Kentucky Basketball guard Denzel Aberdeen delivered one of the best performances of his career Tuesday night, and he capped it with a memorable postgame moment on the SEC Network.
After scoring 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting, hitting 4-of-6 from three, dishing out five assists with zero turnovers, and grabbing four rebounds in 37 minutes, Aberdeen joined the broadcast crew following Kentucky’s 72-63 win over South Carolina.
“We needed a game from him. He’s been a little quieter the last few games,
and I thought he carried us tonight, which we needed. We needed him to do it,” said head coach Mark Pope after the win.
Aberdeen’s impact went beyond the box score, as he posted a +11 plus/minus, second only to Mo Dioubate. It was the kind of performance Kentucky desperately needed after a challenging week for the program.
That difficult week included head coach Mark Pope receiving a $25,000 fine and public reprimand from the SEC for comments made about officiating after Saturday’s road loss at Auburn.
So when SEC Network’s Peter Burns jokingly asked Aberdeen whether he planned to “chip in” to help pay Pope’s fine, the freshman guard didn’t hesitate.
“No. Not at all,” Aberdeen said with a grin, immediately breaking into laughter along with the entire TV crew.
The moment brought humor to a tense situation from over the weekend, showcasing Aberdeen’s personality on a night when his play spoke even louder.
With Kentucky needing a win, Aberdeen continues to show that he is a reliable player and can make key plays down the stretch of a game. Now, Kentucky needs to continue this momentum to finish the season off strong and make a strong run in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
