GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The last time Denzel Aberdeen played a game on Billy Donovan Court, boos echoed through the arena as he stepped onto the court as Kentucky's point guard. Boo'd every time he touched the ball, he finished with 19 points in his return to Gainesville after his shocking transfer, but a 1-for-6 mark from deep was an eyesore in Florida's 92-83 win on Feb. 14.
Nearly nine months later, Aberdeen was back in the O'Dome, back with the Gators and back to hitting 3-pointers. His first home game since returning to the program ended with cheers as No. 1 Florida handled business in an 88-57 win over Jacksonville.
Aberdeen finished with 12 points, shooting 4-for-5 from deep.
"Definitely amazing," Aberdeen said. "Back with my boys. Back with my old coach. Just feels amazing. My family was here today. It's a blessing."
While Aberdeen starred, he was far from the only key contributor. Alex Condon's 12-point, 12-rebound, eight-assist performance paved the way, with Rueben Chinyelu scoring a career-high 21 points and Thomas Haugh adding 14 points and seven rebounds. Urban Klavzar added 12 points off the bench with a trio of 3-pointers.
Aberdeen's 4-for-5 mark and Klavzar's 3-for-5 mark from deep headlined a 44 percent effort by the Gators, which made 11 3's in the win.
"It's a big part of what we need to be the best team we can be," head coach Todd Golden said. "I think we're taking the right ones, we're not forcing a ton of threes, they're coming in our offense or in transition and we have the right guys taking them. If that continues I think we'll continue to shoot the ball well all year."
Aberdeen's not satisfied , though.
"I got to get more rebounds and assists," he said. "It's going to come."
The top-ranked Gators (2-0) now approach a crucial road matchup at rival Florida State, with the non-conference schedule not getting any easier. Florida will play in the Players Eight Tournament - which has teams such as Houston, Auburn, Kansas and UNLV playing as well - in Las Vegas from Nov. 17-19 before hosting No. 2 Duke (Dec. 1). Aberdeen will also eventually have to play his other former team Kentucky for Senior Day on March 6, mirroring how he had his Senior Day with the Wildcats against the Gators.
Those games will come, but for now, all is well.
"It's been good so far," Aberdeen said. "Played with these guys since I first got here. It's been amazing. I know everything they got going on on and off the court... This team is coming together well and gelling."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Gators' Aberdeen Shines in First Home Game Since Returning to Program .
