Jaland Lowe opens up on full-circle moment following transfer to Mark Pope's Kentucky: "Only saw blue growing up"

Jaland Lowe transferred to Kentucky this offseason after playing two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers. On Monday, Lowe opened up on his full-circle moment on joining Mark Pope's Wildcats.

"I only saw blue growing up," Lowe said to reporters via Kentucky Sports Radio (1:26). "So I was just like, 'Oh yeah, gotta go to a blue school.' I was like '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.

"Me, and my pops, we talk about that 'cause I had a list on top of my bed. Like, eight schools I wanted offers from, and I got absolutely none. But Kentucky was one of them. So, I guess I’ll go back and find that paper and cross it off because it’s definitely amazing to be here.

"I saw guys like (De'Aaron) Fox go here, the Harrison Twins, just Texas guys going to blue blood schools. So I always kept up with them, especially Kentucky.

Lowe looked energetic and enthusiastic to be part of Kentucky's setup, and it will be interesting to see how he fares under Pope.

Pope, who played at Kentucky from 1994 to 1996, returned to the program as a coach in 2024. He led the Wildcats to a 24-12 record in his first year at the helm, which included qualification through to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.

How did Jaland Lowe fare at Pittsburgh last season?

Former Pittsburgh Panthers star Jaland Lowe - Source: Getty

Jaland Lowe averaged career highs of 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game across 31 appearances for Pittsburgh last season. He earned a third-team All-ACC selection.

Despite Lowe's impressive displays for Pittsburgh, the team did not make it to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 17-15 record.

Lowe is known to score almost at will on the court. He is expected to have better teammates around him at Kentucky for next season, so he will want to take his game to an even higher level.