’s Convocation Center. Martin scored 11 points in that contest more than four years ago … Gators assistant coaches Carlin Hartman and Jonathan Safir are from western New York and their Final Four berth prompted a story from Buffalo’s NBC affiliate … Gators sophomores Haugh and Condon have been the subject of many stories at the Final Four considering their low profile signings … UF volleyball player AC Fitzpatrick, an Ocala native, is representing the Gators in the singing of the National Anthem. The NCAA has a student-athlete from each institution in the Final Four singing the anthem.
