Gators Get Another Contributor Back in the Fold for Next Season

Another piece of the puzzle is returning for the Florida Gators men’s basketball team, with junior guard Urban Klavzar announcing his plans on social media on Thursday.

“I love being a Florida Gator,” Klavžar told Florida Victorious. “I love the coaching staff, my teammates — just living in Gainesville has probably been one of the best times of my life. It’s really awesome here. It was a tough loss in the second round as well, and I really want to run it back with my teammates and try to win a championship again. In general, I just love playing here.”

He is the second backcourt player for the Gators coming back for the 2026-27 season. The other is sophomore Boogie Fland, who revealed his plans earlier on Thursday.

The role head coach Todd Golden handed him this season, compared to his first year in Gainesville, was a larger one. He played in spot minutes in his debut season, but jumped up to 20.7 minutes per game this past year.

“Going into this year, in the summer, I knew the role was going to be bigger. I knew I had to be more aggressive and more confident in myself,” Klavzar said. “I know I can do this. I’ve played at a high level in Europe, so I believed I could definitely help this team win. That’s how I was thinking going into this season.”

That mindset turned Klavzar into Florida’s most lethal shooter from range. The Slovenian averaged 9.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 44.4/40.6/90.3 shooting splits.

His performances off the bench also earned him SEC 6th Man of the Year honors come season's end. During SEC play, Klavzar averaged 10.7 points per game and shot 43.9 percent from deep. Additionally, during Florida’s 11-game win streak to end the regular season, he connected on 27 of the 55 triples he attempted.

The Domzale, Slovenia native’s best outing, statistically, this season came in the non-conference bout against TCU. Despite the Gators falling 84-82 to the Horned Frogs, Klavzar posted 20 points on 62.5/57.1/100 percent shooting splits.

As for conference play, Klavzar turned in his best game in the first of three wins over the Kentucky Wildcats. He scored 19 points and shot 7-for-13 from the field and 5-for-11 from deep.

Similar to retaining Fland, the Gators keeping Klavzar in the fold is important for next year’s offense. He is their most consistent and reliable shooter from beyond the arc, making him a valuable piece for the offense.

With Fland and Klavzar both announcing their returns early this offseason, the Gators are now waiting on decisions from three players. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are all considered potential NBA prospects in the upcoming draft and have yet to reveal their plans for next season.