Jaland Lowe set to return to Pitt for sophomore season
Pitt freshman Jaland Lowe announced his return to the program via social media on Thursday afternoon . Lowe, a 6’3” point guard from Texas, had a breakout freshman season where he averaged 9.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game.
The season averages for the former four-star recruit were solid, but there is more to the story. After coming off the bench and dealing with an injury in the first part of the season, head coach Jeff Capel inserted the talented freshman into the starting five in January.
From there, Lowe flourished in his heightened role. He started the final 19 games of the season and produced 13 double-figure scoring efforts during that stretch. The freshman was instrumental to Pitt’s mid-year turnaround this past season. After starting conference play with a 1-5 record, the Panthers surged to win 22 games and record the program’s first-ever top four finish in the ACC.
Lowe dazzled with some impressive individual performances. He scored 17 points in Pitt’s signature win over then No. 7 Duke back on January 20th. Lowe connected on two clutch 3-pointers to help seal the win inside of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Later on in the season, Lowe produced a 20-point effort in a win over NC State on the road. He even recorded his first career double-double back on March 5th where he scored 17 points, dished out 10 assists, while also recording five rebounds in a win over Florida State.
The return of Lowe comes one day after his backcourt mate, Bub Carrington, announced he would be leaving Pitt after one season to pursue a career in the NBA. Given the departure of Carrington, Lowe now figures to be the core piece of Pitt’s team in the 2024-25 season.
The Panthers can also return key players like Zack Austin, Guillermo Diaz Graham, and Ishmael Leggett, though those formal announcements like Lowe’s have yet to be made.
Currently Pitt has four open roster spots for next season and it appears Jeff Capel and his staff are working diligently in the transfer portal to fill some needs, but on Thursday they locked down the team’s point guard, and that is a good start.