Kentucky announces signings of Jaland Lowe and Mouhamed Dioubate
Both players have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Jason Marcum has been covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Cincy Jungle since 2014 and the University of Kentucky for A Sea Of Blue since 2015.
The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team has announced the signing of Pitt Panthers point guard Jaland Lowe (pronounced JAY-lend).
“Jaland is an incredibly explosive, playmaking, veteran point guard,” head coach Mark Pope said in a press release. “He’s a great kid who has a tremendous work ethic and most importantly, loves this game and wants nothing more than to win.”
The school also announced the signing of Alabama Crimson Tide forward Mouhamed Dioubate (pronounced dee-ah-BOT-TAY).
“Mouhamed is a special young man who is a perfect fit for the way we play,” Pope said. “He is a ballhandling, decision-making, physical, competitor. Mo can play and guard all five positions and has a presence as a point forward, which makes him uniquely suited to play for us.”
Lowe starred for the Panthers as a sophomore this past season, starting all 31 games in which he appeared while averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game to go along with 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest. He was named a third team All-ACC selection and a National Association of Basketball Coaches Mid-Atlantic Second Team All-District honoree.
A 6-foot-3 lefty who hails from Missouri City, Texas, Lowe scored 20 or more points 10 times this past season while reaching double figures on 26 occasions. His playmaking abilities were often on display, as the guard had 19 games with five or more assists and three with 10 or more helpers.
Lowe registered the sixth triple-double in Pitt program history with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against Virginia Military Institute on Nov. 18. Just over a week later, Lowe scored a career-high 28 points in an overtime win over Ohio State on Nov. 29. He led the Panthers with five double-doubles on the year and was also a disruptive defender, snatching a team-best 55 steals on the season, including 16 multi-theft games.
Pittsburgh faced two Southeastern Conference opponents this past season in LSU and Mississippi State. In those games, Lowe averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 8 for 16 (50.05) from 3-point range.
During his freshman campaign in 2023-24, Lowe finished the season averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.8 boards while starting the final 19 games of his 33 appearances. He scored in double-figures 17 times during his debut season, including 16 such games against ACC opponents. Lowe was selected as the ACC Rookie of the Week after averaging 18.5 points and 4.5 assists per game against Syracuse and Duke on Jan. 22, 2024. As a starter, he shot an impressive 40.3% from behind the 3-point arc.
Lowe was a four-star recruit out of Fort Bend Marshall High School. He was the winner of the Guy V. Lewis Award, given to the top boys’ basketball player in the Greater Houston area. As a high school senior, Lowe averaged 26.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.1 steals, and 2.3 blocks, leading his team to a 35-4 record, a 5A Region 3 finals appearance, and a No. 3 state ranking. Lowe was named to the 23rd annual Jordan Brand Classic Team in 2023. He earned first team all-tournament honors at the 2022 Peach Jam after averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game at the event. Lowe’s godfather, John Lucas II, was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 NBA draft and played in the NBA from 1976-1990 before also coaching in the league from 1992-2003, including head coaching stints with San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Cleveland.
Lowe has two years of eligibility remaining.
As for Dioubate, he averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game for the Crimson Tide in 2024-25. He scored double-figures in 13 outings and had five double-doubles. The 6-foot-7 forward poured in a career-best 22 points to couple with 10 boards in a win against Vanderbilt in late January. He had 10 points and a career-best 16 boards in an overtime win over Houston in November. Other noteworthy performances from his sophomore campaign include a 13-point, 10-rebound, four-assists outing vs. Missouri and 12 points, 12 rebounds, and a pair of steals vs. Florida in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Dioubate charted 18 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament opener vs. Robert Morris.
He was third on the team in rebounds per game and second in total offensive boards (70). He generated a 61.7% field-goal clip and shot 46.2% from behind the arc in his sophomore season. Dioubate ranked second on the team in total steals (35) and was third in blocked shots (25) in just 16 minutes per game.
In three meetings vs. Kentucky last season, Dioubate notched eight points and eight rebounds in the first meeting. He had four points and