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GAINESVILLE — Denzel Aberdeen never questioned his decision to play at Florida, something then-incoming coach Todd Golden was happy to hear when they first met the spring of 2022.
“We were kind of prepared to sell our vision and talk about what we want to do,” Golden recalled Tuesday as the Gators fine-tuned for the NCAA Tournament. “And he’s like, ‘No, I’m good. I’m coming to Florida. I want to be there.’
“I’m like, ‘Hell yeah, this is our kind of guy.'”
But once he arrived in Gainesville, Aberdeen didn’t feel the love or fit into Golden’s immediate plans.
A Dr. Phillips standout and 2021 Class 7A state champion, Aberdeen was instead in an unfamiliar, seemingly forgotten role with a struggling team and a 36-year-old coach.
A test of patience would become an example of perseverance seen less and less in his sport. Aberdeen enters Florida’s matchup with Norfolk State on Friday night the first guard off the bench for one of the nation’s deepest teams.
“He is what everyone would hope college athletics could still be,” Golden said. “A great story, but more about him and his toughness and his confidence and belief in himself to stay the course.”
Aberdeen’s faith was certainly tested, just never shaken enough for him to ever explore options in the age of the transfer portal.
Early on at UF, Aberdeen’s father, Ian, encouraged his son to recalibrate expectations.
“It took me a little while,” Aberdeen told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday. “But my dad was like, ‘Whatever coach wants you to do in order for you to win games is what you got to do and what you got to embrace.’ He said, ‘No matter what your role is, just go in there 100% and always fight hard for your teammates.’
“That’s what I just took on.”
The reward has been a key role for arguably the team to beat in the Big Dance.
The Gators (30-4) are a No. 1 seed riding a six-game winning streak, including three wins in three days during the SEC Tournament. The 6-foot-5 Aberdeen’s 28-foot buzzer-beating 3-pointer over Tennessee’s 6-foot-9 Igor Miličić pushed the Gators’ advantage to 9 points at halftime of eventual 86-77 win.
“They’re making a big run, we’re not very well organized offensively, they go zone — kind of take us out of what we want to do,” Golden said. “Will [Richard] makes a good, unselfish play, throws it over to Zel. You’re like, ‘Man, just like we drew it up.’
“A big-time shot.”
Leading up to the play, the Vols had cut the Gators’ 12-point lead in half.
“It was a great moment,” Aberdeen said. “It was very exciting. Killed the momentum a little bit.”
Aberdeen first displayed an ability to rise to the occasion in the postseason during the 2024 SEC Tournament. He came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points and record 4 steals as Florida erased an 18-point deficit to beat Texas A&M 95-90 during the semifinals.
These days, Aberdeen is a trusted and reliable member of a relentless nine-man rotation able to wear down opponents.
From a mop-up duty freshman averaging 3.3 points in just 12 appearances to a sophomore reserve averaging 9.8 minutes in 32 of 35 games, Aberdeen now averages 20.1 minutes, 8 points and is among the team’s top on-ball defenders.
Aberdeen isn’t the only player who set aside individual goals for the greater good.
“It says a lot about our team,” he said. “Everybody on our team are great players. Everybody can play for other schools, but we want to be here. We want to do what’s good for this program, and win games.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the championship. We all know whatever we need to do to win is what we got to do.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
“We were kind of prepared to sell our vision and talk about what we want to do,” Golden recalled Tuesday as the Gators fine-tuned for the NCAA Tournament. “And he’s like, ‘No, I’m good. I’m coming to Florida. I want to be there.’
“I’m like, ‘Hell yeah, this is our kind of guy.'”
But once he arrived in Gainesville, Aberdeen didn’t feel the love or fit into Golden’s immediate plans.
A Dr. Phillips standout and 2021 Class 7A state champion, Aberdeen was instead in an unfamiliar, seemingly forgotten role with a struggling team and a 36-year-old coach.
A test of patience would become an example of perseverance seen less and less in his sport. Aberdeen enters Florida’s matchup with Norfolk State on Friday night the first guard off the bench for one of the nation’s deepest teams.
“He is what everyone would hope college athletics could still be,” Golden said. “A great story, but more about him and his toughness and his confidence and belief in himself to stay the course.”
Aberdeen’s faith was certainly tested, just never shaken enough for him to ever explore options in the age of the transfer portal.
Early on at UF, Aberdeen’s father, Ian, encouraged his son to recalibrate expectations.
“It took me a little while,” Aberdeen told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday. “But my dad was like, ‘Whatever coach wants you to do in order for you to win games is what you got to do and what you got to embrace.’ He said, ‘No matter what your role is, just go in there 100% and always fight hard for your teammates.’
“That’s what I just took on.”
The reward has been a key role for arguably the team to beat in the Big Dance.
The Gators (30-4) are a No. 1 seed riding a six-game winning streak, including three wins in three days during the SEC Tournament. The 6-foot-5 Aberdeen’s 28-foot buzzer-beating 3-pointer over Tennessee’s 6-foot-9 Igor Miličić pushed the Gators’ advantage to 9 points at halftime of eventual 86-77 win.
“They’re making a big run, we’re not very well organized offensively, they go zone — kind of take us out of what we want to do,” Golden said. “Will [Richard] makes a good, unselfish play, throws it over to Zel. You’re like, ‘Man, just like we drew it up.’
“A big-time shot.”
Leading up to the play, the Vols had cut the Gators’ 12-point lead in half.
“It was a great moment,” Aberdeen said. “It was very exciting. Killed the momentum a little bit.”
Aberdeen first displayed an ability to rise to the occasion in the postseason during the 2024 SEC Tournament. He came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points and record 4 steals as Florida erased an 18-point deficit to beat Texas A&M 95-90 during the semifinals.
These days, Aberdeen is a trusted and reliable member of a relentless nine-man rotation able to wear down opponents.
From a mop-up duty freshman averaging 3.3 points in just 12 appearances to a sophomore reserve averaging 9.8 minutes in 32 of 35 games, Aberdeen now averages 20.1 minutes, 8 points and is among the team’s top on-ball defenders.
Aberdeen isn’t the only player who set aside individual goals for the greater good.
“It says a lot about our team,” he said. “Everybody on our team are great players. Everybody can play for other schools, but we want to be here. We want to do what’s good for this program, and win games.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the championship. We all know whatever we need to do to win is what we got to do.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
