Kentucky fans can finally exhale — the latest update on Jaland Lowe is about as good as it gets.
After the scary moment in last week’s Blue-White Game, when the junior point guard went down clutching his shoulder, there was real concern inside Memorial Coliseum. Lowe had collided with Otega Oweh and hit the floor hard, immediately reaching for his non-shooting shoulder as the training staff rushed in to pop it back into place. The silence that followed told the story — this looked bad.
But fast-forward to this week, and the tone has completely changed. Lowe’s recovery has been encouraging, and while he may not be ready to suit up in Kentucky’s first exhibition game against No. 1 Purdue on Friday, the Wildcats’ coaching staff believes this won’t be a long-term setback.
“Jaland is doing great. He has improved so much in the last 48 hours, it’s really, really positive,” head coach Mark Pope said during Kentucky’s Tip-Off Luncheon in Louisville. “We’ll kind of proceed with caution, but he’s an ultimate competitor and he’s doing great. He’s going to be in really good shape.”
That message — cautious optimism — sums up Kentucky’s approach. Pope made it clear that there’s no need to rush Lowe back too soon.
“We’ll see,” he added. “I’m going to have to be super courageous just to throw him on the court here soon, but we’ll see how that plays out. He’s doing really, really well. We’ve been pleased with his progress over the last 48 hours.”
Lowe’s MRI already came back negative earlier in the week, confirming that the injury isn’t serious. The staff plans to keep evaluating him day by day, ensuring he’s fully ready before making his return.
Sarandon Raboin of WHAS11 captured Pope’s lighthearted moment during his back-and-forth with Tom Leach at the luncheon — even jokingly trying to get his wife, Lee Anne Pope, to share her own “medical report” on Lowe’s shoulder.
The takeaway? Kentucky’s floor general is healing quickly, the scare was short-lived, and while Pope’s staff won’t rush anything, all signs point toward Lowe being back in action soon.
And with Purdue looming this Friday, that’s the best news the Wildcats could’ve asked for.
