Denzel Aberdeen arrives on Kentucky's campus for summer workouts

Jayden Quaintance is no longer the only Kentucky Wildcat in town! Denzel Aberdeen posted a picture of his locker at the Joe Craft Center, meaning he’s arrived on campus for summer workouts. If that placard is correct, he will wear the No. 1 at Kentucky. At Florida, Aberdeen wore the No. 11 (Walter Clayton Jr. had dibs on No. 1).

“Blessed,” Aberdeen wrote on the picture. “Let’s get it.”

Aberdeen comes to Lexington fresh off winning a national championship with the Gators. Over three seasons at Florida, the 6’5″ 190 lbs. guard averaged 5.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. This past season, he came off the bench and averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 39 games while shooting 41.8% overall and 35.0% from three-point range. He averaged 8.0 points during the SEC Tournament and 6.0 points during the NCAA Tournament. In five starts as a Gator this past season (filling in for an injured Walter Clayton Jr.), Aberdeen averaged 14.4 points while shooting 41.4 percent from three.

“Denzel is a winner, in every sense of the word.” Mark Pope said when Kentucky announced his signing. “He has won at every level of basketball and that’s all that he talks about. Zel is a great young man who works for everything he earns. He’s a three-level scorer and a rangy defender who has tremendous length.”

“He’s coming here with a big, fat, giant ring, and there’s no way to replace that type of experience,” Pope said of Aberdeen in his offseason press conference. “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.”

Speaking of that big, fat giant ring, Aberdeen accompanied his former team to the White House last month to be recognized by President Trump. Trump even singled him out for one of his many clutch plays in the national championship game and postseason as a whole.

“Houston fouled junior guard Denzel Aberdeen, who expanded Florida’s lead again,” Trump said. “That’s great, where’s Denzel? I love that name, Denzel Aberdeen. I have a place in Aberdeen, Scotland. I like that name, Aberdeen. He’s a good player, Coach?”

“Very good player,” Todd Golden responded.

“I’d like to hear him say, ‘No, not that good.’ You look like a good player,” Trump said, shaking Aberdeen’s hand.

When the team filmed a video doing the Gator chomp outside the White House, Aberdeen notably kept his hands still. He’s a Wildcat now.

Over the course of the week, the rest of the team is expected to arrive in Lexington in time for Mark Pope’s Father/Son and Father/Daughter Camps this weekend. We’ll keep bringing you pictures and videos as they share them.

What does Aberdeen add to next year’s roster? Step into the KSR Film Room and let Zack Geoghegan and Brandon Ramsey show you.

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