Tyrese Samuel, a forward from the Florida Gators, has signed with the Phoenix Suns.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tyrese Samuel has secured a spot in the NBA as an undrafted free agent by signing an Exhibit-10 deal with the Phoenix Suns. This news was first reported by Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express.
During his graduate season at Florida, Samuel started all 36 games, accumulating 500 points while averaging career-highs of 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, earning him AP second-team All-SEC honors. He had 30 games with double-digit points, three 20-point games, and tied for ninth in school history with 11 double-doubles. Samuel was also part of UF’s first trio to each score 500 points in a season.
One standout performance was against Missouri, where Samuel scored a career-high 28 points with 10 rebounds, including 14 of Florida’s final 20 points in the last seven minutes to secure the win, highlighted by a dunk over 7-foot-5 Tigers center Connor Vanover.
“That dunk, I can’t remember who he punched it on, but that should be a SportsCenter Top 10 play for sure tonight. I felt like his experience really showed in that moment,” Florida coach Todd Golden said of Samuel’s slam against Missouri. “It felt great, absolutely fantastic. Good timing. He was good in the first half, he had 12 and six at halftime. I felt his motor was running really high.
“When his motor is running like that, he’s just one of the best frontcourt players in the league. … I felt like that showed big time for him in those moments just with his tight catches, and then his tight moves and tight space being able to put it in with either hand, and-one finishes. We did a good job putting Tyrese in the high post and getting him catches in the paint, where he’s just a great decision maker and a really good playmaker.”
Another notable game was his 21-point, 11-rebound effort in a double-overtime win against Michigan, where he made the tie-breaking free throw with 38 seconds left to beat LSU.
Samuel posted the third-highest single-season total in school history with 102 offensive rebounds, and alongside Micah Handlogten (108), they became Florida’s first duo to each hit the century mark in offensive boards.
Samuel also became the first player since Tim Duncan to record 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocked shots in a top-10 road victory, achieving this in Florida’s overtime win at Kentucky.
