Aberdeen was a huge contributor to our Championship. Now that he is at UK?

I don’t know whether Denzel will start for Kentucky, but he has a reasonable chance to do so. As for the NBA, who knows? It’s a longshot for almost all college players to make it in the NBA. Denzel has NBA size, strength, athleticism and defensive ability. None of us know what will happen if he gets in the lineup and starts playing 25 minutes a game or more. As I have said before, in the four games in which Denzel played 25 or more minutes for the Gators, he averaged over 16 points a game and played extremely well.

 

Are we sure we didn’t go after Fland AFTER Denzel left or at least let the coaches know he was leaving? If I recall it was more of a shock to even the coaches that he was leaving because I recall reading somewhere that Denzel and Haugh both helped bring Lee in. As for Haugh at the 3 question…a HC doesn’t say live on TV that Haugh is going to be starting for us next year and then reneg on it later. You’re also not bench a previous starter at the 4 to start the “back up” at 4 so based on size, athleticism, and production he’s a shoe in for the 3 spot given it’s vacant. So really the question is the order of events which I don’t remember.

 

We probably did not go after Fland until after Denzel left because Fland did not pull out of the NBA draft until after Denzel had committed to Kentucky. So, TG might have expected Denzel to have stayed at UF with Haugh sliding into the three spot.

 

I think we can all agree Aberdeen was a huge contributor this past season. That said, he chose to be with UK. Why them of all teams? I’m sure there’s a LOT more behind the scenes that led to that decision, perhaps by all involved. The timing of the Lee signing and him leaving is interesting too. We may or may not find out all those details, one day.

 

UK basketball has tons of cash to throw around. I keep hearing UK threw $2 million at Aberdeen and UF wasn't willing to match it. Aberdeen's camp felt that was disrespect, but really, was it? He played a big role for the Gators but was still a role player.
I keep hearing what a great athlete Denzel is, but I keep not seeing it (granted, he's a better athlete than me, but so is Jack Black). He's tough, he's an excellent defender, and has a good vertical, but frankly, he's a bit slow for a high-major guard. Clayton, Martin, and Richard were quicker. Both Fland and Lee are quicker. Haugh is quicker. I haven't seen enough of the Brown Bros., Ingram, and Lloyd to know about them. Klavzar seems about equal.
All that aside, I hope the UF fans treat him with respect when he comes to the O-Dome. No booing, please. He helped us win a natty.

 

Good points, all around, though I'm not astute enough to "see" the specifics you listed. Who can divine the motivations behind the behaviors of another human being? I have a difficult enough struggle figuring out my own. In the 2024-25 basketball team for the University of Florida, Denzel played an important part in helping is achieve a championship and for that he will always have my appreciation. Now that he plays elsewhere, I hope we see that his success here was a result of what he received at UF as opposed to what he'll receive at UK. I don't wish him ill but I'd like the tape to show, over time, that a player, any player, is BETTER OFF on the whole playing at UF and the staff we have does a better job than the staffs elsewhere. So, yea, I'd like him to regret his decision, and for others to learn from that.