Part IX: A journey to a national title; The thrill of victory for Florida

Walter Clayton Jr. causes Houston's Emanuel Sharp to turn the ball over as the clock strikes zero (Photo by Chris Spears)

Growing up in an era when there were only three networks ABC’s Wide World of Sports was must watch Saturday afternoon television if for nothing more than to hear Jim McKay say “the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat” as Slovenian Vinko Bogataj tumbled, flipped and careened off the end of the ski jump. I had never seen snow so every time I saw Vinko flying into space, completely out of control, I wondered how and why anyone would ever take up ski jumping as a sport.

Wide World of Sports lasted until 1998, replaced by live sporting events on multiple networks. The words thrill of victory and agony of defeat live on in my heart and mind. For every victory that unleashes spontaneous celebration there is defeat accompanied by heartbreak and tears. You can’t have one without the other.

On semifinal Saturday at the Final Four, the Florida Gators and Houston Cougars experienced the thrill of victory. Auburn and Duke experienced the agony of defeat. For both Florida and Houston, Monday would be their fourth NCAA championship game. The Gators were 2-1 in the big game with championships won in 2006 and 2007.  Houston (0-3) made it to the championship game for the first time since Phi Slamma Jamma went down in flames in back-to-back seasons (1983-84).

Houston began the season ranked No. 4. Florida began No. 21. When Monday night gave way to Tuesday, one would be celebrating the thrill of earning the final No. 1 ranking while the other would agonize at a No. 2 finish.

Sunday, April 6, 2025, San Antonio; The Alamodome

At the Alamodome just prior to the Sunday press conferences, I catch fragments of discussion that are dominated by the Duke collapse. A substantial portion of the national media is in a state of utter disbelief that Duke not only blew a 14-point lead and lost to Houston, but Cooper Flagg short-armed a makeable shot in the lane that would have won the game. There is more talk about what Duke didn’t do than what Florida and Houston did to make it to the national championship game.

I attribute it to Duke arrogance. In the minds of every Duke fan and what I believe to be most of the national media, Duke is a college basketball somebody, steeped in the rich tradition of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Neither Duke nor the ACC invented college basketball although you might think so if you talk to their fans or the media that covers them.

Here is a shocker for you. Since 2000, Duke has won three national championships, made the Final Four six times and the Elite Eight 10 times. That’s impressive except when you consider all the 5-star talent Duke has accumulated. How is it Duke has only one three national championships with all that talent? Why doesn’t someone ask that question?

Then there are the Florida Gators. Few in the national media think of the Gators as a college basketball somebody but heading into Monday night’s national championship game, Florida has won two national championships, finished runner-up once, made the Final Four five times and the Elite Eight nine times. Almost as impressive as Duke. Perhaps more impressive when you consider how few 5-stars the Gators have signed. On the back-to-back national championship teams of 2006-07, Corey Brewer was Florida’s only 5-star. On this year’s Florida team there are a lot of no-stars and not a single 5-star.

At the press conference Todd Golden explains, “To become a part of our program these last couple years, you had to buy into our vision. You had to buy into putting the program above yourself.”

The reason the Gators are poised to win the third national championship since 2000 has everything to do with buy in. These guys believe in the mission. They believe in the coaches. They believe in the plan to succeed. As important as anything else, they believe in each other.

Walter Clayton Jr., one of those no star recruits who is proving on college basketball’s biggest stage that he, not Cooper Flagg, is the best player in the country, pinpoints what it is exactly that makes the Gators who they are. In three of the last four games, the Gators have staged improbable comebacks to beat UConn, Texas Tech and Auburn.

“Yeah, I’ve been saying it for awhile now, just the togetherness of our team, the love we all got for each other, allows us not to break apart during adversity,” Clayton says. “We just stay together in these moments.”

The Gators stayed together when adversity struck against Auburn, enabling a comeback from a 9-point second half deficit. They were down 10 to Texas Tech, six in the second half in that rock fight with UConn.

When adversity strikes, the Gators seem held together by super glue. Quite a contrast to Duke, which fell apart against Houston. The Blue Devils made only one shot from the field in the final 10:30 against Houston in one of the most monumental choke jobs in NCAA Final Four history.

“There is something about this team that makes us special,” Tommy Haugh says. “We give everything we have for each other because we don’t want to let the team down.”

Sunday, April 7, 2025, San Antonio

Dinner is at Brasao, an extraordinary Brazilian steakhouse located past the I-10 exit that takes you to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The main course is the meat, but the salad bar is extraordinary. I could make a meal off the fresh asparagus and deviled eggs. Ribeye, sirloin, pork … it’s incredible.

I don’t do the lamb. I defer to Larry when it comes to lamb. I haven’t eaten any since April of 1997 in London when four of us went to the Fakhreldine Lebanese restaurant on Piccadilly before going to see Petula Clark in the role of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Sunset Boulevard.” Dinner seemed marvelous until after the play when we stopped at Haagen Das in Leicester Square for ice cream. I started feeling pale and dizzy, so we hailed a cab back to the Athenaeum Hotel.

I cannot recall a more miserable night. Maybe sometime about 3 a.m. I made a deal with God. If he would let me live through the night I would never eat lamb or Arab food ever again.

I’m still alive 28 years later because I have lived up to my end of the deal.

Sunday, April 7, 2025, San Antonio

Back at Casa Gross, it is time to write. Boss is downstairs. I’m sure he smells the meat on Larry and Pauline. I’m upstairs, guarded by Charlie the Lab.

Recalling the day, I decide writing will be done best wearing the Stetson that Larry got for me. He doesn’t realize that up until the time I decided that I would one day take over third base for the Baltimore Orioles when Brooks Robinson retired that I was going to be a cowboy. For some odd reason I couldn’t hit a curve ball, thus ending the Brooks Robinson dream. The dream of being a cowboy pretty much came to an end when Larry Finkle, older brother of my friend Dale, pointed out that nobody took a shot at Gene Autry until he finished singing his song. All the while he was singing he was moving toward cover so that the bullet ricocheted off a rock.

“It’s not real,” Larry told me. “Real cowboys wouldn’t wait until Gene Autry is behind the rock.”

Dreams die hard when you’re eight years old.

Monday, April 7, San Antonio

At breakfast, Boss informs me that I have to pay up for four days of protective services. Two strips of bacon are demanded, a small price to pay for four days of safety.

It’s checkout day as Casa Gross. The flight back to Florida is early morning from Austin so I’ll work at the Alamodome after the game then drive to Austin. It’s been a great four days spent with wonderful friends in their warm, loving home.

When I leave, Boss demands hugs and ear scratches. If he knew I wasn’t returning, I’m sure he would have demanded more bacon at breakfast.

Monday, April 7, San Antonio; The Alamodome

Two hours before tip off and I walk through the tunnel leading to a near empty arena that will soon be filled with more than 66,000 fans. My mind drifts back to 2006 when Florida and UCLA played for the national championship in Indianapolis. About 30 minutes prior to the opening tip, a large contingent of former UCLA All-Americans led by Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came marching through the tunnel in a tight pack, almost with military precision. They were escorted to a special section. I wondered if they feared being mobbed by fans.

Five minutes into the second half Chris Richard nearly tore the rim off the backboard with a monster dunk that had the effect of draining all the arrogance from the faces of the UCLA All-Americans. Florida went on to win its first NCAA basketball title that night, fitting I thought against UCLA.

Just four days earlier, this was supposed to be a walk in the park for Duke, but Duke’s not here. Pity.

Alex Condon keeps J'Wan Roberts from getting to the rack (Photo by Chris Spears)

Four hours later … The Alamodome

Confetti will fall from the roof and the Florida Gators will sway to the traditional recording of Luther Vandross singing “One Shining Moment” but not without one of the more bizarre endings in the history of the NCAA championship game. Despite being given every opportunity to win its first NCAA basketball championship, Houston can’t convert free throws, make critical stops or squeeze off a shot in the final seconds that could win the game.

With the Gators leading 65-63 with 19.7 seconds left, Houston elected to go for the win instead of trying a layup to tie the game and send it to overtime. The only problem with that decision was Florida’s defense. Alijah Martin took Milos Uzan out. Will Richard smothered LJ Cryer. Emanuel Sharp took a pass from Cryer about 28 feet from the basket. As Sharp went up for the shot, Walter Clayton Jr. came flying by, being careful to distract but not foul. Sharp dropped the ball to the floor but before anyone from Houston could retrieve Alex Condon dived face first, secured the ball and flipped it up to Clayton as the final horn sounded.

Florida 65, Houston 63. A fourth come-from-behind win in six NCAA Tournament games. An ending so wild that it couldn’t have been scripted. So typical of the Florida Gators who won their third NCAA basketball championship in school history and the first in Todd Golden’s three years on the job.

For Houston, a last second loss in the national championship game almost as strange as 1983 when Lorenzo Charles dunked back a missed 3-pointer to give North Carolina State a win over the heavily favored Cougars.

Two hours earlier … The Alamodome

In the win over Duke, Houston’s strategy was to take its chances with Cooper Flagg. Kelvin Sampson was willing to let Flagg score in exchange for keeping the other four guys under control. Obviously, the strategy worked quite well. Against Florida, Sampson’s strategy is to bracket Walter Clayton Jr. and take his chances with the other guys.

Within the first five minutes of the game I remark to Kenny Cross, “There are men doing hard time in Raiford for less than what Houston is doing.”

This game is so physical that it makes the UConn, Texas Tech and Auburn games seem like recess at Romper Room. The zebra crew of Ron Groover, Terry Oglesby and Doug Sirmons seem to be channeling their inner Karl “No Autopsy, No Foul” Hess. It isn’t for a lack of whistle opportunities. They have plenty but either their whistles are defective or were swallowed.

At halftime, there have been four – count ‘em – free throws shot. By BOTH teams. Four! Florida is 2-2. Houston is 1-2.

Of course, if the zebras had tooted every time there was a foul the first half would have lasted two hours and both teams would have had only five players to make it through the entire second half.

Will Richard drains a first half three over Milos Uzan (Photo by Chris Spears)

The physical play makes it difficult for Clayton to squeeze off a shot so Will Richard has to carry the Gators in the first half. Richard hits three 3-pointers during a 3-minute stretch to bring the Gators even with Houston, 21-21, but the Cougars respond with an 8-0 run for a 29-21 lead. Another Richard 3-pointer with 52 seconds to go in the half cuts the gap to 31-28 at the intermission.

Fourteen first half points for Richard. Zero for Walt. Worse yet, nine Florida turnovers.

“At halftime just looking at the numbers, the only thing that really stood out that was a big issue was our turnovers,” Todd Golden said. “I thought we had such uncharacteristic turnovers. I thought some of those, majority of those nine turnovers were not forced. They were just either poor decisions or being sped up offensively. We just needed to kind of calm down.”

Despite all the turnovers, Houston wasn’t capitalizing. For the entire game, the Gators turned it over 13 times, but Houston managed only nine points off the miscues. That is because Houston wasn’t the only team playing defense.

Florida was so good offensively throughout the year that it was easy to overlook how good the Gators were defensively. The Gators gave up only 69.6 points per game, ranked seventh nationally in 3-point defense (29.4 percent) and finished third in rebounding (41.82 per game).

Houston hit only 2-14 from the 3-point line in the first half, 6-25 for the entire game. In the second half, Houston was held to a miserable 31.25 percent from the field. At one point in the second half, the Gators got nine consecutive stops.

Despite the defensive effort, however, the game almost got away from the Gators during a 50-second span early in the first half. Florida was whistled for four consecutive fouls and when Todd Golden protested, he was lit up for a technical foul.

Houston’s 34-30 lead expanded to 40-30 with three free throws and a 3-pointer by LJ Cryer after the technical. When J’Wan Roberts scored in the paint with 16:24 left to make it 42-30, Mike Bianchi looked at me and said, “They aren’t going to let Florida win this game.”

Walter Clayton Jr. finally got on the scoreboard with 14:57 left in the game with a pair of free throws that cut Houston’s margin to 42-34. When the second free throw buried itself in the net, the large Florida contingent nearly blew the roof off the Alamodome. Something about Walt scoring told the Florida faithful that the Gators weren’t dead yet.

Houston scored the next three points to put Florida down 11, but that’s when the zebras whistled three straight fouls on the Cougars over a 9-second period. The Gators didn’t get a single free throw from the fouls, but they loosened up and started looking like the Florida team that was 5-0 in NCAA Tournament play. A Denzel Aberdeen layup, an Alijah Martin 3-pointer and a fast break layup and free throw by Tommy Haugh trimmed Houston’s 11-point margin to 45-42. There was still 12:06 left in the game, but no longer did it look like Houston was on track to win its first national basketball championship in school history.  

“When we went down 12 in the second half, we stayed the course,” Clayton said. “We didn’t point fingers, didn’t start to try to make hero plays, gambling defensively. We got rewarded because of that toughness we displayed.”

Walter Clayton Jr. set up for a drive to the rack (Photo by Chris Spears)

Clayton made his first shot from the field with 7:54 to go in the game. After walking the ball up the court after the Gators got a stop, Clayton set up Terrance Arceneaux a good 40 feet from the basket, crossed over right to left hand and blew by the Houston guard for a lefty layup high off the glass.  Fouled on the play, Clayton hit the free throw to tie the game at 48-48.

A foul and a tech on Rueben Chinyelu gave Houston three free throws for a 51-48 lead, but Clayton had his mojo back. With 7:02 remaining in the game the Gators ran a give-and-go, Clayton-to-Haugh-back to Clayton for a layup and another foul. Clayton tied the game with his free throw.

For the next five minutes the Gators played catch up. Houston scored just enough to keep the lead. The Gators scored just enough to keep it a reach out and touch game. Trailing Houston by three (60-57), Florida assistant Kevin Hovde designed a play to spring Clayton free for a 3-point shot during a media time out.

Once across midcourt, Clayton flipped the ball to Tommy Haugh to the left of the key. Clayton ran Houston guard Milos Uzan past the foul line on the right side of the lane where he was picked up by Emanuel Sharp. A couple more steps toward the rim and Clayton put it in reverse. Alex Condon slid over a couple of steps with a screen to pick off Sharp. Richard sold that he was going to take a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then cut back toward the rim, taking Uzan with him. At the top of the key Clayton got the ball back, elevated and delivered the dagger three to tie the game at 60-60 with 3:14 to go.

The Cougars got their final points from the field when Cryer tipped in his own miss with 2:29 left but Richard tied it at 62-62 with a pair of free throws with 2:18 to go. Houston’s last lead came with 2:05 left when Joseph Tugler made the first of two free throws.

In the final two minutes, the Gators are brilliant defensively. Milos Uzan goes high to launch a 3-point shot from the top of the key. Will Richard goes higher and blocks the shot. Houston gets the ball back with 4.3 seconds left but Cryer misses from the baseline. When Tugler tries to wrestle the rebound away from Condon, the ball goes off his hand. Florida ball with 1:21 to go.

Houston’s next possession ends in a blocked shot/takeway by Condon in the paint with 52 seconds to go. Alijah Martin is fouled taking the ball to the rack on 6-8 Joseph Tugler six seconds later. He drains both free throws for Florida’s first lead since the score was 8-6.

Will Richard knocks the ball off Emanuel Sharp's leg (Photo by Chris Spears)

Taking the ball at the top of the key, Sharp drives right, tries to turn the corner and get to the rack, but as Condon cuts him off Richard reaches in and slaps the ball off Sharp’s leg. Florida basketball with 26.5 seconds left and a 64-63 lead.

The Gators barely avoid turning the ball over with 19.7 seconds left, bailed out by a foul that sends Denzel Aberdeen to the line. He bricks the first, makes the second. Later on it will be noted that the second free throw was worth billions. The point spread was 1.5. Florida covered.

One hour later … The Alamodome

Rueben Chinyelu with his victory cigar (Photo by Chris Spears)

In a jubilant Florida locker room, Rueben Chinyelu waves a cigar. Tommy Haugh holds the national championship trophy. Alex Condon is surrounded. Will Richard calmly tells a reporter he came to Florida for moments just like this.

There is chaos everywhere but sitting quietly in front of his locker, a gentle, contented smile on his face, is Micah Handlogten.

“Worth it?” I ask him. I know the answer already, but I have to ask just because I want to see the smile that I know is coming back at me.

“Best decision I ever made,” he answers. The smile could light up an entire room.  

I tell him he has a memory for a lifetime, something that no one will ever be able to take away from him. I also have a memory for a lifetime. I get to see the sense of pride and feeling of accomplishment of an unselfish young man who put team above self.

Just a few weeks earlier when Handlogten made the decision to burn his redshirt, I was on Rob Browne’s Sidelines SEC show. I told Rob that this was the missing ingredient that would take the Florida Gators to the NCAA championship.

Next season when he’s stronger and in the great basketball shape that he wasn’t these past few weeks, Micah Handlogten will be a beast. There is still room for greatness.

Before leaving the locker room, I pause for a photo with Haugh, still holding the trophy.

“You only dream about something like this … and now it’s real,” Haugh tells me.

As I walk to the door, I tell Walter Clayton Jr. that he is officially the most famous citizen of Lake Wales. He grins and responds, “I don’t know about famous but the Gator Boyz are national champions!”

Trudging to the media work room, I recall leaving the Georgia Dome in 2007 after the Gators had beaten Ohio State for the national championship. I wondered that night if I would ever get to write about another Florida basketball team so fun and so full of life.

Eighteen years later, it happened again. The glow still won’t go way.