UK Adds Four Standouts to Men's Basketball Roster

Alabama standout Mouhamed Dioubate has transferred to Kentucky. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Crimson Tide last season. (University of Alabama Athletics Photo)

LEXINGTON, Ky. – UK has added four transfers to its men's basketball roster, it was announced by the school Friday. They are Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama), Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh), Kam Williams (Tulane), and Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State).

Mouhamed Dioubate

“Mouhamed is a special young man who is a perfect fit for the way we play,” said Kentucky coach Mark Pope. “He is a ballhandling, decision-making, physical, competitor. Mo can play and guard all five positions and has a presence as a point forward which makes him uniquely suited to play for us.”  

Dioubate (pronounced dee-ah-BOT-TAY) averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for the Crimson Tide in 2024-25. He scored double-figures in 13 outings and had five double-doubles. The 6-foot-7 forward poured in a career-best 22 points to couple with 10 boards in a win against Vanderbilt in late January. He had 10 points and a career-best 16 boards in an overtime win over Houston in November. Other noteworthy performances from his sophomore campaign include a 13-point, 10-rebound, four-assists outing vs. Missouri and 12 points, 12 rebounds and a pair of steals vs. Florida in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Dioubate charted 18 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament opener vs. Robert Morris.

He was third on the team in rebounds per game and second in total offensive boards (70). He generated a 61.7% field-goal clip and shot 46.2% from behind the arc in his sophomore season. Dioubate ranked second on the team in total steals (35) and was third in blocked shots (25) in just 16 minutes per game.

In three meetings vs. Kentucky last season, Dioubate notched eight points and eight rebounds in the first meeting. He had four points and five rebounds in the second meeting, and produced 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks vs. the Cats in the SEC Tournament.

For his career, Dioubate has connected on 57.1% of his shot attempts and 35.1% from distance. He has appeared in 70 career games in two collegiate seasons where his squad advanced to the Elite Eight each year.

As a freshman in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Dioubate reached double-digit points twice, including 14 points vs. Mississippi State. He scored nine of Bama’s final 15 points in the Round of 32 win over Grand Canyon.

The Queens, New York, native captured a national prep championship with Putnam Science Academy as a senior. The four-star prospect was ranked among the top 75 players in his class. Dioubate averaged 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for the PSA Cardinals in the EYBL circuit. He was a first-team EYBL selection in 2022, and he scored the most points around the rim (309) according to Synergy Sports. 

Dioubate has two years of eligibility remaining.

Jaland Lowe

Lowe is a point guard from Pittsburgh where he an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection at Pittsburgh last season.

“Jaland (pronounced JAY-lend) is an incredibly explosive, playmaking, veteran point guard,” Pope said. “He’s a great kid who has a tremendous work ethic and most importantly, loves this game and wants nothing more than to win.”

Lowe starred for the Panthers as a sophomore this past season, starting all 31 games in which he appeared while averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game to go along with 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest. He was named a third team All-ACC selection and a National Association of Basketball Coaches Mid-Atlantic Second Team All-District honoree.

A 6-foot-3 lefty who hails from Missouri City, Texas, Lowe scored 20 or more points 10 times this past season while reaching double figures on 26 occasions. His playmaking abilities were often on display as the guard had 19 games with five or more assists and three with 10 or more helpers.

Lowe registered the sixth triple-double in Pitt program history with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Virginia Military Institute on Nov. 18. Just over a week later, Lowe scored a career-high 28 points in an overtime win over Ohio State on Nov. 29. He led the Panthers with five double-doubles on the year and was also a disruptive defender, snatching a team-best 55 steals on the season, including 16 multi-theft games.

Pittsburgh faced two Southeastern Conference opponents this past season in LSU and Mississippi State. In those games, Lowe averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 8 for 16 (50.05) from 3-point range.

During his freshman campaign in 2023-24, Lowe finished the season averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 boards while starting the final 19 games of his 33 appearances. He scored in double-figures 17 times during his debut season, including 16 such games against ACC opponents. Lowe was selected as the ACC Rookie of the Week after averaging 18.5 points and 4.5 assists per game against Syracuse and Duke on Jan. 22, 2024. As a starter, he shot an impressive 40.3% from behind the 3-point arc.

Lowe was a four-star recruit out of Fort Bend Marshall High School. He was the winner of the Guy V. Lewis Award, given to the top boys’ basketball player in the Greater Houston area. As a high school senior, Lowe averaged 26.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.1 steals and 2.3 blocks, leading his team to a 35-4 record, a 5A Region 3 finals appearance and a No. 3 state ranking. Lowe was named to the 23rd annual Jordan Brand Classic Team in 2023. He earned first team all-tournament honors at the 2022 Peach Jam after averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game at the event.

Lowe’s godfather, John Lucas II, was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 NBA draft and played in the NBA from 1976-1990 before also coaching in the league from 1992-2003, including head coaching stints with San Antonio, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Lowe has two years of eligibility remaining.

Kam Williams

Williams is coming off an American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team season at Tulane where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

“Kam is a beautiful kid who is not only an elite-level shooter but also an elite 1-through-4 defender,” Pope said. “He has a ton of gravity to his game and has untapped athleticism that is going to make his ceiling really high.”

The Lafayette, Louisiana, native started 28 of the 33 games played during his freshman campaign. He connected on 42.2% of his field-goal attempts, 41.2% from long range and 78.6% from the free-throw line. Williams logged 14 double-figure scoring efforts and earned one double-double. The 6-foot-8 wing notched 13 points and 10 boards in an 86-81 win over East Carolina.

Other notable performances from his freshman season include 16 points and eight rebounds which included draining a trio of 3s in the AAC Tournament against Memphis. He poured in a career-high 24 points and made six 3s in a win over UAB. He had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists vs. Charlotte. Williams scored 11 points, hauled in six boards and added three blocks vs. Rice. A 15-point effort against Temple saw Williams go perfect from the field and at the charity stripe on five attempts from the field, three from behind the arc and two at the line. He had 19 points and five rebounds vs. Dillard. Williams scored in double figures for the first time with 13 points against Alcorn State.

Prior to his career at Tulane, Williams played high school basketball at Lafayette Christian Academy and was a Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State selection. As a senior, Williams helped his squad reach the state tournament quarterfinals. During his junior campaign, Williams logged 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Lafayette Christian was the state runner-up during Williams’ sophomore season.

At the Peach Jam in 2023, Williams suited up for Houston Hoops and averaged 8.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in five appearances.

Jayden Quaintance

Quaintance (pronounced KWAYNE-tance) is a 6-foot-9 forward who played his freshman season at Arizona State.

“Jayden is a 17-year-old phenom who is as explosive as he is skilled, and he is just scratching the surface of what he’s going to become in this game,” Pope said. “He’s an incredibly bright kid who is already postering anyone in Big Blue Nation in a game of chess and he and his family couldn’t be more excited to finally get to wear the Blue and White.”  

Quaintance started all 24 games in which he played with the Sun Devils, averaging 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.5 assists while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. His performance landed him spots on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Additionally, the Cleveland native was one of 15 players in the country named to the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Watch List in early February.

Quaintance set Arizona State freshman records for total blocked shots (63) and rebounds per game (7.9), despite missing the latter portions of the season after suffering a torn ACL on Feb. 23. His 63 blocks combined with 27 steals made Quaintance the only player in the country to reach a combined 90 blocks and steals in fewer than 25 games. He scored in double figures in 11 games and led the team with six double-doubles. Quaintance led the Sun Devils in blocks in 19 of his 24 games played, blocking three or more shots in 11 contests. The forward also paced the team in rebounds 16 times.

In his very first collegiate game, Quaintance swatted a season-high six shots in a win over Idaho State. He had his first career double-double against St. Thomas on Nov. 17, scoring 13 points while corralling 14 rebounds. Quaintance followed that up with another double-double in the team’s very next game, finishing with 11 points and 12 boards vs. Cal Poly. He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 23 following a breakout performance against UMass in which he scored 19 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four blocks. Quaintance scored a season-high 20 points against UCF on Jan. 14, also blocking five shots in the game. In his final action of the season at Kansas State, Quaintance mustered up 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting in just 26 minutes.

Quaintance was a consensus five-star prospect coming out of high school and a 2024 McDonald’s All-American. He was originally signed to UK under former head coach John Calipari before opting to attend Arizona State following the coaching change at Kentucky. As a high-schooler, Quaintance averaged 17.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.4 assists per game as part of the Overtime Elite high school league as a junior.

After reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024, Quaintance averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists on the Nike grassroots circuit in the summer of 2023. He also represented Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, winning a gold medal.

Despite already having one year of college basketball experience under his belt, Quaintance is just 17-years old, set to turn 18 this summer.