Kentucky G Jaland Lowe enters the transfer portal and Miami is a perfect match

Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, and the fit is at least worth monitoring from a Hurricanes perspective because of Lowe's connection to Jai Lucas' family.

Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe has entered the transfer portal

Lowe has a connection to Miami through the Lucas family. John Lucas II, the father of Hurricanes coach Jai Lucas, is Lowe's godfather.

After only playing nine games at Kentucky last year, Lowe missed the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury requiring surgery. In the nine games he did play, he averaged 8.0 points and 2.4 assists per game. He scored a season-high 21 points at Alabama on Jan. 3 and had 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in the comeback win over St. John's on Dec. 20.

Prior to Kentucky, Lowe was a third-team All-ACC selection in 2024-25 after averaging a team-high 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.77 steals per game. He had five double-doubles, one triple-double and 10 games of 20 points or more.

For his freshman year at Pitt in 2023-24, he averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 33 games. He averaged 12.0 points per game in ACC regular-season play, which ranked fifth among ACC freshmen.

Lowe's best single-game performances from the 2024-25 Pitt season

• 28 points at Ohio State
• 27 points and 8 assists vs. Cal
• 24 points and 6 assists vs. Louisville
• 22 points and 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals vs. LSU
• 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists vs. VMI
• 18 points and 11 assists vs. Sam Houston
• 11 points and 12 assists vs. Eastern Kentucky

The Hurricanes are reworking the guard room this offseason. Tre Donaldson is out of eligibility as a senior, and Tru Washington has entered the portal. Prior to Washington's departure, Lucas and his staff already needed to replace 42.2 points, 19.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game from seniors Malik Reneau, Donaldson and Ernest Udeh Jr.