GAINESVILLE — Slovenia’s Domen Petrovic has joined the Gators as Todd Golden continues to bring an international flavor to his roster.
The 6-foot-9 Petrovic is a versatile forward able to shoot from the outside, operate inside and distribute the ball to teammates.
Last season with GGD Šenčur in his nation’s top league, he averaged 16.6 points and shot 57.4% from the field, including 39.5% from 3-point range over 23 games.
“He is a very skilled forward that has great positional size,” Golden said in a statement announcing Petrovic’s signing. “He has shown incremental improvement every year, and he’s currently playing the best basketball of his young career. He is a high-achiever both on and off the court and will help us continue to raise the bar here at Florida.”
Petrovic would be the team’s 15th and final scholarship player if center Rueben Chinyelu were to return to school for his final season. The 6-foot-10, 265-pound native of Nigeria declared for the NBA Draft last month, but maintained his college eligibility and stated he would return only to Florida.
Petrovic will join former teammate Urban Klavžar Gainesville. Playing with Klavžar, Petrovic helped Slovenia to a silver medal in the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket while averaging 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds. He also competed in the 2022 U18 European Championship and averaged 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds as Slovenia finished fourth.
Petrovic’s signing comes a week after Golden added 6-foot-10 forward Arturas Butajevas of Lithuania to a loaded roster, giving Florida players from five countries outside the United States — if Chinyelu returns. Star forward Alex Condon hails from Australia, as does reserve Alex Kovatchev. Reserve center Viktor Mikic is from Serbia.
Golden arrived known for his ability to recruit internationally. While head coach at San Francisco, he coached players from Australia, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ukraine and Belarus.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com