Kentucky's Jaland Lowe to undergo shoulder surgery, will miss the rest of the season

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky point guard Jaland Lowe will undergo shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season, head coach Mark Pope announced Monday night on his weekly radio show.

Lowe, who transferred to UK from Pittsburgh this offseason, has battled a recurring right shoulder injury since preseason.

Pope said the decision came after a lengthy and emotional meeting Monday afternoon that included Lowe, his parents, medical staff, and the coaching staff.

“He’s dislocated his shoulder three times since the Blue-White scrimmage,” Pope said. “Every time it’s been with less and less contact. We searched, tried every possible reasonable scenario to have him continue on. Finally, it just wasn’t possible.”

Lowe’s latest setback came early in Saturday’s win over Mississippi State. He appeared in nine games for the Wildcats, starting twice, and is expected to begin a six-month rehab process post-surgery.

Pope added that despite the season-ending injury, Lowe will remain involved in practice, including scout team work.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy go through more in such a short span,” Pope said of Lowe. “Our doctors were telling him two dislocations and one stinger ago that probably the only avenue was to get surgery. And he just demanded, ‘No, I’m not. I’m coming back. We’re going to fix this.’ Finally, it got to the point where it just wasn’t possible.”

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This marks the second straight season UK has lost a point guard to injury after nine games. Last season, Kerr Kriisa suffered a similar fate.

There was more encouraging news on forward Jayden Quaintance, who missed the Mississippi State game with knee swelling. Pope said UK will monitor his status in the coming days.

Quaintance, recovering from a torn ACL last February, has appeared in four games and is projected as a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Kentucky is scheduled to release its official injury report for Wednesday’s game at LSU on Tuesday night.