Swampcast talks Florida baseball, CWS, track and field, Florida football
In this week’s Swampcast, the Sun’s Kevin Brockway and David Whitley talk Florida returning to the CWS and are joined by colleague Noah Ram to talk softball’s WCWS run and track and field national title.
Florida basketball point guard Zyon Pullin and center Tyrese Samuel, two impact transfers instrumental in UF’s run to a 2024 NCAA Tournament appearance, landed NBA free agent deals on Friday.
Pullin agreed to a two-way contract with the Miami Heat, while Samuel got an Exhibit 10 deal with the Phoenix Suns.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Pullin was projected as a possible NBA Draft second round pick but went undrafted after the first and second rounds ended Thursday. Samuel also didn’t get picked. The last Florida Gators to get selected in the draft (who finished their careers at UF) were Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis, who were taken in the first and second round of the 2021 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets.
Pullin, who worked out for the Heat earlier this month, tallied 1,824 career points over five seasons for UF and UC Riverside. He earned All-Big West honors three straight seasons at UC Riverside and All-SEC first team honors in his lone season at Florida.
A high-IQ point guard with good size and strength, Pullin acclimated quickly to the SEC level in his lone season at UF. Pullin posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.77-1 in 2023-24, the best ratio in Florida history and third-best in the nation.
In 33 games and 27 starts at Florida, Pullin averaged 15.5 points and 4.9 assists, shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 44.9 percent from 3-point range. He also showed consistency as a scorer, reaching double figures in 23 straight games to start his UF career.
Florida basketball forward Tyrese Samuel lands with Phoenix Suns
A transfer from Seton Hall, the 6-foot-9, 247-pound Samuel earned second-team AP All-SEC honors, averaging 13.9 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds per game while starting all 36 games.
Samuel tallied 11 double-doubles in his lone season at UF, tied for the ninth-most in school history. That included a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds during an 83-74 win over Missouri at the O’Connell Center.
Samuel’s 102 offensive rebounds ranked as the third-highest single season total in UF history, as he joined center Micah Handlogten (108) to become Florida’s first duo to hit the century mark in offensive boards.
When will Zyon Pullin, Tyrese Samuel play in NBA summer league
Both Pullin and Samuel will likely see their first action when NBA Summer League opens.
Miami begins Summer League action on July 6 against Golden State in San Francisco as part of the California Classic Summer League (July 6-10), while Phoenix and the majority NBA teams will be in the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas July 12-22.
Miami’s G League affiliate is the Sioux Falls Skyforce, while the Phoenix affiliate Valley Suns are set for their inaugural season in 2024-25.