Mark Pope gave the team a week off and Denzel Aberdeen is still glued to the gym

Denzel Aberdeen is going to have a breakout season for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mar 8, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen (11) dribbles the ball against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Coach Mark Pope went on the Eyes On College Basketball Podcast with Matt Norlander to discuss his team, and in the very beginning, he discussed how he sent the team home for a week to reset.

Part of the reset process was supposed to be not stepping foot in the gym for a few days to get ready for more hard work ahead of the season.

Coach Pope went on to discuss how he wanted the players to go home and stay out of the gym, and the next thing he knew, there was Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen on the floor getting shots up, and he was joined by Reece Potter.

Here is what Pope had to say about Aberdeen to Norlander, "We tried to kick everybody off campus to go home and refresh. Then I'm sitting here in the office, and Denzel Aberdeen is down there in a full sweat getting a ton of work done. Reece Potter is out there getting shots up. You think about DA, he's got a national championship ring on his finger, and in our one week off, where we told these guys they're banned from the gym, these guys are still breaking in. That's the type of group we have."

While it sounds like the rest of the team went home to see their families, it is probably safe to assume that the rest of the players are also putting in work this week.

Big Blue Nation should love to hear this, as it shows that Coach Pope has a team with an elite work ethic. It doesn't matter how talented a team is if they don't have an elite work ethic, and this Kentucky basketball team, without question, has that in bunches.

Mar 29, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen (11) drives to the hoop past Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Kerwin Walton (24) during the first half during the West Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Last season, Aberdeen was a role player for the national championship Gators, but this year in Lexington, he is going to see his role expand. Aberdeen is expected to start next to Otega Oweh and Jaland Lowe in the backcourt for this basketball team and could average in double figures.

Florida fans hated seeing Aberdeen leave after winning their title, and this goes to show just how good he is going to be for Pope's team this season. Aberdeen is going to be a breakout star in the SEC this season as he will be looking for another ring, but this time wearing the blue and white.

Kentucky has a national title mentality on this roster, and hopefully it will come to fruition.