Pitt guard Jaland Lowe was off to a scorching start to his sophomore season with back-to-back 20-point efforts. However, he cooled off in he following two games, shooting 22.8 percent from the floor and going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc.
That’s when Pitt head coach Jeff Capel decided to have a conversation with the young point guard, attempting to relieve some of the mounting pressure.
“Jaland has the ability to affect the game in many more ways than just scoring,” Capel said. “Sometimes people that are around these guys, they only see scoring. People that are reporting or covering, they don’t see the other stuff. When you’re young and trying to figure everything out, sometimes you can feel the weight on not scoring and for him, he was just missing some shots and I think he was feeling the weight of that.
“He and I had a talk [Sunday] just about go hoop, go play. You have the ability to impact the game in more ways than just scoring. It’s usually funny, when you don’t think about it, it’s normally when you score more because you’re just playing and I thought he did a better job of that tonight.”
Instead of forcing plays, the 6-3 guard let the play come to him against VMI, which resulted in his first-career triple-double.
“I just was in the flow of the game,” Lowe said. “I kind of just realized at half time how that game was going that lanes were opening up for assists for my teammates, rebounds were coming my way being in the right position, so it was just kind of in the flow and it just kind of came naturally.”
Lowe became just the sixth player in Pitt men’s basketball history to record a triple-double and just the second Panther to do it since 1998.
“It was a special night for the guy on my right to be able to have a triple-double. I don’t know if people understand how hard that is. It’s a really difficult thing to do and he did it in such an efficient manner. Really pleased and happy for him that he was able to do that,” Capel said.
Lowe notched 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as his triple-double comes just over a year since former teammate and Washington Wizards first-round draft pick Carlton Carrington did it in his collegiate debut against NC A&T.
“I’ll hit up Bub and tell him that I’m following in his footsteps a little bit,” a smiling Lowe said.
Lowe joins Carrington, Ricardo Greer, Darelle Porter and Kieth Starr, who pulled off the feat twice.
As Lowe slowly put points on the board with a pair of layups, a triple and a mid-range shot, along with two free throws, he was even more impressive at moving the ball and his defensive effort.
Pitt recorded a season-high 25 assists with Lowe leading the way with several sharp passes, including one to Cameron Corhen on the baseline that led to a dunk in the early stages of the first half and a no-look lob to Zack Austin for an alley-oop finish.
“That’s a big factor of who we are. We need to move the ball in order for us to win and hit shots. Stuff wasn’t going our way in the first half, so we got back together to who we are and started moving the ball and hitting some shots,” Lowe said.
With Lowe in range of hitting the triple-double threshold, the anticipation rose and he was aided by the sharpshooting of Jorge Diaz Graham, who came in off the bench and poured in four shots from beyond the arc. Lowe’s final three assists came on Diaz Graham’s triples.
“I wasn’t thinking about making it. I was thinking, ‘If he passes the ball, shoot it and just trust in my work.’ I made it, that’s what I do,” Diaz Graham said about getting Lowe his triple-double.
On the defensive end, Lowe recorded each of his 10 rebounds, but he also played with an aggressive edge that forced several turnovers.
“We take huge pride on defense and it starts with the guards and our on-ball pressure. We try and do our best and take it personal and win our matchups. That’s out goal each and every night and if we con do that, especially on the defensive end, I think we have a good chance of winning,” Lowe said.
Through five games, Lowe is averaging 13.6 points per game, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists as the Panthers now prepare for LSU in the Greenbrier Tip-Off Tournament.
hope he can do it vs a power 5 school
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