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Gators G Urban Klavzar Ruled Eligible by NCAA

Florida Gators international transfer guard Urban Klavzar's time as a professional in Spain put his eligibility into question, forcing him to miss the team's first three games.

Cam Parker

Florida Gators guard Urban Klavzar (7) works on a drill with Florida Gators Associate Head Coach Carlin Hartman during the Florida Gators men’s basketball teams practice on John W. Frost II Practice Court in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Florida Gators guard Urban Klavzar (7) works on a drill with Florida Gators Associate Head Coach Carlin Hartman during the Florida Gators men’s basketball teams practice on John W. Frost II Practice Court in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- After missing the first three games of the season due to eligibility issues with the NCAA, Florida Gators guard Urban Klavzar is cleared to play, head coach Todd Golden announced Thursday.

Klavzar, an international transfer, joined the program in the offseason and will have three years of eligibility remaining this season, which includes the current 2024-2025 season.

Klavzar's eligibility issues from the NCAA stem from his professional experience in Spain, where he was a member of CD Estela Cantabria in the Spanish national league's second division, Primera FEB. There, the 20-year-old Slovenian guard averaged 8.9 points, 1.5 assists, 0.8 rebounds and 0.3 steals a game.

He played 18.3 minutes per game across 33 appearances, including nine starts.

Over the summer, Klavzar also played for the Slovenia National Team at the U20 European Championship. He averaged 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists a game and shot 45 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point range.

With the Gators, he'll be expected to elevate a struggling 3-point mark that's plagued the team so far. As a team, Florida is shooting just over 26% from deep. He'll also be expected to provide depth behind starting point guard Walter Clayton Jr. alongside junior Denzel Aberdeen.

Through three games, Clayton Jr. is averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game, while Aberdeen is averaging seven points a game off the bench.

Klavzar's first appearance could come on Friday as the Gators, which is currently ranked No. 20, travel to Tallahassee to face rival Florida State. Tipoff against the Seminoles is at 6 p.m. with television coverage on ACC Network.

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Cam Parker
CAM PARKER

Cam Parker is a contributing writer at AllGators.com of FanNation-Sports Illustrated and is a recent graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester.

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