• Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. has drawn comparisons to NBA legends like Steph Curry and Larry Bird during his impressive March Madness run.
• Clayton became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to score back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and Final Four.
• Clayton’s teammates and coaches praise his exceptional talent and leadership, calling him the best guard in America.
• Florida will face Houston in the championship game, where Clayton has the opportunity to achieve what Bird couldn’t in 1979: win it all.

SAN ANTONIO – Florida basketball guard Walter Clayton Jr has drawn comparisons from some top-notch NBA players during his miraculous March Madness run.

In San Francisco, it was two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry. Gators Assistant Coach Kevin Hovde likened New York Knicks all-star Jalen Brunson. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith mentioned Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham (even if he misspelled names).

A new name emerged from the pack Saturday night – the hick from French Lick, Larry Bird.

With his 34 points in the Gators‘ Final Four win over Auburn, Clayton became the first player since Bird at Indiana State in 1979 with back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and Final Four. The Lake Wales native tallied exactly 30 points in UF’s Elite Eight win over Texas Tech last Saturday.

Clayton spoke about the rare feat before Florida’s NCAA Final vs. Houston in San Antonio. He was unaware of the stat until the Sun mentioned it to him.

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“The guys around me, they trust me. They’ve allowed me to come here and play my game, and it’s great,” Clayton said. “We got one more to get done.”

He said it means a lot to be included with one of the greatest players in college basketball and NBA history.

“Larry Bird is one of the greatest players to have played the game,” Clayton said.

Winning is nothing new for Clayton, who won two state titles in high school. At this level, he said his teammates have allowed him to soak in the moment while still focusing on the task ahead.

“We’ve done a great job of enjoying the wins, but locking in after we win,” Clayton said.

Coach Todd Golden used the words “fantastic, phenomenal, spectacular” to describe Clayton. He called him the best guard in America.

“What more does this guy need to do to prove that he’s the best guard in America right now?,” Golden said. “To get this deep in the tournament, to still be playing at a time like this, you need some special players. Obviously, he’s one of those guys for us.”

Saturday night inside the Florida locker room, praise was on cloud nine for Clayton. Rueben Chinyelu said he’s just “different.”

Micah Handlogten believes Clayton was robbed of Player of the Year, which went to Duke’s Cooper Flagg with Auburn’s Johni Broome finishing second in voting.

Clayton’s now advanced further than each of those two. Handlogten said that “chip on the shoulder” mentality applies to the whole team.

“That’s the story of our team. We were all under-recruited. We all see ourselves as underdogs,” Handlogten said. “His story is his own story. He worked his way up. He was at mid-major level, transferred to a high-major. We turned into a powerhouse, and now we’re in the national championship, and he’s been our leader the whole team.”

Freshman Isaiah Brown acknowledged Clayton holds just one look during games, but don’t let that deceive you.

“Even though he’s not going to show any expressions, he’s going to let you know that this game is his, and he’s going to take over and put on notice that he’s the one,” Brown said.

On the podium Saturday night, Alijah Martin, Will Richard and Thomas Haugh used the same word to describe Martin: “Special.”

Richard said Clayton’s scoring ability gives UF a great advantage.

“That’s a great thing about our team. We have a lot of guys that can impact the game,” Richard said. “I feel like as long as there’s time on the clock, we can always fight.”

Haugh said no basketball player in the world is “balling” like Clayton.

“We saw in the summertime. This is who he is,” Haugh said.

Bird scored 19 points in the NCAA Final in 1979 – an iconic 75-64 loss to Magic Johnson and Michigan State. Can Clayton do something Bird couldn’t? We’ll find out Monday night.

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected] and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.