Mark Pope adding a pair of SEC transfers will be ‘advantageous’ for Kentucky
Mark Pope plucked a pair of highly valuable transfers right from within his own conference.
One, Alabama’s Mo Dioubate, made it to the Final Four two seasons ago and then an Elite Eight this past season, while the other, Florida’s Denzel Aberdeen, helped the Gators win a national championship just a little over a month ago. When it comes to bringing in talented transfers with a winning pedigree from a power conference, you won’t do much better than what Kentucky did in the portal than these two.
And considering the SEC is expected to take a step backward in 2025-26, Pope having two seasoned intranconference veterans on his second roster at Kentucky is no small note — especially after they battled and thrived in what was labeled as one of the best single season runs (2024-25) we’ve ever seen from a conefence in recent memory.
“The SEC guys know the league and they know the physicality,” Pope said of his two incoming SEC transfers during his Tuesday press conference. “And they know the talent, and they kind of know the flow and venues are going to be familiar to them, and all those things are advantageous, but mostly I’m just excited about the guys that we got.”
Dioubate and Aberdeen are both a bit different than the caliber of player Pope targeted in the portal last offseason. They’re defensive-minded athletes with specific offensive skills. But more importantly, they have SEC experience using those traits. Together, they’ve played 75 games against SEC opponents across five total seasons. Dioubate, in particular, went 3-0 against Kentucky last season.
But as Pope has harped on since taking over as Kentucky men’s basketball head coach, it’s not only about basketball when it comes to playing for the Wildcats.
“This Mo Dioubate, man, I think he’s a special person,” Pope said. “Like, I don’t know, his second or third conversation, we were talking about his family and his history and his faith and his commitment to all three of those things… And he wasn’t talking about that, he was talking about his life and how he thought about the world and his decision-making, but it was so clear and transparent that it’s all built on those three foundations.
“I think he’s special. I think he’s special. And then his skill set fits us in a brilliant way. I just can’t wait to see what he can do for us on the court. He’s coming from an incredible program and incredible coaching staff and we’re going to get to enjoy some of the fruit of all the labors that have come with him and by him before he got here. But really excited about him.”
Pope continued by sharing similar thoughts about Aberdeen.
“And this Denzel Aberdeen. I mean, he’s coming here wearing a big, fat, giant ring,” Pope said, referring to Florida’s 2025 national championship run where Aberdeen was a key backcourt piece. “And there’s no way to replace that type of experience. And he’s a beautiful kid, man, like spending time with his parents was really special. Comes from a military family background, and he cares about people, and he’s an incredibly talented basketball player.”
High-level basketball players? Check. High-level people? Another check. And now they get to see what it’s like to bring those traits to a Blue Blood.
“Specifically, those two guys, I can’t wait to get them here,” Pope added. “And I can’t wait for them to come experience basketball at the University of Kentucky, because it’s just different. And even being in this league, I’m excited for those guys, because they get to walk in the doors and then learn how this is so different here.”
