Why Jaland Lowe Could Decide Georgetown's Season — and Ed Cooley's Future
Ed Cooley built a reputation by getting the most out of his point guards at Providence. If Georgetown is going to surprise this season, Jaland Lowe may need to be his next success story.
One of the more underreported aspects of the transfer portal era is how quickly players can get written off following a down season or, in the case of Jaland Lowe, a year spent battling through injuries.
Rewinding a year, Lowe was one of the hotter names in the transfer portal market. The point guard wrapped up his sophomore season at Pitt after earning All-ACC honors in a season in which he averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game.
The Texas native was central to what was thought to be a stacked Kentucky portal haul — a left-handed playmaker who excelled in the screen-and-roll game. Lowe’s shooting efficiency dropped from his freshman season at Pitt, but Mark Pope thought Lowe had to force some tough shots at Pitt and would thrive playing alongside all of the talent in Lexington.
Problem was, Lowe was never healthy at Kentucky. He injured his shoulder in the Blue-White Scrimmage prior to the season and only appeared in nine games before being shut down.
Lowe had his moments at Kentucky — highlighted by his strong play in a win over Rick Pitino and St. John’s and a 21-point effort at Alabama — but Wildcat fans never got to enjoy a healthy Lowe. They also watched a team that lacked playmakers in the backcourt without Lowe.
Fast forward to this past spring. Lowe’s transfer to Georgetown came with nowhere near the fanfare of his arrival at Kentucky, but he very well could hold the fate of the 2026-27 Hoyas — and, in turn, the tenure of Ed Cooley — in his hands.
Entering year four at Georgetown, Cooley finds himself in an unfamiliar place: potentially facing the hot seat for the first time in his 20-plus-year head coaching career.
Following a 9-23 campaign in his first season at Georgetown, things were trending up after an 18-16 mark in 2025 — a season that included two Hoyas being taken in the NBA Draft in Thomas Sorber and Micah Peavy.
But 2025-26 was a season of regression for the Hoyas, who finished 16-18 overall and 6-14 in the Big East.
While facing questions about his future will be new for Cooley, he’s succeeded in years past by squeezing more out of a point guard than most expected.
Bryce Cotton was thrust into the point guard role after Kris Dunn went down with a shoulder injury of his own in 2014, and the result was a Big East Tournament title.
It goes forgotten now, but Dunn had become a bit of an afterthought nationally after missing much of his first two seasons at Providence due to shoulder surgeries — only to elevate the program further in his final two years in the Big East.
And after Dunn departed for the NBA, the Friars were slotted near the bottom of the league in 2016-17 only for Kyron Cartwright to earn Big East Most Improved Player honors and lead PC to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Now Cooley will need Lowe to bring back some of that point guard magic he enjoyed during his Providence days — the type of lift he couldn’t seem to recreate with Rowan Brumbaugh, Jayden Epps, or Malik Mack over the past three seasons in the nation’s capital.
The Hoyas are almost completely revamped heading into next season. Gone are KJ Lewis (USC) and Julius Halaifonua (Oklahoma State), and in are Lowe, Josiah Parker (FAU), Chol Machot (Charleston), Vyctorious Miller (Oklahoma State), and Elmarko Jackson (Kansas).
It’s a group that will likely be picked in the bottom three of an improved Big East by most pundits, and Lowe is the player most capable of raising the ceiling of the Hoyas.
He brings the most proven production of anyone on Georgetown's revamped roster. The godson of longtime NBA coach and player John Lucas, Lowe is a traditional point guard who can certainly score, but thrives in making others better. He’s a terrific pick-and-roll point guard who had an extremely high usage rate prior to the injuries (29.2% Usage Rate, over 600 possessions at Pitt).
As a sophomore at Pittsburgh he enjoyed four games of 10+ assists, ten more of 20+ points, and had both a triple double in one game and a game-ender against Duke.
The biggest question mark surrounding Lowe will be his jumper. He was far more efficient on jump shots his freshman year at Pitt (34% on all jump shots, 36% catch-and-shoot).
As a sophomore, Lowe took over 70 more jumpers and his efficiency numbers dropped to 27% on all jump shots and 26% on catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Cooley has seen his point guards’ shooting numbers jump in years past:
Dunn was a sub-30% shooter from deep and below 40% from the field before shooting 47% from the field and 35% from distance as a junior.
Cartwright went from making just 4-33 from three as a freshman to consistently hitting in the mid-30s from long range his final three years.
Jared Bynum made 5-42 from three as a sophomore before connecting at a 41% clip in his breakout junior year.
Georgetown doesn’t need Lowe to shoot 40% from three, but they almost certainly need a huge season from him if they are to surprise in what should be a much deeper Big East next season.
A Look at the Film
Here’s a five-minute unfiltered look at Lowe from Kentucky last season. These clips include makes, misses, assists, and turnovers.
More from the Big East Film Room
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Thanks for reading the Big East Film Room. In the coming weeks we will begin our team previews, continue with transfer deep dives, and keep reporting on high school recruiting.