After 3-hour call with Mark Pope, Denzel Aberdeen knew Kentucky was home: “It was pretty much a no-brainer.”
Denzel Aberdeen – Chet White, UK Athletics
Denzel Aberdeen – Chet White, UK Athletics
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.
“It was definitely unique. Our phone call lasted about three hours, to be honest,” Aberdeen said of that interaction with Pope. “It was a lot of just getting to know me, getting to know the school, getting to know the university, getting to know him, how their play style was, a lot of film. And then once I seen that, I was like, man, like, you look like a great guy to play for. So I had to come in.”
It wasn’t even 20 minutes after the phone call wrapped up that Aberdeen knew Kentucky was going to be his new home. After a quick talk with his dad to make sure they were on the same page, the decision was made: Aberdeen was going to play for Pope and the Wildcats. That phone call with Pope happened on Easter Sunday — Aberdeen was locked in with UK the following Monday. He committed without even visiting the campus.
“Things happen in life, but it’s all in God’s plan,” Aberdeen said. “So just being here, being at Kentucky, being at this next school I’m at, I’m just happy to be here.”
