Jaland Lowe once had a list taped above his bed — eight dream schools, all college basketball royalty. Not one came calling out of high school. But now, after two breakout years at Pitt and a relentless belief in his path, the talented Texas-born guard is finally crossing off the name that meant the most: Kentucky. For Lowe, suiting up in blue and white isn’t just a transfer — it’s the long-awaited realization of a boyhood dream, and the start of a new chapter where he aims to prove that sometimes, the best journeys take the scenic route.
Jaland Lowe knows all about Kentucky basketball and grew up following the Wildcats, along with college basketball’s other Bluebloods, including Duke and Kansas.
Following a stellar prep career in Missouri City, Tex., Lowe wasn’t on the premier recruiting radar list and instead played his first two seasons at Pittsburgh. Throughout the process, Lowe never gave up hope of one day playing college basketball at an elite level.
“I always saw blue growing up,” Lowe said Monday. “I was like, ‘I gotta go to a blueblood school — this is what I’m gonna do.’ Then it never came at first. (I was) disappointed, but where I’m at now, it’s just full circle.”
It’s a topic Lowe and his father discuss regularly now that he’s playing for the program of his dreams.
“(I had) a list at the top of my bed of eight schools I wanted to get offered from, and I got absolutely none, but Kentucky was one. I guess I can go back and cross it off now.”
As he carved his career in the Lone Star state, Lowe kept tabs on former Kentucky guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison and DeAaron Fox.
“It is definitely amazing to be here,” he said. “I saw guys like Fox go here. I saw the Harrison twins go here — just Texas guys going to a blueblood school. I just always kept up with them and watched (the) bluebloods, especially Kentucky.”
Lowe, a 6-foot-3, left-handed guard, averaged 16.8 points and 5.5 assists per game at Pitt last season and scored 20 or more points 10 times and had a career-high 28-point outing in a win over Ohio State.
As indicated by his statistics, Lowe is known to score at will on the court, but added, “a lot of people get it mixed up that Jaland Lowe just wants to shoot the ball and jack stuff up.
“I love passing the ball,” he said. “I’ve always told people that I get more joy from 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 high level, still, so people don’t get that twisted, but I love passing the ball, and that’s always been natural for me.”
Lowe described his demeanor on the court as “a cool, calm, collected playmaker” who wants to “make his teammates better.”
“I want to really tap in this year and just be able to do everything at a very high level, play defensive defense at a high level, distribute at a high level,” he said. “I definitely want to get that up a lot more, and then, you know, just be a really good leader.”
Once he met with Kentucky coach Mark Pope in Minnesota, it didn’t take much for the Kentucky coach to convince Lowe to switch gears and change directions. The conversation last spring came even as Lowe pondered entering the NBA Draft.
“Putting on the Kentucky name — it’s just, it’s second-to-none,” Lowe said. “Everybody’s been amazing so far. I have no complaints with anything. … It’s been everything I always wanted and more.”
