Ex-Gator Denzel Aberdeen Has Been Impressive for Wildcats

KySportsStyle.com
5 minutes ago
4 min read

By Jamie H. Vaught

Kentucky is very deep this season with many weapons on the basketball floor.

And Denzel Aberdeen is one of them. The 6-foot-5 combo senior guard from Orlando, Florida, can do a lot of things like shooting and playing tough defense. He is a pure athlete.

In addition, he has the valuable experience as Aberdeen and Otega Oweh, the preseason SEC player of the year, are the only seniors on UK’s playing rotation. Aberdeen has the postseason tournament experience after winning the 2025 NCAA championship as the sixth man while at Florida where he played three years. That was before he made a surprising transfer to Lexington in late April.

The Wildcats definitely will need his veteran leadership on the floor in the Big Dance as they gun for the school’s ninth national championship.

“I just feel like I just try to give 110 percent every time I get in the game, no matter what the circumstances,” Aberdeen said after a recent game. “I’m always trying to bring energy on the defense side and offensive side, just doing anything we can to get a win.”

Last season at Florida, he averaged 7.7 points in 39 appearances with five starts. He also had back-to-back 20-point games, scoring 20 on the road against Mississippi State and a career-high 22 points, including five three-pointers, against South Carolina.

Before coming to Kentucky, Aberdeen was expected to become the primary guard for the Gators this season after Florida lost three guards, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr.

Even after he had already transferred to UK, Aberdeen joined his ex-Florida teammates at the White House in late May when President Trump honored the national championship team.

So far, Aberdeen, who was a four-star prospect in high school, has been impressive for the Wildcats. Going into the Louisville game on Tuesday, he has averaged 11 points, 4.5 rebounds and 21.1 minutes with eight assists in two games, including one start.

Earlier he had a groin injury, forcing him to miss Kentucky’s exhibition loss with Georgetown when the Cats struggled without him, but he is healthy now.

In recent months, Aberdeen said he has enjoyed his new home. “It’s been a surreal past couple of months just achieving one of my goals in life in winning a national championship (at Florida),” he said. “It’s been nothing but amazing. Playing for another great, historic college. I’m just very blessed to be here. I thank God every day when I open my eyes, and it’s just amazing the position I’m in right now.”

He added the Big Blue Madness show at Rupp Arena was something to remember. “It was an amazing experience,” said Aberdeen. “The fans show a lot of love in Kentucky. Just hearing my name, especially at a school like this, is just a surreal moment. Seeing that big UK log on the open court and playing on it for a little bit during the scrimmage was amazing.”

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is glad Aberdeen is playing for the Wildcats, instead of the Gators.

“Denzel Aberdeen (is) just a pure competitive spirit which kind of our whole team feels like they’re embodying right now,” said Pope. “This love of competition, a fearlessness about the way he competes, that he’s willing to step on the floor. He’s not scared of taking an L, but he is going to fight you to the death to win everything.

“Denzel is the embodiment of this joy and passion to compete. I think everywhere he's gone in his career I think he's left fans incredibly inspired. Certainly, he's going to do it at the University of Kentucky. It's contagious with our guys. Certainly, he's going to be loved by BBN.”

Added Florida coach Todd Golden, “We love Denzel. Incredibly grateful for the contributions that he made to our program. He’s a huge part of our national championship team. The reality is we would have loved to have Denzel back. There were other things that were more important to him than what we had to offer at this point.

“I think he’s going to have a really good year for Mark. I think he’s a great kid, comes from a really good family. I expect him to help them become really successful this year.”

Before the season began, Oweh said Aberdeen and 7-foot freshman Malachi Moreno were the biggest surprise players during the practice.

Commented Oweh, “Denzel has been shooting the leather off the ball, and his playmaking, along with his toughness, give him a great competitive spirit about the game.

“Malachi is a beast down low, and he put on a lot of muscle since he got here. He has been super physical and super-efficient in our scrimmages.”

Pope said Aberdeen and junior guard Jaland Lowe, a star transfer from Pittsburgh, are “probably best friends off the court, and then on the court they are just torturing each other every single day. It’s so fun to watch.”

On Kentucky’s 107-59 win over Valparaiso Friday night, Lowe was asked about the assist from Aberdeen, who had made a three-pointer.

“Oh man, I was so happy that he was my first assist,” said Lowe, who had a team-high five assists with no turnovers. “To be honest with you, it felt great, just making plays for my guys and I’m glad Denzel was the first one to give me an assist.”

And Aberdeen finished the night with 12 points and four rebounds in only 19 minutes.

If the Wildcats are going to make noise this season, we can agree Aberdeen will be a huge factor. He is a high-IQ, versatile guard who wants the ball in big moments.

Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of seven books about UK basketball, including newly published “Unforgettable Journey with the Cats: Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle44@gmail.com.