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USA Today
an hour ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida basketball star Walter Clayton Jr. earns NBA draft green room invite
Florida basketball star Walter Clayton Jr. has received a green room invitation for the 2025 NBA draft, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony. Clayton's invitation comes on the heels of a historic season under head coach Todd Golden, where he led the Gators to a national championship and delivered one of the most dominant campaigns in program history. Clayton, a 6-foot-3-inch guard from Lake Wales, scored a Florida single-season record 713 points, becoming the first player in school history to earn consensus first-team All-America honors. Throughout the 2024-25 season, Clayton was the engine of Golden's offense, delivering clutch performances in every major moment. He was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player, SEC Tournament MVP and a Wooden Award finalist. Clayton posted 30 or more points in back-to-back Elite Eight and Final Four wins–something no player had done at that stage since Larry Bird. Clayton finished his Orange and Blue career with 1,346 points, the most every by a transfer at Florida. His combination of scoring, leadership and performances under the national spotlight has propelled him into first-round territory, and the green room invite makes that momentum official. With Clayton set to represent the Florida Gators on the NBA's biggest stage, Golden and Florida continue to prove they can develop top-tier talent ready to shine at the next level. How to watch the 2025 NBA draft The 2025 NBA draft will begin with the first round on Wednesday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The second round of the draft will start the following day on Thursday, June 26. That will also start at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Transfers are common across college sports. Athletes see irony in being criticized as disloyal
Hailey Van Lith was one year away from tying a bow on a traditional college career at Louisville and being cemented as one of the most decorated four-year starters in Cardinals history. She had just led her team to its third straight Elite Eight appearance and put up career-high numbers, including 19.7 points per game. But the rising senior from Wenatchee, Washington, had other plans. With WNBA aspirations on her mind, Van Lith swapped Louisville red for LSU purple and gold and embarked on a new journey in Baton Rouge. Her lone season included another run to the Elite Eight and it was back to the transfer portal. Coach Mark Campbell's pro-style offense caught her eye, and she decided her fifth and final year of eligibility would be spent at TCU. College sports was once rooted in tradition, school pride and loyalty, but those expectations are changing if not fading in a landscape where athletes have won the ability to transfer season to season, year to year. Some are painted as disloyal or selfish but Van Lith and others don't see it that way. 'Whenever you transfer, you always expect pushback,' Van Lith told The Associated Press. 'I can't tell you how many podcasts I've seen on people discussing my choices to go to this school and that school, and the theories that are thrown out there are all wrong. But it's just, you learn to live in harmony with that, and at the end of the day, I just decided I'm no longer going to let false assumptions disrupt my peace.' One of the biggest misconceptions, Van Lith said, is that her transfer decisions were guided by NIL compensation. She was able to look past accusations of being a 'money chaser' or a 'trophy chaser' and find solace knowing onlookers didn't have the full picture. 'Multiple of the schools that I went to, I actually never got a check from," she said. "I think that in transfer culture now, a lot of people automatically assume that it has to do with the collective money or now I guess it's revenue share. But it just depends on the person, and for me, it was all basketball decisions.' A level playing field Ann Skeet, senior director of Leadership Ethics at Santa Clara's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, said all parties should be held to the same standards. Coaches and athletic directors take new jobs, navigating buyouts and ill will along the way. 'I do think one of the realities of sport in this day and age is that people are making changes more often than they used to,' Skeet said. 'How they communicate what their decision is, how much time they give people, how frequently they're changing teams, all of those things should be considered, and I think it's fair to hold the coaches and players to equal standards.' Skeet acknowledged the pressure on athletes navigating a new, professional-like industry at a young age. Millions of dollars in name, image and likeness compensation is already flowing even before schools start cutting checks after July 1 under the NCAA antitrust settlement. 'The reality is, NIL is bringing market pressures to college sports in a way that we haven't experienced before, and so players are having to trade off and think about what serves their own personal interests vs. what serves the team interests in ways that they haven't had to consider in the past," she said. Complicated decisions While Van Lith was deciding her future, running back Ray Davis was awaiting his. In his sole season at Kentucky, Davis rushed for 1,129 yards on 199 carries and led the SEC with 21 touchdowns from scrimmage. His production was enough to garner interest from NFL scouts. Similar to Van Lith, Davis's winding road to the pros involved several stops. Before Kentucky, he had two-year stints at Temple (2019-2021) and Vanderbilt (2021-2023). Transferring to Kentucky meant Davis would suit up for his third team in five years, and he knew moving from one SEC school to the next could stir the pot. The decision wasn't an easy one. 'It was super difficult,' Davis said. 'It took days, literally almost weeks to just really make a decision. And when I made the decision, I just had to live with it. I couldn't think twice about it. I had to be confident.' The move paid off. Davis gained national attention and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. But while his draft stock soared, the backlash from transferring a second time took a toll. 'Mentally it sucks because, you know, as a kid when you're 18, 19 or whatever, you're being told, 'Hey he's leaving because he's disloyal,' and that's not what it is,' Davis said. He focused on what he could control. 'I think it's really about how you handle it yourself, how you internalize it yourself, and how you go about walking in the building each and every day. If you be like, `Ah, people are looking at me like I'm not an honest and disloyal person,' then that's going to hurt you mentally. But if you walk into a place where you're confident in who you are, then I think you'll succeed,' Davis told AP. The impacts Transfer decisions, regardless of the underlying factor, can lead to unfavorable public perceptions — or worse. A 2024 study found a cross-section of abusive content directed toward college athletes on social media. 'It certainly is their right to transfer, but then they will also develop whatever reputation they develop as a result of the choices they make. So people who transfer multiple times are going to be identified in that way,' Skeet said. 'It goes with the territory, as they say.' Both Van Lith and Davis noted the irony in receiving blowback when team personnel can seek new ventures without repercussions. 'Coaches leave. Directors leave. Everybody has the opportunity to leave. So for players, we've got to have that opportunity too,' Davis said. Added Van Lith: 'A lot of times, the loyalty is placed on the responsibility of the players, but you see coaches leave all the time to better their financial situation, to make more money, to do better for their family. When people talk about loyalty, I really challenge them to put into perspective, if they would feel the same if a coach left.' ___
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Transfers are common across college sports. Athletes see irony in being criticized as disloyal
Hailey Van Lith was one year away from tying a bow on a traditional college career at Louisville and being cemented as one of the most decorated four-year starters in Cardinals history. She had just led her team to its third straight Elite Eight appearance and put up career-high numbers, including 19.7 points per game. But the rising senior from Wenatchee, Washington, had other plans. With WNBA aspirations on her mind, Van Lith swapped Louisville red for LSU purple and gold and embarked on a new journey in Baton Rouge. Her lone season included another run to the Elite Eight and it was back to the transfer portal. Coach Mark Campbell's pro-style offense caught her eye, and she decided her fifth and final year of eligibility would be spent at TCU. College sports was once rooted in tradition, school pride and loyalty, but those expectations are changing if not fading in a landscape where athletes have won the ability to transfer season to season, year to year. Some are painted as disloyal or selfish but Van Lith and others don't see it that way. 'Whenever you transfer, you always expect pushback,' Van Lith told The Associated Press. 'I can't tell you how many podcasts I've seen on people discussing my choices to go to this school and that school, and the theories that are thrown out there are all wrong. But it's just, you learn to live in harmony with that, and at the end of the day, I just decided I'm no longer going to let false assumptions disrupt my peace.' One of the biggest misconceptions, Van Lith said, is that her transfer decisions were guided by NIL compensation. She was able to look past accusations of being a 'money chaser' or a 'trophy chaser' and find solace knowing onlookers didn't have the full picture. 'Multiple of the schools that I went to, I actually never got a check from,' she said. 'I think that in transfer culture now, a lot of people automatically assume that it has to do with the collective money or now I guess it's revenue share. But it just depends on the person, and for me, it was all basketball decisions.' A level playing field Ann Skeet, senior director of Leadership Ethics at Santa Clara's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, said all parties should be held to the same standards. Coaches and athletic directors take new jobs, navigating buyouts and ill will along the way. 'I do think one of the realities of sport in this day and age is that people are making changes more often than they used to,' Skeet said. 'How they communicate what their decision is, how much time they give people, how frequently they're changing teams, all of those things should be considered, and I think it's fair to hold the coaches and players to equal standards.' Skeet acknowledged the pressure on athletes navigating a new, professional-like industry at a young age. Millions of dollars in name, image and likeness compensation is already flowing even before schools start cutting checks after July 1 under the NCAA antitrust settlement. 'The reality is, NIL is bringing market pressures to college sports in a way that we haven't experienced before, and so players are having to trade off and think about what serves their own personal interests vs. what serves the team interests in ways that they haven't had to consider in the past,' she said. Complicated decisions While Van Lith was deciding her future, running back Ray Davis was awaiting his. In his sole season at Kentucky, Davis rushed for 1,129 yards on 199 carries and led the SEC with 21 touchdowns from scrimmage. His production was enough to garner interest from NFL scouts. Similar to Van Lith, Davis's winding road to the pros involved several stops. Before Kentucky, he had two-year stints at Temple (2019-2021) and Vanderbilt (2021-2023). Transferring to Kentucky meant Davis would suit up for his third team in five years, and he knew moving from one SEC school to the next could stir the pot. The decision wasn't an easy one. 'It was super difficult,' Davis said. 'It took days, literally almost weeks to just really make a decision. And when I made the decision, I just had to live with it. I couldn't think twice about it. I had to be confident.' The move paid off. Davis gained national attention and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. But while his draft stock soared, the backlash from transferring a second time took a toll. 'Mentally it sucks because, you know, as a kid when you're 18, 19 or whatever, you're being told, 'Hey he's leaving because he's disloyal,' and that's not what it is,' Davis said. He focused on what he could control. 'I think it's really about how you handle it yourself, how you internalize it yourself, and how you go about walking in the building each and every day. If you be like, `Ah, people are looking at me like I'm not an honest and disloyal person,' then that's going to hurt you mentally. But if you walk into a place where you're confident in who you are, then I think you'll succeed,' Davis told AP. The impacts Transfer decisions, regardless of the underlying factor, can lead to unfavorable public perceptions — or worse. A 2024 study found a cross-section of abusive content directed toward college athletes on social media. 'It certainly is their right to transfer, but then they will also develop whatever reputation they develop as a result of the choices they make. So people who transfer multiple times are going to be identified in that way,' Skeet said. 'It goes with the territory, as they say.' Both Van Lith and Davis noted the irony in receiving blowback when team personnel can seek new ventures without repercussions. 'Coaches leave. Directors leave. Everybody has the opportunity to leave. So for players, we've got to have that opportunity too,' Davis said. Added Van Lith: 'A lot of times, the loyalty is placed on the responsibility of the players, but you see coaches leave all the time to better their financial situation, to make more money, to do better for their family. When people talk about loyalty, I really challenge them to put into perspective, if they would feel the same if a coach left.' ___ AP college sports:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke basketball drops Michigan State schedule update
The post Duke basketball drops Michigan State schedule update appeared first on ClutchPoints. Duke basketball is taking on a very tough opponent this coming season, in non conference play. Duke is headed on the road to play Michigan State, per the team's social media. The game will be played December 6. Advertisement Duke-Michigan State will feature two of the most successful programs in college basketball right now. Both squads made the NCAA tournament last season, and both are led by high-profile coaches. Duke is led by Jon Scheyer, while Tom Izzo coaches at Michigan State. Duke lost in the Final Four this past season to Houston. Michigan State basketball meanwhile lost in the Elite Eight to Auburn. Duke basketball is still looking for their first NCAA championship with Jon Scheyer Duke is reloading most of their roster for next season. The program lost freshmen stars Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. All three of those players are likely to be first round NBA Draft picks. Advertisement The Blue Devils have another stellar recruiting class coming in. It includes both Cameron and Cayden Boozer, as well as forward Nikolas Khamenia. Duke once again has the no. 1 overall class for 2025, per 247 Sports. Khamenia in particular is a player that evaluators think could help Duke basketball. 'Khamenia has a terrific overlap of size, skill, and a very high basketball IQ. He has great instincts and natural feel for the game. He's an exceptional passer who can throw darts off the dribble with both hands and thread the needle when needed, but also understands how to be a ball-mover as well,' Adam Finkelstein wrote for 247 Sports. Duke has had success with Scheyer at the helm. He has made March Madness in each of his seasons at Duke. This past year was his first Final Four appearance. He is still looking for his first trip to the national championship. Advertisement The college basketball season starts in the fall. There will be several new changes to NCAA basketball this year, including the addition of coach's challenges. Related: Charlie Ward, Florida A&M nabs Florida State assistant Related: Serbian sharpshooter commits to Indiana basketball
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Detroit Pistons NBA predraft workouts prospect list: Who is in play at No. 37?
The Detroit Pistons only have the 37th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — the first time since 2018 the franchise will be without a first-round pick on draft night. Their predraft workouts, as a result, largely have focused on players slated to go in the second round, or players who are candidates to sign two-way contracts with the Pistons' G League affiliate Motor City Cruise after going undrafted. Advertisement Here's a rundown of which prospects we know have visited the Pistons Performance Center ahead of the draft, which is scheduled for June 25 (first round) and 26 (second round). We will update the list as we learn more. ANALYSIS: Pacers shock NBA with improbable Finals run. 3 reasons Pistons might be next 2024-25 stats: 18 points, 3.9 rebounds, 39.5% from 3 Draft projection: Second-round pick Johni Broome, 6-11 big, Auburn, Sr. Johni Broome celebrates a play against Michigan State during the Elite Eight in Atlanta, March 30, 2025. 2024-25 stats: 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 blocks, 51% overall, 27.8% from 3 Draft projection: Second-round pick 2024-25 stats: 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists Advertisement Draft projection: Undrafted free agent Jacksen Moni, 6-10 forward, North Dakota State, Fr. 2024-25 stats: 20.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 50.8% overall, 40.8% from 3 Draft projection: Undrafted free agent Obinna Anochili-Killen, 6-8 forward, Marshall, Sr. 2024-25 stats: 14.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 54.8% overall, 32.8% from 3 Draft projection: Undrafted free agent Jalon Moore, 6-6 wing, Oklahoma, Sr. 2024-25 stats: 15.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 47.1% overall, 38.1% from 3 Draft projection: Undrafted free agent Johnell Davis, 6-4 wing, Arkansas, Sr. 2024-25 stats: 12 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, 39% overall, 32.8% from 3 Advertisement Draft projection: Undrafted free agent TY Johnson, 6-3 guard, UC Davis, Sr. 2024-25 stats: 21.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 38.7% overall, 28.1% from 3 Draft projection: Undrafted free agent RJ Felton, 6-3 guard, East Carolina, Sr. 2024-25 stats: 18.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 37.6% from 3 Draft projection: Undrafted free agent David N'Guessan, 6-9 forward, Kansas State, Sr. 2024-25 stats: 13.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 64.4% overall, 27.3% from 3 Draft projection: Undrafted free agent Zhuric Phelps, 6-3 guard, Texas A&M, Sr. 2024-25 stats: 13.6 points, 5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 36.3% overall, 25.9% from 3 Advertisement Draft projection: Undrafted free agent [ MUST WATCH: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistonspodcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Follow the Pistons all year long with the best coverage at Submit a letter to the editor at and we may publish it online or in print. Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress) This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons NBA draft workouts: Which players have visited
