Florida got some bad news on Friday morning as it was announced that point guard Zyon Pullin would be suspended by the NCAA for the first three games of the season due to him participating in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a non-NCAA sanctioned event, this past offseason.
While this was unfortunate news for the Gators, it was not surprising. Multiple players in the past have seen minor suspensions such as this for participating in the event and returning to college, as recently as last season when Arizona guard Courtney Ramey received punishment for going to Portsmouth.
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament was a showcase event for college seniors who have graduated. It is well attended by NBA, G League, and overseas teams and it has become a top scouting event for players looking to go pro. Because the event has always been targeted towards players who have graduated, they haven’t been concerned with keeping the eligibility of players who attend as most have no intention of returning to college. The extra year of eligibility has started to make this an issue for players who want to go to Portsmouth for the exposure while keeping their college eligibility. With several players having been suspended for attending the event and returning to college, there was precedent for Pullin to receive a minor punishment.
Pullin comes to the Gators after a successful career at UC Riverside where he averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as a senior. In recent practices he was playing with the presumed starting group and is expected to be a major contributor for the Gators particularly on the offensive side of the floor where he has a smooth knack for scoring and setting up teammates.
With the Gators also bringing in Iona guard Walter Clayton there had been a lot of discussion around who would be the starting point guard, and if the Gators would want to play Pullin and Clayton next to returner Riley Kugel. Pullin’s suspension throws a wrench into this process, as Clayton now becomes the presumed starter at point guard who will have an opportunity to assert his place at the position. It was thought that all 40 minutes of point guard action would go to some combination of Pullin and Clayton, though with Pullin gone for three games Florida’s depth will be tested. A player that will need to step up is Denzel Aberdeen who has been receiving rave reviews from the coaching staff for his offseason work following a freshman season where he didn’t see much time on the floor. Aberdeen is a physical north-south driver who brings good length to the defensive end with a 6’4” frame, and he has been working hard on developing a consistent jumper that could make him a nice complimentary player around Florida’s veteran scorers.
The sleeper pick to compete for some minutes would be Lithuanian freshman Kajus Kublickas who has already seen high level basketball playing in the Zalgiris system, an elite European club. Listed at 6’2” and 171 pounds there is some concern about his size, but he’s a knockdown shooter who knows how to play the game, and after playing against pros in Europe he’s unlikely to be rattled by the quality of competition.
Pullin’s absence will mean a good level of competition for guard minutes, something Florida’s coaching staff will be happy to see–though they’ll need to find out who can contribute right away. Florida opens their season against Loyola Maryland, where the loss of Pullin shouldn’t be particularly concerning, but then they’ll take on Virginia. The Cavaliers project to have an elite defense once again and the Gators would have loved to have their veteran point guard, and his absence could be felt in a massive way here.
The Gators will then play against Florida A&M, where they should be able to take care of business without Pullin.