Jaland Lowe returned for Kentucky in Wildcats’ lopsided loss to Gonzaga
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- UK basketball guard Jaland Lowe returned to action for the Wildcats against Gonzaga.
- Lowe hadn’t played for UK in nearly a month due to a right shoulder injury.
- Lowe played 14 minutes in UK’s heavy loss to the Bulldogs.
For the first time in nearly a month, Jaland Lowe is back in action for the Kentucky Wildcats.
The circumstances surrounding his return, though, could have been better.
Lowe made his return after missing five games with a right shoulder injury Friday night, but it came in the Wildcats’ 94-59 lopsided loss to Gonzaga at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Lowe played 14 minutes in the contest, while wearing a significant brace on his right shoulder. He missed all five of his field-goal attempts, which included two misses from 3-point range. Lowe had one assist, point, rebound and turnover each.
Lowe’s lone score came when he split a pair of free throws early in the first half. Lowe’s made free throw came a little more than five minutes into the contest, and it arrived with UK already down 9-1 on the scoreboard.
During the 14 minutes that Lowe was on the floor, UK was outscored by 12 points.
“It felt good to be out there,” Lowe said postgame. “I don’t take for granted the game of basketball anymore. So any chance I can get to go out there and play the sport I love, I’m going to go do it, no matter win or loss. I still had a great time.”
A right shoulder injury has plagued Lowe for the entirety of the season. An offseason transfer to Kentucky from Pittsburgh, Lowe first injured his right shoulder — which is his non-shooting shoulder — during the annual Blue-White Game in October. That kept Lowe, who was projected to be Kentucky’s starting point guard, off the court to begin the season.
Lowe played in two games off the bench — a home romp over Valparaiso and a rivalry loss at Louisville — before reinjuring his right shoulder in practice. That reoccurrence of the injury is what kept Lowe on the sideline for the past five Kentucky contest prior to Friday.
Despite being projected as UK’s starting floor general, Lowe has come off the bench in all three of his appearances this season.
Lowe took plenty of contact and tumbles to the floor during the course of the 14 minutes he played against Gonzaga. If nothing else, that should give Lowe, head coach Mark Pope and others in the UK program an indication of how Lowe’s shoulder is able to withstand the physicality of game action.
“Of course, I hate losing,” Lowe said. “That always hurts. But I mean, as far as basketball goes, I just want to play.”
After the game, Pope said he was glad that Lowe was able to get on and off the court “injury free” against the Bulldogs. Pope added that he felt Lowe gave Kentucky an injection of pace when he was on the floor, but that Lowe has a lot of rust to knock off and that he remains a “work in progress.”
“We’re excited about the lift that he can give us,” Pope said, adding that Lowe remains touch-and-go as UK continues to monitor the shoulder injury.
Lowe’s shoulder is far from the only injury issue the Wildcats are managing. Junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate missed his fourth consecutive game Friday with a high ankle sprain. Dioubate has a torn ligament in his ankle area, Pope said.
The Wildcats are also awaiting the season debut of sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky’s top incoming offseason transfer. Quaintance continues to make progress as he rehabs from a torn ACL suffered near the end of last season when he was a freshman at Arizona State.
On Thursday, Pope said Quaintance is taking part in full court, 5-on-5 basketball activities involving the team’s graduate assistants.
Kentucky returns to Rupp Arena to host North Carolina Central on Tuesday night.
