Kenneth Lowe will enter his first season as an assistant coach with the Boilermaker coaching staff, returning to Purdue for his second stint.
Lowe is a 2004 Purdue graduate and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year while with the Boilermakers. He just wrapped up his fourth season as an assistant coach at St. Thomas University in Minnesota.
During his playing career at Purdue, Lowe was highly-regarded as a fiery defensive player. He led the Boilermakers to the 2003 NCAA Tournament and was a catalyst in one of Purdue's biggest upsets in school history -- a 78-69 win over No. 2 Duke in 2003 Great Alaska Shootout.
“Kenny brings valuable experience to our coaching staff, both as a former player and assistant coach. At his previous stops, most notably St. Thomas, he has shown an understanding and commitment to coaching at the defensive end and to maximizing player development and improvement. He will be a welcome addition to our program,” head coach Matt Painter said.
Lowe, who was responsible for the Tommies’ defensive strategy, helped St. Thomas into the Division I era with success. Last season, the Tommies finished with a 24-10 overall record, finishing second in the Summit League with a 12-4 record despite having one of the youngest rosters in the country. St. Thomas boasted the league’s second-ranked defense behind champion North Dakota State.
During the 2024-25 season, the Tommies lost in the conference championship game to Nebraska-Omaha and finished with another 24-10 record and 12-4 league mark. The squad finished among the top 20 nationally in turnover margin.
In his second season during the 2023-24 campaign, St. Thomas finished 17th nationally in scoring defense.
Prior to his time at St. Thomas, Lowe spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Miami, Ohio. Previously, he was at Purdue for four seasons from 2014-17, as a grad assistant and assistant video coordinator.