Greatest Florida basketball players of all time, ranked
Yesterday at 04:29 PM
The Florida Gators basketball team is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2014. The team is led by star player Walter Clayton Jr. The senior guard is having an incredible NCAA Tournament run and is becoming one of the best players in Florida history in the process. Florida is set to take on Auburn in their next March Madness game, but where does Clayton rank among the greatest Gator basketball players in history? Check out the gallery to find out.
1. Neal Walk, 1966-69
Neal Walk was arguably Florida’s first star and a number of his records still stand to this day. While Florida has had some star hoopers during the 21st century, and even dating back to the ’80s, their program wasn’t much to write home about until Walk stepped foot on campus.
Walk was Florida’s first All-American, a feat which he accomplished twice with the program. The 6-foot-10 center was a dominant big man during an era when that was a necessity for team success. He particularly thrived on the glass, leading the nation in rebounds with 19.8 per game in 1968. Walk also thrived as a scorer. He averaged 20.8 points per game over the course of his career, and that still stands as the best scoring average in program history. Neal also led Florida to their first-ever postseason tournament when he carried them to the NIT in 1969.
Walk was so dominant in blue and orange that he was selected second overall in the 1969 NBA Draft. Only Lew Alcindor – later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – was drafted before him. Alcindor is known as arguably the best college basketball player of all time. No Florida player has been drafted higher than Walk was ever since he was taken by the Phoenix Suns. Walk’s number 41 is the only number Florida basketball has retired.
2. Al Horford, 2004-07
Florida basketball has two championships throughout their history, and they came in back-to-back fashion. It is hard to confirm if Al Horford or the next player on this list was the team’s top option, but it was their overall depth/starting five that truly made them so special. Horford did exactly what he has done during his 18-year long NBA career when he was at Florida.
While his numbers didn’t necessarily pop, he was a talented and versatile defender who did all of the little things that led to winning. Horford’s winning ways have continued at the professional level. He is a defending champion as a member of the Boston Celtics, and nobody would be surprised if he added another ring to his collection this year.
Horford’s inside-outside game combined strength and agility like few other college basketball players. The 264 defensive rebounds he had in 2007 are the most in a single Florida season ever, and he ranks fourth in career blocks (189). Despite that interior dominance, Horford played the power forward position and was still able to thrive on the perimeter.
3. Joakim Noah, 2004-07
The other key member of Florida’s frontcourt during their championships in 2006 and 2007 was Joakim Noah. Noah is one of the best defensive players in NCAA history. He could swat shots in the paint (186 career blocks), but he could also step outside and clamp up wings.
Noah’s shooting touch wasn’t quite as impressive as Horford’s, which is why he ranks lower here, but he was athletic enough to thrive in transition and big enough to score inside. Together, the two formed one of the best duos college basketball has ever seen. Noah won the 2006 NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, and had he not returned to school for his junior year, he may have been the first overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.
4. Ronnie Williams, 1980-84
With 2,086 career points, Ronnie Williams is one of three Gators to surpass the 2,000-point threshold. Williams was All-SEC in all four of his collegiate seasons, even leading the conference in scoring with 21.3 points in 1982. The 6-foot-8 forward was uber-consistent as a scorer. He particularly thrived at getting to the charity stripe and knocking down his free throws.
5. Udonis Haslem, 1998-2002
Udonis Haslem was only a couple of years too old to be a part of Florida’s championship teams, but he likely would have fit right in on those squads. Haslem was an incredible leader, which was illustrated during his 20-year NBA career. Not only did Haslem have one of the longest NBA careers ever, but he did it all with the same team, the Miami Heat.
Haslem looked a lot different in Miami than he did up the road at Gainesville. Haslem was generously listed at just under 250 pounds during his college days. He was a big-bodied player who dominated inside, evidenced by the two years where he led the SEC in field goal percentage.
Haslem only trails Horford and Noah in career defensive win shares at Florida (8.7), and his 1,781 career points rank fifth in program history. Florida was a March Madness runner-up with Haslem on the roster. His running mate was Mike Miller, a player who only narrowly missed being ranked on this list of the best Florida basketball players ever.
6. Vernon Maxwell, 1984-88
Vernon Maxwell, nicknamed Mad Max, was the star player for Florida in their first two NCAA Tournament appearances. Maxwell could score from deep, in the mid-range, or at the rim. His 2,450 career points are still the most in Florida’s history. He is first in career steals with 206 as well.
Three of the seven best scoring seasons in Florida history came from Maxwell. Pete Maravich – arguably the best college basketball player of all time – and Allan Houston are the only players who scored more points in the SEC.
However, Maxwell’s collegiate career wasn’t all pretty. Both of his 20-plus point-per-game seasons aren’t technically a part of Florida’s record books. Maxwell took money from agents and accepted a free round-trip ticket to go to a basketball camp. Long before NIL existed, such actions were heavily punishable.
7. Andrew Moten, 1983-87
Andrew Moten did a little bit of everything for Florida in the mid-’80s. He ranks inside of the team’s top 10 statistically in assists (411), points (1,930), and minutes played (3,930).
8. Kenny Boynton, 2009-13
Nobody has graced the hardwood in a Florida jersey more than Kenny Boynton. The guard played a program record 4,674 minutes for the Gators, and he was pretty darn good in all of them. In fact, his offensive win shares mark of 13.3 is also the best in Florida history. Boynton led the Gators to the Elite Eight three straight times.
9. Dwayne Schintzius, 1986-90
Florida has always been known for their elite interior defensive players. Dwayne Schintzius stands above the rest when it comes to swatting opponent’s shots, though. He ranks first in Gators history with 272 blocked shots. The next best shot blocker – Kevarrius Hayes – only had 214 blocks in his career.
Ironically, one of the best Florida basketball players ever who didn’t make this list was another Dwayne: Dwayne Davis. Davis played at the same time as Schintzius, but the bigger big man overshadowed his front court partner in crime.
10. Walter Clayton Jr., 2023-present
Walter Clayton Jr. started his career at Iona, but he has been fantastic in his two seasons at Florida. Clayton averaged 17.6 points per game last season, and he has taken the next step in 2024-25. Clayton is averaging 18.1 points per game for the year, but he has been particularly impressive during Florida’s run to the Final Four.
The guard, who is one of the best shooters in college basketball, scored 23, 23 and 13 points in his first three NCAA Tournament games this year. Then, he exploded for 30 points in Florida’s Elite Eight comeback. Clayton was unconscious in that game and couldn’t miss any of the crazy shots that he was throwing up. Twenty-two of Clayton’s points against Texas Tech came in the second half. Florida was even down by 10 points with only six minutes left before Clayton pulled off his heroics.
HM. Corey Brewer, 2004-07
The third star of Florida’s back-to-back championship team was Corey Brewer, the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Like the aforementioned players from those rosters, Brewer was an excellent defender and a player who would always hustle despite his label as a star. The team’s grit and determination is what made those Florida squads so special, especially because the three of them returned to school for a third season during a time when most players would have instead left for the NBA.
Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green, the other two starters in Gainesville in 2006 and 2007, are also worth mentioning. Humphrey is the most prolific 3-point shooter in Florida history, and Green actually led the Gators in scoring – over the likes of Horford, Noah, and Brewer – in 2007.
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