SAN ANTONIO — In the moment the Florida Gators stepped to the Alamadome podium for their coronation, it was Will Richard who held the national championship in his arms and rocked it like a baby.
As members of the team filed into the media room for the postgame press conference, it was Richard who walked the hardware into the room and delicately centered it on the dais.
Later as the team gathered in the locker room to celebrate the school’s first championship since going back-to-back in 2006 and 2007, it was Richard standing in the center of the room cradling the trophy.
“It’s heavy, but I don’t care,” Richard said, when asked about his swift bonding with the award. “It’s the national championship trophy, and I just have to carry this.”
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
On a night when Florida’s top two scoring guards, Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, never got totally on track offensively (they shot a combined 5-for-20 from the field and Clayton was scoreless in the first half), Richard’s hot hand in the first half allowed the Gators to keep the game close on the way to Monday’s 65-63 victory.
Richard finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds — both team highs. Fourteen of those points came in a first half that ended with the Gators only trailing by three despite their top two scorers, Clayton and Martin, combining for just one first-half field goal.
“Houston was guarding us great, but we have multiple guys on this team that can go,” Clayton said. “[Monday] was one of those nights for Will. He showed it multiple times this year.”
This season, Richard led the team in scoring nine times, including a career-high 30 points against Georgia in February. While Clayton and Martin were having their problems in the first half against the nation’s top-rated scoring defense, Richard was on a heater — hitting four of his six 3-point shots.
“Just trying to make plays to help us stay in the game,” said Richard, who withdrew from the 2024 NBA draft to return for this season. “I knew that if the shots were open, I had to take them. When I saw the first one go in, I just said, ‘this is my time.’ Just trying to make some plays to help us win.”
Richard often wound up with the ball as Houston sent an extra body at Clayton to keep him from driving the lane. That didn’t make Clayton ineffective in the first half, it just made him a facilitator as he logged five of his seven of his assists over the first 20 minutes.
The sharpshooting wasn’t out of character for Richard, who shot 48.6% from the field this season. While Richard was limited to just four second half points, his first-half heroics gave Clayton time to step into the spotlight late in the game. Clayton’s first field goal came with 7:54 remaining, but that shot and the ensuing free throw tied the game at 48.
Clayton’s 3-pointer with 3:14 left tied the game at 60. From there, Florida’s stifling defense held the Cougars scoreless over the last 2:04 of the game. Richard’s clutch shooting in the title game followed two sub-par outings: he missed nine of 12 shots in his last two tournament games against Auburn and Texas Tech.
The Monday night heroics earned Richard a spot on the Final Four All-Tournament Team joining Clayton, Cooper Flagg (Duke), L.J. Cryer and J’Wan Roberts (both from Houston). Clayton was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
For Richard, the timely scoring outburst was a satisfying end to a collegiate career which began at Belmont, where he averaged 12.1 points per game while starting 30 games.
When Todd Golden came to Florida as head coach in 2022, Richard was the first player to commit to the program. Richard started all but three games since arriving in Gainesville. Earlier in the NCAA tournament, Golden called Richard “an elite culture setter” who has set the tone for the team from Day 1. Martin called him “a leader.”
For Richard, it was all part of the process to help establish a foundation under the new leadership.
“I just wanted to make sure guys know the standard that [Golden] wants guys to play at,” Richard said. “Just bringing that edge everyday so we can be where we want to be.”
Where all teams want to be is on the court following the last game of the season as “One Shining Moment” plays on the big screens. After Monday’s game, Richard was climbing the ladder to grab his snippet from the nets as the voice of Luther Vandross filled the arena.
That snippet, hours later, was dangling from the back of his national championship hat as he cradled the trophy in the locker room.
“When the clock hit zero, I was shocked because I was thinking, ‘we really won a national championship,’ ” Richard said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of, and it’s special to see that come to fruition.”
Asked when he was going to relinquish the trophy, Richard gave the impression that he had plans to tuck it in when he got back to his hotel room.
“I don’t think I’m leaving this,” he said, smiling. “I don’t think I’m leaving this.”