Australian native Alex Kovatchev, the transfer guard from Sacramento State, earned an early look against Colgate.
Playing Right Way Earns 'AK' a Look
Monday, December 29, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The team was two days removed from a 41-point, ho-hum blowout of Saint Francis last week. After a day off, the Florida Gators returned for a routine day of shooting, lifting and light work. The next time they took the practice floor, seldom-used guard Alex Kovatchev was pulled aside and told to put on a blue jersey; the ones worn by players in the main rotation.
"I was a little bit surprised," Kovatchev said. Alex Kovatchev
His instructions, per Coach Todd Golden, were simple: Play with confidence; take care of the ball; rebound; have fun. "Just do your thing," Golden said. Just like he'd done against SFU in scoring three points, grabbing one rebound and playing a turnover-free four minutes.
Kovatchev, the third-year sophomore and transfer from Sacramento State, did his thing during practice and the next day was on the Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center floor with the first wave of substitutes at the first media timeout against Colgate. In what became a 90-60 victory, Kovatchev played 11 minutes, went 0-for-2 from the floor and did not score. OK, not exactly Luka Doncic numbers, but that's not the point. Also wrapped in those Kovatchev minutes were three rebounds, no turnovers and a plus-16 score while on the floor.
In other words, the lead increased when Kovatchev was out there. That's exactly what the UF coaches want from their limited-use reserves and what they'll be looking for again Monday night when the 22nd-ranked Gators (8-4), back from their holiday break, resume play against Dartmouth (6-5) in the final game before entering Southeastern Conference play next weekend.
"That's the only thing we care about right now in that role," Golden said. "Come in and make sure we either hold water or go the right way."
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Yes, two months into the 2025-26 season, Golden is still trying to find out who he can trust on the far end of his bench. He has looked at Isaiah Brown, CJ Ingram II, Alex Lloyd and Viktor Mikic and seen uneven results. Golden has not given up on those guys – not even close – but Kovatchev's steady practice play, which he has backed up on game days, has warranted a look for the team's 13th scholarship player who did not join the program until July.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound Kovatchev was a teammate of Gators forward Alex Condon's in Australia -- both hail from Perth -- and product of the prestigious Global Academy there, hence the UF connection. He started 13 games as a true freshman at Sac State and averaged 5.0 points and 3.7 rebounds. He started the first four games of his sophomore season before suffering a broken ankle during warm-ups at California. Kovatchev underwent surgery, sat out the rest of the season, then was late portal addition last spring.
The Gators were in need of guard depth at the time.
"Coach Golden called and told me he was looking for a hard-working practice player," Condon recalled of the vetting process. "I told him, Alex was that guy."
That's who Kovatchev, who goes by "AK" as one of three Alexes on the squad, has been during his six months. Better yet, in his limited game time (19 minutes over four games), he's been a good-decision, hustle-play guy who in 15 combined minutes the last two outings was a plus-18 on the scoreboard during his rotation.
Nothing endears a player to his coaches like getting on the floor for a loose ball, ala Alex Kovatchev(8) during the first-half rotation against Colgate last week.
Against Colgate, Brown was a minus-5, with Ingram, Lloyd and Mikic each at minus-6. Golden chalked up those negative digits to some "goofy lineups" at the end of the game, but there's no disputing Kovatchev's positive digits.
There's also no disputing his athleticism. At 40 inches, Kovatchev has the second-best vertical jump on the team (after Brown) and has demonstrated it in the gym. Like a couple weeks ago, during a particularly angry practice, when he nearly stuffed Boogie Fland through the cylinder on a run-out windmill dunk during a transition-defense drill.
"We've given some guys a little bit of a head start that we thought would have brought us a little more of an upside," Golden said of the rotation tinkering to date. "But everybody saw when [Kovatchev] came in against Saint Francis that he played with great pop. He was shot-ready. Play-made for others. So, for us, I mean, this guy was doing everything we asked him to do. He defends. He's a good athlete. Just wanted to give him a rip."
Now, he's earned more rips.
With everything subject to change, of course.
"I pride myself in making good decisions, the right reads and just playing really hard," Kovatchev said. "I'm going to go out there and do the things, especially the little things, that they talk about. If I do that, and do it right, hopefully more opportunities will come."
Florida Men's Basketball | Rueben Chinyelu THROWS IT DOWN for the Two-Handed Slam 💪Florida Men's Basketball | Rueben Chinyelu THROWS IT DOWN for the Two-Handed Slam 💪
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
