Villanova Guard Aleksandar “Sash” Gavalyugov Hits Transfer Portal

Villanova freshman Aleksandar “Sash” Gavalyugov entered the transfer portal on Friday, April 11 per a report from Verbal Commits, a college basketball recruiting site.

Gavalyugov will have three years of eligibility remaining after appearing in four games for the Wildcats during the 2024-25 season, although injuries kept him off the court at times, which could help him apply for a medical redshirt.

He averaged 4.5 minutes in those contests with 2.0 points, 0.3 assists and 0.5 steals. A 6-foot-2 point guard out of Sofia, Bulgaria, Gavalyugov was a late commit for Villanova during the 2024 offseason. His departure marks the fourth transfer for the Wildcats this season (and the second of his recruiting class), leaving them with seven spots to fill on the roster ahead of next season.

Despite spending most of the first two decades of his life some 4,800 miles away from Villanova, Gavalyugov grew up a fan of the Wildcats after following their 2018 championship run. Now he’ll look for a new home. It’s the cutthroat world of college sports in the free-wheeling era of the portal and NIL, but transfers can happen for any number of reasons, especially in the wake of a coaching change like the Wildcats’ acquisition of new head man Kevin Willard.

Potential players to help Villanova replace Gavalyugov include Bosnian wing Harun Zrno and a series of transfer candidates like Maryland guard Rodney Rice, who the Wildcats will host for an official visit this weekend.