Florida basketball guard Denzel Aberdeen is earning preseason recognition after returning to Gainesville.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that Aberdeen was named to the Naismith Starting 5 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List. The annual award recognizes the top shooting guard in Division I men's college basketball.
The fifth-year guard returns to Florida after spending the 2025-26 season at Kentucky, where he averaged 13.5 points and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc.
Aberdeen previously spent three seasons with the Gators and was on Florida's 2025 national championship team. His return to Gainesville, however, came with uncertainty surrounding his eligibility for
a fifth collegiate season.
The NCAA initially denied Aberdeen's waiver in May, less than six weeks after he announced his return to Florida. His eligibility situation eventually moved to court, where Judge George Wright granted Aberdeen's motion for a temporary injunction against the NCAA in September, clearing him to play for the Gators this season.
The NCAA is appealing the decision, but Aberdeen's eligibility is not currently expected to be in jeopardy.
A significant part of Aberdeen's case centered around his limited playing time as a freshman during head coach Todd Golden's first season at Florida. Aberdeen appeared in less than 41 total minutes that year, despite using a full season of eligibility.
Amidst the uncertainty surrounding his status throughout the offseason, Aberdeen remained a full participant in Florida's practices and workouts. That allowed him to develop chemistry with a loaded Gators backcourt that includes junior Boogie Fland and reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavžar.
Fland, who was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year preseason watch list Monday, spoke positively about sharing the backcourt with Aberdeen.
"It's been good. I mean, we had that bond a little bit, you know, just going up against each other, chopping up on the court," Fland said.
Now officially cleared to take the floor, Aberdeen gives Florida another experienced piece in a backcourt expected to play a major role in the Gators' pursuit of another championship.
The top-ranked Gators return to the court Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network+ against Stetson. The matchup will be Florida's final preseason exhibition before the regular season opens Nov. 2 in Tampa against Miami.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Denzel Aberdeen named to Jerry West Award preseason watch list
