Walter Clayton Jr. knows the magic that playing for Rick Pitino can bring.
Despite the disciplinary trips to the treadmill and long hours in the gym, the Hall of Famer prepares you for success on the court. It’s something that Clayton still remembers as he gets ready to be selected in the 2025 NBA Draft.
He also knows that Pitino will showcase his basketball acumen again this offseason as he tries to transition North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson to point guard for St. John's.
“The game nowadays, you need five guys on the court that could score at all times,” Clayton explained during his pre-draft media availability on Tuesday afternoon in New York City.
“I think Coach P’s whole thing, he runs a Euro League offense, so it’s just going to be guys that know how to play basketball. It’s going to be multiple guys coming off ball screens, multiple guys coming off pin-downs and different actions.”
Jackson primarily played off-ball with the Tar Heels behind Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis, not truly being able to showcase his skillset under Hubert Davis and is hoping that changes with the Johnnies.
“So, I think he’s going to have five good basketball players out there,” Clayton added. “I think they will be a good team this year.”
Walter Clayton Jr. knows exactly what development under Rick Pitino looks like, including having to change positions and his style of play.
“He kind of moved me over,” Clayton added. “I was kind of pass first [guard] and with Coach P I became more of a score first guard. He opened me up to that.”
He averaged 7.3 points per game with Pitino at Iona during his freshman season before posting 16.8 points per contest as a sophomore.
The Florida native would then enter the transfer portal after Rick Pitino accepted the job at St. John’s but opted for the Gators over the Red Storm where he capped off two seasons that culminated with a National Championship and being named as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
Now, as Walter Clayton’s dreams of playing in the NBA are on the cusp of coming to fruition, St. John’s is hoping Ian Jackson can be on a similar path and find himself near the top of the NBA Draft list this time next year.