Mark Pope admits Denzel Aberdeen was 'terrifying to me' during scouting process

Mark Pope didn’t need any convincing to go after Denzel Aberdeen when he hit the portal in April. In an interview with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Pope reflected on his decision to reach out to the Florida guard.

“There was no evaluation,” Pope said. “My evaluation came in the two weeks that we were trying to do like background prep and then prep for our game against Florida, which it was the first game of the SEC season.

“So I had some familiarity with their team, but as I dug more and more into the film, I was like, ‘This cat coming off the bench is terrifying to me.’ And he certainly proved it throughout the course of the season.”

Aberdeen made 39 appearances and five starts for the Gators this past season. He averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.7 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 41.8% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc.

The 6-foot-5 combo guard was pivotal to Florida’s national championship run. In the Gators’ 87-71 win over Maryland in the Sweet Sixteen, Aberdeen tallied 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. In the National Championship game, Aberdeen recorded seven points and two rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

It didn’t take long for Aberdeen to decide Kentucky was his next home. Just three days after entering the transfer portal, Aberdeen committed to the Wildcats. He hadn’t even visited campus yet at the time of his commitment.

“The fun part of the research for us was actually getting to know him as a person,” Pope said. “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 toward becoming a great basketball player.

“He’s proven with what he did in his four-guard rotation at Florida that he is a team-first guy. And it’s hard to have a breakout season after you just won a national championship, but he’s going to have a big time breakout season.”

Aberdeen was the No. 88 overall player and No. 5 combo guard in On3’s 2025 Transfer Portal Player Rankings. Two days after his commitment, Aberdeen reflected on his decision in an interview with KSR’s Jacob Polacheck.

“[Mark Pope] said that I’m a winner, and that’s what we’re trying to do at Kentucky,” Aberdeen said. “We’re trying to get championship No. 9. Once he said that, it was a no-brainer. Obviously, I want to go back-to-back.”