The Florida Gators basketball program has officially added some international flair to their 2026-27 roster, signing Slovenian power forward Domen Petrovič. Standing at an impressive 6-foot-9, Petrovič joins Lithuanian forward/center Arturas Butajevas as the team's latest European imports, rounding out a roster that's increasingly looking like a global powerhouse.
"We are really excited to welcome Domen into our program," head coach Todd Golden said. "He is a very skilled forward that has great positional size. 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!"
Petrovič brings a winning pedigree to Gainesville. He was a key piece of Slovenia's silver medal team at the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket, averaging 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game alongside current Florida guard Urban Klavžar. He also competed at the 2022 U18 European Championship, where he averaged 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds as Slovenia finished fourth.
But it's his recent production that has Gators fans buzzing. Playing the 2025-26 season with GGD Šenčur in Slovenia, Petrovič averaged 16.6 points while shooting an efficient .574 from the field and .395 from three-point range over 23 games. What's particularly exciting is his trajectory—his three-point shooting jumped from just 24.4% in 2023-24 to over 40% last season, showing a player dedicated to expanding his game.
The additions of Petrovič and Butajevas continue a clear trend under Coach Golden: seeking talent from beyond North America's borders. Current standouts Alex Condon and Urban Klavžar were both plucked directly from foreign leagues, while reserves Alex Kovatchev and Viktor Mikic also bring international experience. Even Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu was born abroad before arriving in Gainesville via Washington State.
Previous international additions during Golden's tenure include center Aleks Szymczyk (2022) from Germany and guard Kajus Kublickas (2023) from Lithuania. With this latest signing, the Gators are proving that the best talent truly knows no borders.