“We’re going to really unleash him": Kentucky HC Mark Pope lavishes praise on Kentucky's transfer portal addition from ACC

Kentucky coach Mark Pope led his team to the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament during his first season in charge. The Wildcats coach has moved quickly in the transfer portal after losing several players to the portal and the NBA Draft.

One of the Wildcats transfers that caught the eye is the acquisition of guard Jaland Lowe from the Pittsburgh Panthers. Lowe will replace the influential star Lamont Butler whose college eligibility ran out.

During Wednesday's segment on CBS Sports with Jon Rothstein, Mark Pope lavished praise on Lowe and revealed how he plans to use him in Lexington.

“I’m excited to get him here and hyper-speed his game,” Mark Pope said (0:15). “We’re going to really unleash him and push him to play with as much pace as he possibly can. … He’s just, he’s so athletic. He’s got such a herky-jerky nature to his game. He’s like an elite-level tailback that can cut, like his cuts could be a 270-degree on a dime cut, change direction.

“He proved to do everything at Pitt. He was an elite-level scorer. He’s incredible at getting to the free-throw line. He was almost six assists a game. He had a real presence on the ball, he’s almost a 3.0 turnover percentage guy (on defense). He’s got a complete package.”

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Mark Pope huge factor in Jaland Lowe choosing U. K

Jaland Lowe averaged 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Panthers last season and was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal.

During an interview with Your Sports Edge last week, his father, Marland Lowe revealed that apart from the Kentucky brand, beleaguered coach Mark Pope was a huge factor in his son choosing the Wildcats.

“It was also about how he could enhance Jaland’s game," Marland Lowe said. "It was interesting how he talked about usage rate and where he ranked in pick and roll and Pope liked how he managed that and talked about where he needs to improve in the pick and roll as well.

"He said he would make sure to have players around him that could finish the passes and plays he makes. He talked so much about how he could help him improve in many areas, and that was something Jaland really liked.”

Before committing to Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats, Jaland Lowe had tested the NBA Draft waters to get feedback from the league while maintaining college basketball eligibility.