For the second time in four days, Todd Golden went the international route to complete Florida’s 2024-25 roster. The Gators signed 6-foot-1 point guard Urban Klavzar on Monday.
Klavzar is from Slovenia and has played in Spain the last couple of years. He also was on the Slovenian National Team at the U20 European Championship earlier this year. (Check out this highlight package here.)
Klavzar started nine times in 33 games for CD Estela Cantabria last season, averaging 8.9 points and 1.5 assists in an average of 18.3 minutes per contest. He made 42.7 percent of his 3-pointers and 47.7 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Klavzar joins UF’s six-man recruiting class that includes Viktor Mikic, four-star guard Isaiah Brown and transfers Sam Alexis (Chattanooga), Rueben Chinyelu (Washington St.) and Alijah Martin (FAU). The Gators also have a preferred walk-on in 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux, who will become the tallest player in college basketball history.
Mikic was signed this past weekend. He is a 6-foot-11 Serbian center who averaged 14.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game for Chattanooga (Tenn.) Hamilton Heights High School last year.
UF has seven returning players, but center Micah Handlogten is planning to redshirt after breaking his leg in a loss to Auburn in the finals of the 2024 SEC Tournament. The Gators bring back Walter Clayton Jr., Alex Condon, Will Richard, Thomas Haugh, Denzel Aberdeen and Kajus Kublickas.
I expect the starting five to include Martin, Clayton, Richard, Condon and Alexis. The top players from off the bench will be Aberdeen, Haugh, Chinyelu, Brown and Klavzar.
FanDuel has UF listed with 55/1 odds to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Those are tied for the 21st-shortest odds on the board.
UConn and Kansas are the 10/1 co-favorites at FanDuel, while Alabama and Duke share the next-shortest odds at 12/1.