Can Urban Klavzar Still Contend to Start? His Journey May Hold The Answer
Urban Klavzar wrapped up a prolific junior season for the Gators.
The 6-foot-1 sharpshooter from Domzale claimed the title of SEC Sixth Man of the Year. “[Sixth Man of the Year] means everything, especially because of last year…I knew kind of what my role was going to be coming into the summer… just trying to come off the bench, help the team, help the team win, and make successful plays,” Klavzar said after receiving the award. “I always just wanted to come off the bench, be aggressive, just help my team.”
And Klavzar recently announced he will be returning to represent Florida for his senior year.
It was a turning of the tide for the Slovenian national after moving into the go-to rotational spot — a step up from the tertiary role he held in 2025. Klavzar credits his on-court improvements to the hard work he put during summer training session, alongside the lessons he learned training and playing beside the backcourt trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard.
It was obvious from the humble beginnings of Klavzar’s career that he had something special. Once he broke out from the Slovenian youth team scene, Klavzar joined the Real Madrid CF junior team during the 2018-19 season. He would go on to get promoted to the Real Madrid second team, EBA, in the following season. In his four-year career overseas during the U18 circuit, Klavzar averaged 13.1 points per game across 23 games. He shot 55.1% inside the perimeter and 34.1% beyond the arc, an eccentric stat line that the Florida faithful are no stranger to Urban.
At 17 years, six months and 27 days old, he made his professional debut for Real Madrid’s primary team. In his first and only appearance before his move to the states, Klavzar dropped double-digits on CSKA Moscow in the EuroLeague. Florida coach Todd Golden certainly caught on to Klavzar’s potential, as he would inevitably join the orange and blue for the 2023-24 season.
Those who have watched him this season can attest to his unique catch-and-shoot style from beyond the arc. While averaging 9.6 points off the bench, Klavzar was Florida basketball’s most efficient 3-point shooter. Shooting 40.6% from deep, he brought a breath of fresh air to the Gators’ perimeter game.
But with the season at a close for Florida, departures are imminent. As it stands Rueben Chinyeu and Thomas Haugh aren’t definitively returning. Alex Condon announced he will return for his senior year on Instagram on April 15th. Center Micah Handlogten recently announced he intends to enter the transfer portal. In the backcourt, Xaivian Lee will not return as he wraps up his last season of eligibility following his transfer from Princeton. However, Boogie Fland will be back in Gainesville for his junior year and will likely maintain his starting spot at point guard. Along the bench, brothers Isaiah and AJ Brown, Alex Kovatchev and Alex Lloyd have already resigned for the Gators as well.
Nonetheless, the possibility of Klavzar entering the starting five for the first time in his career remains. Given his production off the bench, he’ll be an important piece of a revamped Florida squad.
The transition from sixth man to starter is an odd case in college basketball. Among the Power Four conferences following the 2024-25 season, only one of the Sixth Man of the Year award winners remained in the NCAA and assumed a starting role. Jeremiah Wilkinson — who was a freshman guard from Cal averaging 15.1 points per game – won the ACC’s version of the award last year. This year, Wilkinson transferred to Georgia and earned a prominent starting role for the Bulldogs. He also improved his production, increasing his scoring to 17.4 while raising his field-goal percentage to .410 from .399.
The idea of ‘stay and start’ was more prominent following the 2023-24 season. UConn’s Hassan Diarra earned Big East Sixth Man of the Year honors during his senior season. After the NCAA granted him an extra year of eligibility, Diarra earned the starting nod from coach Dan Hurley. He started 28 of 35 games at point guard — a significant jump from just one start in UConn’s back-to-back championship seasons.
Out of the Mountain West Conference, Mustahpa Amzil represented New Mexico with the award in 2024. The 6-foot-10 forward from Helsinki shot 40.3% from the field while only starting two games. Entering his fifth year and remaining with the Lobos, Amzil became a more versatile weapon on the court and improved his presence. He nearly doubled his scoring from 6.7 to 11.1 points per game while starting all 32 games in New Mexico’s 2024-25 campaign.
In both the 2024 and 2025 cycles, the sixth man of the year award was often the final act for winners before moving on to bigger stages. The same could be said for much of the 2020s, likely a by-product of the transfer portal era.
Klavzar should be no exception to this trend. He’s a strong candidate to fill the starting guard spot previously held by Lee. Even if Florida adds a guard through the transfer portal, Golden will likely provide both Klavzar and any newcomer plenty of opportunities to compete for a starting role.
With the absence of the elite core of Florida’s roster, there are significant vacancies to fill for the 2026-27 season. Former Gator guard Denzel Aberdeen recently announced his return to Gainesville, pending an eligibility waiver. After three seasons and a national championship with Florida, Aberdeen entered the transfer portal. He spent his senior year in Lexington representing the Kentucky Wildcats, averaging 13.5 points per game in 35 starts. That will obviously shake things up when it comes to filling that final starting spot.
On film, Aberdeen and Klavzar are two fundamentally different guards. While being four inches taller than Klavzar, Aberdeen is a true combo guard. His midrange shooting and playmaking ability combined with good defensive value sets him apart distinctly from Urban. On the other hand, Klavzar is a textbook off-ball shooter and floor spacer. His defense is serviceable, but it’s not a standout trait.
Klavzar would have to step into the guard position at 6-foot-1 — which some might say is a bit undersized for his role. Questions have also loomed about his defensive abilities throughout his two seasons in Gainesville. Klavzar pointed out those concerns in a December media availability.
“I focused on it over the summer, trying to be a little better physically and a little faster. … I think that has been my biggest improvement,” Klavzar said. Safe to say that if Urban can continue this hard work in the offseason once again, he could reemerge in the fall as a positive anomaly in the starting five for the Gators.
There’s little to no doubt that Klavzar has been the spark plug to Florida’s on-the-ball presence. The bottom line here is he’s a very capable guard and a very capable starting guard, at that. From being under the wings of some of the most talented backcourt players in the NCAA to leading a new era of young and hungry guards in Gainesville, Klavzar is not a name to snub from a Florida starting lineup next season, even with the rearrival of Denzel Aberdeen.
Category: Basketball, Gators Men's Basketball
