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Florida hoops transfer Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•04/21/25•

On3Keith

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Mar 21, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen (11) reaches for the ball during the first half against the Norfolk State Spartans at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen, who entered the transfer portal last week, has committed to Kentucky, per On3’s Joe Tipton.

Aberdeen has one year of eligibility remaining after three seasons at UF. He is coming off his best season with the Gators in 2024-25, averaging career highs in points (7.7), assists (1.4) and rebounds (1.7). He started only five games, but played 19.7 minutes a contest.

Aberdeen was a key reserve during Florida’s national championship run. In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged 6.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in six games with a high of 12 points in the Sweet 16 vs. Maryland. In UF’s 65-63 win over Houston in the championship game, Aberdeen scored seven points and was 2 of 4 from the field. He played 18 minutes.

He made his first career start against Vanderbilt with Walter Clayton Jr. out, scoring 13 points. It marked Aberdeen’s 65th career appearance. Since 1996, only Chris Richard had more games played when making his first start (in his 112th game). Aberdeen then started the next four games with Alijah Martin nursing a hip pointer. He had back-to-back 20-point performances in wins over No. 22 Mississippi State and South Carolina, including a career-high 22 against the Gamecocks. 

One of Aberdeen’s best games was a 10-point showing on Feb. 8 when the Gators beat then-No. 1 Auburn on the road, 90-81. It was Florida’s first-ever road win against a top-ranked program.

“Denzel is obviously playing at an insanely high level right now. His minutes are earned, and we expect him to continue to play at that level,” UF coach Todd Golden said after Aberdeen’s second straight 20-point game. “We have to remain unselfish. I think that’s going to be the biggest key to our success the rest of the way. It’s going to be a different guy every night. Some guys aren’t going to be playing as much as they want every night and we just can’t allow that to affect us big picture-wise in terms of our goals. If we can continue to channel how our team has been incredibly unselfish this year and be that way the rest of the way, it’ll prove to be very good for us. But it’s a daily challenge.”

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