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SAN ANTONIO — Sitting at his locker wearing his new national championship lid, Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen isn’t saying good-bye just yet.
Aberdeen had just played his final game, a 65-63 decision Monday night against Houston, with three veteran backcourt mates he owes much of his success and UF fans won’t soon forget in Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard.
“Very, very emotional, especially for me,” Aberdeen told the Orlando Sentinel. “They brought me up here. They always helped me, tell me when I get to do my thing, give me confidence. Just great group guys to have.
“They’re all like my brothers.”
But the Orlando native also was ready to go from kid brother to team leader, while helping fill a sizable void as the Gators aim to defend their 2025 national championship.
“Very excited,” he said. “Right now I’m just in the moment of the natty. Our goal is to win another one, but right now, I’m just going to have fun on my teammates and celebrate them.”
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Aberdeen, a reserve for three seasons, has shown enough flashes to give coach Todd Golden confidence he’ll step in next season and shine.
“He has a chance to be one of the better guards in the SEC next year,” Golden said March 18, prior to the NCAA Tournament.
Aberdeen delivered in key moments during the next three weeks at the Big Dance.
No time did he come up bigger than against Houston. Aberdeen’s defense helped spearhead a stunning turnaround from 12 points down in the second half.
“I just wanted to do what I had to do on defensive end try to get stops,” he said. “We were down, we had to come back, we had to fight hard and scrap.”
A driving layup by Aberdeen spurred an 8-0 run with the Cougars leading 45-34.
“Me just having confidence in myself, just attacking the basket, trying to get the momentum going … happy for that,” he said.
Aberdeen averaged 7.7 points and was a tenacious defender all season. While he won’t make people forget Clayton, perhaps the greatest Gator in school history, Aberdeen won’t back down from a challenge.
The 22-year-old recalled a June practice following the arrival of Martin, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound physical specimen who instilled a new level of competitiveness after he transferred from FAU. Before long, Aberdeen and the newcomer were chirping at each other and going toe to toe.
“We were very competitive,” Aberdeen said. “I remember me and Alijah kind of got into it his first day here. But that’s what makes championship teams. We’re going have ups and downs. We’re going to push each other to be better each and every day.
“Just look at us now.”
Aberdeen will bid adieu to Martin and others at some point soon, but he and Gator Nation will not forget them.
“I appreciate them for everything they did for me this year,” Aberdeen said. “I appreciate everything they did for the program, just putting Florida back on the map.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
Aberdeen had just played his final game, a 65-63 decision Monday night against Houston, with three veteran backcourt mates he owes much of his success and UF fans won’t soon forget in Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard.
“Very, very emotional, especially for me,” Aberdeen told the Orlando Sentinel. “They brought me up here. They always helped me, tell me when I get to do my thing, give me confidence. Just great group guys to have.
“They’re all like my brothers.”
But the Orlando native also was ready to go from kid brother to team leader, while helping fill a sizable void as the Gators aim to defend their 2025 national championship.
“Very excited,” he said. “Right now I’m just in the moment of the natty. Our goal is to win another one, but right now, I’m just going to have fun on my teammates and celebrate them.”
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Aberdeen, a reserve for three seasons, has shown enough flashes to give coach Todd Golden confidence he’ll step in next season and shine.
“He has a chance to be one of the better guards in the SEC next year,” Golden said March 18, prior to the NCAA Tournament.
Aberdeen delivered in key moments during the next three weeks at the Big Dance.
No time did he come up bigger than against Houston. Aberdeen’s defense helped spearhead a stunning turnaround from 12 points down in the second half.
“I just wanted to do what I had to do on defensive end try to get stops,” he said. “We were down, we had to come back, we had to fight hard and scrap.”
A driving layup by Aberdeen spurred an 8-0 run with the Cougars leading 45-34.
“Me just having confidence in myself, just attacking the basket, trying to get the momentum going … happy for that,” he said.
Aberdeen averaged 7.7 points and was a tenacious defender all season. While he won’t make people forget Clayton, perhaps the greatest Gator in school history, Aberdeen won’t back down from a challenge.
The 22-year-old recalled a June practice following the arrival of Martin, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound physical specimen who instilled a new level of competitiveness after he transferred from FAU. Before long, Aberdeen and the newcomer were chirping at each other and going toe to toe.
“We were very competitive,” Aberdeen said. “I remember me and Alijah kind of got into it his first day here. But that’s what makes championship teams. We’re going have ups and downs. We’re going to push each other to be better each and every day.
“Just look at us now.”
Aberdeen will bid adieu to Martin and others at some point soon, but he and Gator Nation will not forget them.
“I appreciate them for everything they did for me this year,” Aberdeen said. “I appreciate everything they did for the program, just putting Florida back on the map.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
