Jaland Lowe came to UK to win a national title. (Vicky Graff Photo)
It seemed like Pittsburgh transfer Jaland Lowe was a perfect fit for Kentucky coach Mark Pope’s offense. However, the junior point guard more than verified he not only was the perfect fit athletically but also emotionally and mentally during his first press conference at Kentucky recently.
“I wanted to win a (national) championship, I wanted to wear Kentucky across my chest, and I wanted to play with this group of guys around me,” said Lowe. “I really couldn’t ask for more. That’s all I really want to do.
“I have not played in the (NCAA) tournament in my two years of college basketball. To know that I can go from not playing a tournament game to competing for a national championship is everything I wanted and more.”
The 6-foot-3 point guard started 31 games for Pittsburgh last season and averaged a team-best 16.8 points per game along with 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He had 10 games of 20 or more points but he also had 19 games with five or more assists — and three games with 10 or more assists. He also had only the sixth triple-double in Pitt history with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Virginia Military.
Lowe, a four-star recruit out of Fort Bend Marshall (Texas) High School, dreamed of playing for a blue blood program like Kentucky but did not get that type of offer before he picked Pitt. Now he’s ready to embrace what lies ahead with the Cats.
“These fans are amazing. I’ve learned that it’s not just — people are saying, ‘Yeah, they’re really crazy.’ They’re amazing, they’re the next level and I’ve loved this. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of,” Lowe said. “At the same time, these guys around me just make everything better. At the end of the day, it’s about who you’re doing this with, and these guys (players) have been more than welcoming.”
Lowe was not UK’s highest rated transfer on Mark Pope’s second Kentucky team and doesn’t figure to be the highest projected NBA draft pick. However, he could be the most important player on the team when it comes to UK’s chances of being a national championship contender.
“He’s an ultra-quick guard. He can really dance with the ball,” Kentucky sophomore guard Trent Noah said. “He’s good out of ball screens. He’s a really good shooter. I know his (field goal) percentage wasn’t great last year, but he took a lot of them (shots). And he took a lot of difficult ones, because he had to in that offense. But he’s incredible. I really like his game a lot.”
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello believes Lowe will be the biggest impact player at Kentucky this season who will adjust his game to fit what Pope needs.
“Surrounded by a slew of shooters, he’s likely to be more efficient (offensively),” Borzello wrote about Lowe.
Lowe shot 37.6 percent from the field last season — he played about two months with a broken ring finger on his shooting hand — but often had to take forced, low percentage shots in Pitt’s offense and averaged 14.3 shots per game. He doesn’t figure to take that many shots this season with more talented teammates around him.
“A lot of people got it mixed up that Jaland Lowe just loves to shoot the ball and jack stuff up,” Lowe told media members. “No, I love passing the ball. I’ve always told people I get more joy in an assist than scoring a basket.
“My whole life I’ve been a point guard. That’s what I am. I know how to score the ball at a really high level still, so people don’t get that twisted, but I love passing the ball. That’s always been natural for me.”
His assist rate of 30.6 percent last season ranked sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference according to KenPom which fit well with the way he describes his game.
“Cool, calm, collected, playmaker who just wants to make his teammates better, but at the same time, is always a threat to just do everything on the court,” Lowe said when asked to describe his game. “I want to really tap in this year and do everything at a very high level, play defense at a very high level, distribute at a high level, I definitely want to get that up a lot more. And just be a really good leader. I feel like these guys have really helped me see that that is possible.”
Lowe considers himself a gym rat which is no surprise since former NBA player/coach John Lucas is his godfather and his father, Marland, has worked with numerous college and NBA players the last 30 years. He was thrilled to find more “gym rats” at UK that will go to the gym late at night with him or at other times.
“Off the court, guys just want to hang out, just chill, have fun, play video games or whatever,” Lowe said. “It has been an amazing experience.
3 Responses
I absolutely love Jaland Lowe. He's always smiling. He has a great aura around him. Like Borzello said this kid will take Kentucky to the next level. He was on a bad Pitt team the last couple of years. Had literally nobody on the team. He will be all conference this year. I can see him averaging 13-15 ppg. 7-8 apg. I think he will lead the SEC in assist. He's a step up from Lamont Butler. I would take him anyday over Butler. He can penetrate with ease. He can get wherever he wants too on the court. He was playing with a broken finger on his shooting hand last year. That will absolutely destroy your shooting numbers. If he would have played for Kentucky he wouldnt have played with a broken finger on his shooting hand. It shows how bad Pitt was that they absolutely needed him. I also believe Oweh improves and so does Garrison. I think the player who improves the most since last year is Chandler. He was so rusty at the start of last year it took the whole season to shake the rust off. This year he will be polished and playing on another level than his freshman season. I can see him having a major role on this team and will probably be the star player in 26-27 he will be all conference.
I know I shall love Jaland. What a smile. What a personality. And he's a wonderful player to boot! He will fit right in and he will be so happy with BBN. I truly believe there is no other fan base that loves our players like us. Can't wait to watch him in action. Gooooo Jaland and GO BIG BLUE!
Jaland will have a breakout season. He will be so much better in every way being on a better team.