Transfers Denzel Aberdeen, left, and Mo Dioubate both impressed UK guard Collin Chandler when he played against them last season. (UK Athletics Photo)
Sophomore guard Collin Chandler is one of the players that coach Mark Pope anticipates making a big jump in production this season but Chandler is just as anxious to see what new teammates Mo Dioubate and Denzel Aberdeen add to the team after playing against them last season.
Dioubate transferred from Alabama to UK while Aberdeen won a national title at Florida but left for Kentucky.
“Mo is awesome. He’s kind of a jack of all trades,” Chandler said. “He’s obviously very physically gifted, and so that comes in handy on defense, but he can also force his will on offense.
“He’s also a very good shooter. I don’t think he shot a big volume of shots last year, but he’s a very good shooter, which actually makes him very dangerous, and is going to make him a big asset to our team.”
Kentucky played Alabama three times but only played Florida once to open Southeastern Conference play. However, Chandler saw more than enough to be impressed by Aberdeen.
“I remember his role at Florida. He was coming off the bench and providing those very impactful minutes for Florida,” Chandler said. “He’s a very good scorer. He’s also a very good shooter. He shoots the ball really well. He has the ball on a string, which makes him very dangerous as a guard and as a ball handler.
“That’s going to be very valuable to us as well. I don’t know exactly the role that Denzel is going to play, but I know he can contribute in so many different factors.”
5 Responses
I wouldn't be surprised if MoD leads the team in rebounds this year. He is a aggressive rebounder and attacks the glass both on offense and defense. We are always at our best when we have a great offensive rebounding team. I think this year we will be excellent at put backs and offensive rebounding. Mo-D at 6-7 and he's built like linebacker. Will be the most physical guy on the team. I think he will be a double double machine if he plays about 21-23 minutes a game. Aberdeen doesn't move my needle much. Yes hes athletic. Yes he plays pretty good defense but he's a one and done. I would never take transfer seniors unless you need a plug and play type of player. I think they got Aberdeen because Oweh was 50/50 going to the NBA otherwise it's kind of detrimental to the other guys on the roster who have been in the program. Guys like Mo-D and Lowe are perfect. They will be juniors and there best basketball is clearly ahead of them the next 2 years. I would only go after guys like JQ that are a one and done. Someone who can dominate for a year. I just don't see Aberdeen being a world burner and he was the 4th and sometime 5th best guard at Florida as a junior? I just think your taking a role player from Florida and pushing him into a starting role only being here for about 7 months? Idk ?
The above photo shows the defensive effort that is required in SEC play, but when the NCAA tournament comes around we play a game called by Ivy League officials and can't figure out why everyone on our team has fouled out. Travis Perry may have jumped out of the pan and into the fire by transferring to Ole Miss. Coach Beard demands that kind of effort on defense and that is just not in Perry's DNA.
I agree. The move to Ole Miss of all teams is a head scratcher. The more playing time he receives the more pissed the fans will be when he gets roasted on defense every time down. When he was playing for Kentucky other teams were going at him and there wasn't much he could do.
Dioubate is a dog! He says Bring It!
Didn’t have a true enforcer last year.