Denzel Aberdeen knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of college basketball. He played a key role for Florida in last year's Final Four and National Championship game. Now, he’s brought that experience, and a real hunger, to Lexington.
A surreal journey
Reflecting on the whirlwind of the past several months, winning a title, meeting the president, transferring to another historic program; Aberdeen expressed gratitude. “It’s just uh it’s been a surreal uh past couple months,” he said Tuesday. “Reaching one of my goals in life uh winning national championship. It's been nothing but amazing and then playing for another great historic college. It's just I'm just very blessed to be here.”
Impressed by the young talent
Aberdeen has been particularly impressed by freshman center Malachi Moreno, praising his poise and competitiveness. “Malachi has been great for us this year. Each and every day in practice, he's bringing it,” Aberdeen noted. “He competes each and every day and he's just my best friend off the court as well.”
He also sees the relentless work ethic of injured freshman Jayden Quaintance, who is pushing hard to get back on the court. “Jaden's uh working very hard to get back,” Aberdeen said. “From like 7:00 a.m. He doesn't leave till like about 6:00 7:00 p.m… He's going to be back real soon. And when he does, he's going to be great with us.”
Staying hungry for more
Having already achieved the ultimate goal, how does Aberdeen stay motivated? By setting a new one.
“Just knowing that uh every year is a new year and uh just knowing uh what's passed has passed,” he explained. “Obviously winning national championship last year was great for me, but uh now I got a new goal in mind is to win another one again.”
That championship mindset, combined with his experience and steady play, makes Denzel Aberdeen a crucial piece of Kentucky’s quest for banner number nine, even though it made Todd Golden a little salty.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion