
It was going to take quite the recruiting pitch to pull Denzel Aberdeen out of the Sunshine State, but a lengthy phone call with Mark Pope helped reel him in.
During the offseason, Aberdeen transferred to Kentucky after three seasons at Florida, the third and final one headlined by a national championship victory with the Gators just a couple of months ago. He was a key piece to the title run as a super sub, averaging 7.7 points in 19.8 minutes per outing as a junior. Born and raised in the city of Orlando, life down south was what he knew best and was most comfortable with.
But Aberdeen has dreams that go beyond his home state — dreams of reaching the NBA and making a career out of basketball. After not seeing eye-to-eye with the Gators following the conclusion of his junior season, his dreams ultimately led him to the Bluegrass for what will be his final college run in 2025-26. “When they (Kentucky) called, I was like ‘Man, I got to come here and play for Coach Pope,’ who is obviously another national champion,” Aberdeen said Monday. “And just the school itself, the people here, the atmosphere is crazy… When they called it was pretty much a no-brainer for me. I was like, yeah, I got to do it. I’m ready.” Aberdeen says he seriously talked with around 3-5 schools once he made the decision to transfer from Florida. Texas Tech and Indiana were among the programs reaching out. But Pope’s pitch stood out. The two talked for hours soon after he went into the portal, going over film, what Aberdeen would provide at Kentucky, getting to know each other on a personal level, and anything else Pope could squeeze into the conversation.
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