After entering portal, Jaland Lowe leaves Pitt for Kentucky

Only hours after getting some good news from the transfer portal, Pitt coach Jeff Capel received the worst news Saturday morning when Jaland Lowe, the team’s point guard and best player, committed to Kentucky.

A source confirmed the news, originally reported by ESPN, 247Sports.com and On3.com.

NEWS: Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe has committed to Kentucky, sources told ESPN. One of the best point guards in the portal, Lowe averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season. Third-team All-ACC selection.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 5, 2025

Lowe, who will be a junior when he enrolls at Kentucky, entered the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday.

The loss of Lowe is a blow to the Pitt program by itself, but he is one of eight scholarship players — fifth via transfer — to announce plans to leave since the end of a disappointing 2024-25 season. Pitt started 12-2, but finished with an overall record of 17-15.

4???? Pitt PG Jaland Lowe has committed to the Kentucky Wildcats! ????????

Lowe is one of the top point guards in the country and just wrapped up his sophomore season averaging 16.8 PPG and 5.5 APG. Jaland is from Texas and is the 2nd member of Mark Pope’s 2025 Transfer Class!???????? pic.twitter.com/6SgYK8QOCG

— Kentucky Hoops (@kentuckyhoopsig) April 5, 2025

Lowe, who is considered one of the best point guards in the portal, started 50 of the 64 games in which he appeared since 2023-24, directing Pitt’s offense on a majority of the possessions. He led the team in scoring, assists and minutes played this season with averages of 16.8, 5.5 and 35.6 per game.

As a freshman the previous season, he teamed with Bub Carrington to help lead the Panthers to their second consecutive 22-plus victory season after years of struggles since former coach Jamie Dixon left in 2016. Now, more retooling is necessary for Pitt to climb the standings in the ACC.

For his two-year career, Lowe averaged 13.1 points and 4.3 assists. On numerous occasions in that time span, he expressed his appreciation of playing for Capel, and he became a team leader this season. But the current state of college athletics, with immediate eligibility for transfers and players getting paid almost like employees, has hurt Pitt basketball, especially in Lowe’s case.

Lowe, a third-team All-ACC selection, will be leaving that conference and joining one of college basketball’s blue blood programs. Kentucky (24-12, 10-8) has won eight national championships and is a member of the SEC, the strongest conference in the nation. A total of 14 SEC teams — compared to four from the ACC — earned NCAA Tournament berths this season. Florida and Auburn reached the Final Four.

The Panthers already lost Lowe’s running mate at guard, Ishmael Leggett, who averaged 15.7 points and 35.4 minutes per game. Leggett’s eligibility expired at the end of the season after transferring from Rhode Island two years ago.

Also gone are Zack Austin and Damian Dunn (no more eligibility remaining) and four other transfers: Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham, Amsal Delalcic and Marlon Barnes.

Capel has been working through the transfer portal since the end of the season, and he landed a big body Friday night when former Iowa State center Dishon Jackson (6-foot-11, 274 pounds) committed to the Panthers. Pitt’s next target will be the guard position where freshman Brandin Cummings is the only player returning.

Cummings is one of only four scholarship players scheduled to return, including forwards Cam Corhen, Papa Kante and Amdy Ndiaye. Corhen is the only regular starter in that group, but Cummings filled an important role off the bench.

Pitt’s incoming freshman class includes combo guard Omari Witherspoon (6-4, 185) of Washington, D.C.

According to verbalcommits.com, Penn State freshman guard Jahvin Carter has transferred to Middle Tennessee. Also, three West Virginia players have made their transfer decisions — senior shooting guard Tucker DeVries (Indiana), freshman shooting guard Jonathan Powell (North Carolina) and freshman point guard K.J. Tenner (Murray State).