Over the last two weeks the European Under-20 Championship took place which was an opportunity to see two young Florida point guards compete in a pivotal competition against top-level talent. Urban Klavzar was competing for Slovenia and Kajus Kublickas played for Lithuania, two basketball-crazed countries who were going up against countries with much higher populations.
The Euro U20s have become a massive recruiting event for college coaches who have now had European pipelines opened due to NIL, and it’s also a chance for some players who are already in college or in professional programs to showcase their abilities. With Europe being the most basketball-rich region in the world top to bottom, the Euros are the most competitive regional FIBA event in the world.
It was also a rigorous schedule, with players playing as much as seven games in a nine day span, with most of these games holding massive importance.
Florida’s new commit Urban Klavzar led Slovenia to a silver medal finish, a remarkable accomplishment for a country with one of the smallest populations among qualifying teams. He finished the tournament averaging 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while also adding 1.1 steals on the defensive end. Not only did Klavzar put up points, but he did it in some of the biggest moments of the event. He had some huge go-ahead buckets late in close games during the qualifying stages, and he stepped up and played his biggest game when his team needed it, pouring in 23 points in the gold medal game against France, nearly willing the Slovenians to a remarkable and unlikely upset. Klavzar was a leader for Slovenians who was tasked with being the primary creator which can often lead to inefficient play, but that wasn’t the case. Klavzar shot 38% from three on good volume (18-47) and shot 54% from two, showcasing his electric ability to get to the rim. If you want to get even more excited, he also shot a responsible 84% from the free throw line. Klavzar’s incredible tournament led him to being named to the All-Star Starting Five, a deserving honor for a tremendous seven game stretch. There was a ton to like about Klavzar in this event, and he has shown once again that he will be ready to contribute right away at the SEC level.
Kajus Kublickas and his Lithuanian team also had a successful tournament coming in fifth. Kublickas was a leader for the talented Lithuanian team averaging 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, also showing himself to be one of the top point guards at the event. Many of the teams playing in the Euro U20’s played a team oriented, ball movement style of play–but Lithuania was at another level. Though loaded with tons of individual talent they still showed unselfishness and a desire to move the ball as quickly as possible, and Kublickas excelled in this setting. His 3.4 assists were one of the higher individual totals in the tournament, and while that number might not look massive–considering how little he had the ball in his hands due to how quickly everyone passed the ball it’s an impressive number. Kublickas was tremendous in ball screens watching the defense adjust before making a decision, and if he was called on to score he was willing to be aggressive. Kublickas did struggle with efficiency both at the rim and from three where he shot 27%, but he was still extremely effective offensively.
Overall, this was an extremely encouraging event from a Florida standpoint. Klavzar proved himself to be one of the best U20 guards in Europe, and Kublickas showed himself to be a winning point guard who could also compete among the best. Not only did both of Florida’s guards put up individual production, but they did it on teams that were winning games and exceeded what their expected finish would be. When looking at point guards you want players who will do the little things that contribute to winning, and both Klavzar and Kublickas were capable of doing that.