As speculation grows that Kentucky may be in the market for a mid-year point guard addition with Jaland Lowe fighting through a shoulder injury that could impact his long-term availability, Mark Pope decided to pour some cold water on the possibility going into the Wildcats’ matchup vs. Bellarmine.
Lowe insurance? The second-year head coach doesn’t think that will be necessary for a couple of reasons, the biggest being that he expects the Pittsburgh transfer to stay healthy the rest of the way.
“I have every expectation Jaland is going to be with us the whole season, and we’re excited about it,” Pope said.
Should something happen to Lowe to affect his availability, Pope is confident there are enough pieces elsewhere on the roster to keep the Wildcats from drowning, specifically mentioning Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson as more than capable replacements.
“We have a great roster. I’m not sure we’re shopping a lot right now,” Pope said of a mid-year addition. “We have an unbelievable amount of faith in our guys, first of all, with Jaland. Jasper is going to grow into a starring role. He’s been so good. D.A. is becoming more and more and more comfortable becoming a full-time point, but also being on the move at the two.
“I love our roster right now, and we’re excited about this group. I think we have an incredible, incredible run ahead of us. That’s what we’re thinking about with this roster right now.”
Lowe was on the court for seven seconds in the first half vs. St. John’s before reaggravating his injured right shoulder — a third incident for the junior point guard since October. His season flashed before Big Blue Nation’s eyes, only for him to run back out there for warmups after halftime and play 15 second-half minutes, finishing with 13 points on 5-7 shooting with three assists and three rebounds.
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Like you, Pope was shocked to see him take the floor again, but was certainly grateful for the speedy recovery. Without him, the Wildcats likely don’t beat the Red Storm.
“I’m surprised. As we finished our halftime meeting with the team, (trainer) Brandon Wells grabbed me and said, ‘Hey, I think he’s good. I think he’s okay to go.’ He was working a lot on adrenaline, for sure. You talk about another player who is just dying to be on the court and compete with the guys. With some trepidation, he was like, ‘No, I feel good, I feel strong. I feel okay.’
“And certainly, he played elite-level basketball. It was the best showing that he’s had for us by far.”
As long as Lowe stays healthy, fans would be just fine riding that wave the rest of the season. Is it possible? Pope clearly thinks so.
We’ll see what happens against Bellarmine, followed by the start of SEC play in January.
“He’s pretty sore today. We’ll see how it is tomorrow,” the second-year head coach continued. “We’ll continue to proceed with caution with these guys. He’s bounced back really fast, so I know he’s got great basketball in him.”
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