by James Coulter
A basketball player who was raised in Lake Wales will be honored by his hometown with both a parade and a ribbon cutting ceremony this Friday.
Lake Wales will welcome back star basketball player Walter Clayton Jr., the point guard for the Florida Gators, with a parade and ribbon cutting ceremony to be hosted on Fri. Apr. 18 from 4 PM – 9 PM.
Walter Clayton Jr. is an American college basketball player for the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference. He was born in Sebring, raised in Lake Wales, and graduated from Bartow High School.
As Wikipedia states: “[Clayton] played an instrumental role in getting the Gators to the SEC Tournament Championship for the first time in 10 years and the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 3 years…[he] went on to lead the Gators to the national championship, making a crucial defensive stop causing Houston’s Emanuel Sharp to pump-fake on a potential game-winning three-pointer and lose his dribble.”
For his achievements, Clayton has been named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP), and, as of this year, he was named a consensus first-team All-American.
His hometown welcome event will begin with a parade that will travel from Sunrise Park Apartments to the Kirkland Gym, which will then host a ribbon cutting for its new gymnasium floor.
The City of Lake Wales Recreation had submitted a request to host the event and to close the following roads for the parade route: Old Scenic Hwy., Dr. JA Wiltshire, 4th Street, Seminole and 3rd Street.
The Lake Wales City Commission approved the request, along with the rest of the consent agenda, with a unanimous vote.
