Denzel Aberdeen a 'Great Example' for Gators’ Program Under Todd Golden
Following the 2022-23 season, Florida Gators head Todd Golden set his eyes on the transfer portal to restructure the roster with talent better fitting his system.
He kept just four players from his first year, including the three he recruited and signed from the high school ranks immediately upon his arrival at the University of Florida. The infusion of eight new faces to pair with two returning starters seemingly equips the Florida hoops program to adequately contend in the competitive SEC and return to the NCAA Tournament.
However, guard Denzel Aberdeen has aligned himself as an unsung asset for the Gators in their effort to accomplish the feat. After playing sparingly in his first year with the program, Aberdeen's development and steady approach earned praise from Golden this offseason.
While he isn't one of the "proven producers" the Gators picked up from the portal this offseason to catalyze a surge in success for the program, he is considered an essential rotational piece internally. He's already realized an increase in usage through three games in 2023-24, moving from 3.4 minutes per game as a frosh to 15 in year two, and is expected to continue serving in a prominent role for Golden and Co. throughout their second campaign at Florida.
"Denzel's a great example of what we want our program to be about," Golden told All Gators during an exclusive interview this offseason. "He's a guy that never complains, never points fingers. We went out, we signed a bunch of players, he didn't cry about it. He wasn't saying, 'Oh, this is unfair.' He just goes to work every day. He's a guy that, because of that approach and that mentality, is going to earn a good role within this program.
"I think he's a guy that's easy to forget about, because we have some other guys. First of all, Riley [Kugel] had a great freshman year and Will [Richard] had a great first campaign for us and then we brought in some really talented players. So, you know, Denzel can get lost in the shuffle in terms of the communication and when people talking about our team. He's a guy that has gone above and beyond and done a great job here and I think deserves a lot of credit for that.
"We've seen a big jump and area of growth from him. You know, he looked like a young freshman sometimes, like Bambi out there. Now you look at him, he has a great body, really worked on that. His athleticism is really popping right now and has proven the ability to earn a spot on this team, to earn a good role."
As a ball-handler, facilitator and scorer at the basket for the Gators during the preseason practice regimen, Aberdeen illustrated a pronounced uptick in poise.
It's continued in the early portion of the season.
Through three games, Aberdeen's seen 15 minutes of action a night, where he's accounted for five points, 2.3 rebounds and one assist per contest. More notably, he's demonstrated his confidence as a slasher, tapping into his talents as the complete guard prospect he was viewed as coming out of Dr. Phillips High School.
It wasn't just Golden who expressed confidence in Aberdeen to make a considerable jump in his second year at the University of Florida. His teammates, namely the Gators' top returning piece from a season ago, also put stock into the Orlando, Fla., native to be an asset in the backcourt off the bench in 2023-24.
"Zel definitely made a big jump this year," said Kugel, Aberdeen's high school teammate and fellow 2022 enrollee, this offseason. "I always knew it was going to happen. It's just, now, everybody's just starting to realize what he can do. But Zel's just a great player. It's going to be hard not to keep him on the floor."
Aberdeen began to flash the acclaimed skillset in-game on Tuesday night in the Gators' 89-68 victory over FAMU. Accounting for 12 points and four rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, Aberdeen produced the first double-digit scoring outing of his collegiate career.
His output on the scoreboard came in a multitude of forms, highlighted by a nifty move from midrange, where he used his body to create initial separation before stepping back and connecting on a fadeaway jumper.
"I thought he played pretty well," Golden said post-game. "Denzel is in that tough role of being one of those guards off the bench and trying to kind of have to see what's going on out there to determine if he's going to be really aggressive trying to score, [or] is he going to be trying to get people involved. Always want him to be really good defensively. But he came in and made some baskets; I think 12 is a career-high for him. He's maturing and playing really well right now."
Aberdeen will continue to garner minutes in rotation for the Gators moving forward, even as senior guard Zyon Pullin returns to the fold after serving the three-game suspension handed down by the NCAA to begin the year. The UC Riverside
Pullin — who accounted for 18.3 points on 48.6% from the floor, 4.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game a year ago at UC Riverside— is expected to assume a voluminous role for Florida upon his return. He'll expectedly unseat one of the three starters at guard to restructure Golden's starting lineup and rotation.
As a result, Aberdeen's on-court time may not come as frequently as it has with the backcourt growing more crowded in the ensuing contests. But, Tuesday night's showing confirmed the sentiment of his coach and teammates: Aberdeen can produce for the Gators when his number is called.
He'll be asked to do so throughout the year to supplement Florida's quest to return to the postseason.
Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
Get your Gators football, basketball, baseball and other sporting events tickets from SI Tickets here.
