While preparing for his Kentucky team to host Florida in the SEC opener back in early January, something quickly popped on the Gators’ film for new head coach Mark Pope. The likes of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard all certainly stood out, but it was the fourth guard in Todd Golden‘s backcourt rotation that caught Pope’s eye.
That guard was Denzel Aberdeen — Florida’s fifth leading scorer on the season and a defensive menace. He was the first man off the bench for a Gators squad that went on to win the national championship. But even all the way back in January, Pope knew then the importance Aberdeen held in Golden’s system.
So when Aberdeen hopped into the portal in mid-April, Pope already knew exactly what type of player was available. There was no need for an in-depth report. Three days later, without even taking a visit to Lexington, Aberdeen was committed to Kentucky.
“There was no evaluation,” Pope said Wednesday in an interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports about what the evaluation process was like recruiting Aberdeen. “So my evaluation came in the two weeks that we were trying to do background prep and then prep for our game against Florida, which was, it was the first game of the SEC season, and so I had some familiarity with their team, but as I dug more and more to the film, I’m like, this cat coming off the bench is terrifying to me. And he certainly proved it throughout the course of the season.”
Aberdeen’s offensive stats were solid for someone coming off the bench behind three highly talented guards. He averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 19.8 minutes per outing as a junior at Florida in 2024-25 while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep. But it’s the defensive side of the floor where Aberdeen earned his reputation, thus instilling fear in Pope ahead of their matchup.
Kentucky wound up winning that showdown against Florida, 106-100, in one of the most entertaining games of the entire college basketball season. It was one of only four losses for the Gators. Aberdeen was limited offensively with four points (2-5 FG) and one assist in 15 minutes. But that was one of only a few “down” games for the Florida native, who showed up in big moments during the postseason. There was also a five-game SEC stretch where Aberdeen took over a starting role. He averaged 14.4 points in 29.8 minutes per game across those contests while shooting 41.4 percent from deep.
But beyond what he brings to the floor, Aberdeen has championship experience. Florida also won the SEC Tournament before going on a run in the Big Dance. You don’t win national titles by accident. There’s a certain level of work and dedication that goes into it. Aberdeen has it, and Pope believes it will show up even more at Kentucky.
“The fun part of the research for us was actually getting to know him as a person,” Pope added. “He’s special, special, special. He’s got a great joy about him. He’s got a passion and commitment. He is determined to continue his journey towards becoming a great basketball player. He’s proven with what he did in this four-guard rotation at Florida that he was a team-first guy. It’s hard to have a breakout season after you just won a national championship, but he’s gonna have a big-time breakout season.”
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