Jaland Lowe could make his Kentucky debut against Valparaiso on Friday night.
The Pittsburgh transfer suffered a shoulder injury in the Wildcats’ Blue-White event on Oct. 11 and was scheduled to practice at full speed Thursday, ahead of the contest against the Beacons. He was held out of contact during an open practice for the media last Wednesday.
Since then, Lowe has been taking more reps in practice.
“He’s been really good the last couple of days, and I hope (he’s ready to play),” Pope said Thursday.
Trent Noah, who suffered an ankle injury in the first half of a 77-51 win over Nicholls Tuesday night, is questionable going into the team’ second game of the season.
“I don’t know if he’ll be available tomorrow — I’m guessing maybe, it’s probably a toss-up whether he will be or not, I’m probably leaning toward saving him and just trying to get him healthy,” Pope said.
Pope added that if it were up to Noah, he would play on Friday night.
“The one complicated thing about training is you love players like this,” Pope continued. “I love having guys like this. I would kill to have a roster full of guys like this. He’s never going to tell you that he’s in pain, ever, ever, ever. I’ll probably err a little bit on the side of caution.”
The No.9 Wildcats (1-0) own a 2-0 advantage over Valparaiso and defeated the Becaons 83-68 in 2016. Valparaiso opened the season with a thrilling 66-63 victory over Eastern Illinois Tuesday night.
“They’re a good team,” Pope said. “They really try to hurt you in transition. They’re so aggressive on the offensive glass. They have some physicality to them.”
Kentucky, Valparaiso, Eastern Illinois and Nichols are part of the four-team BBN United Classic. Kentucky closes out the event against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 14 at Rupp Arena.
‘On his way’
Kentucky forward Jayden Quaintance is getting closer to returning to the court and has begun participating in intense workouts with the rest of his teammates.
Quaintance, who has been recovering from an ACL injury he suffered late last season at Arizona State, has been cleared to compete in competitive drills.
“He’s unbelievable,” Pope said Thursday. “He’s been increasingly ahead of schedule and he’s now jumping in on some 5-on-0 stuff with us on the floor. He’s just been cleared to do that, so he’s racing up and down the floor a little bit, doing stuff with no contact. He’s on his way.”
Pope predicts Quaintance will come sooner rather than later.
“We have one more really, really important strength test that will come up here, I think three weeks from right now,” Pope said. “His asymmetry is almost negligible; it’s pretty incredible. So, we’ll put him through that and see where he goes, but the work he’s put in has been just really inspiring. He’s moving on the court really well right now.”
Gametracker: Valparaiso at Kentucky, 6 p.m.CT, Friday. TV/Radio: SECN+ and UK Radio Network on 94.7 The Mix and WiLLiE 102. Coverage: www.kentuckytoday.com
Jaland Lowe scrambles for a loose ball in the Blue-White scrimmage on Oct. 11. He injured his shoulder in that game but may be healthy enough to return Friday, coach Mark Pope said. (Photo by Les Nicholson)
