Basketball
Franck Kepnang basically has played what amounts to a full season for the University of Washington basketball team spread out over three of them because his right knee hasn’t permitted him to stay on the court for long.
He’s appeared in 32 career games — 8, 10 and 14 in each season spent in Montlake — including the last 12 outings of the schedule just put to bed, which is his longest healthy stretch as a Husky.
What all of this means is while you haven’t seen the 6-foot-11, 253-pound Kepnang play even half a season all at once for the UW, you haven’t seen the last of him by any means.
Depending on what the NCAA determines about the assault on his body and the hardship he’s endured, the big man from Cameroon, who began his career at Oregon, could apply for one or two medical redshirts and, at the maximum, end up playing parts of seven college basketball seasons.
“Obviously, he has a couple of them he can apply for,” UW coach Danny Sprinkle said during this past season.
The Huskies will take whatever they can get out of Kepnang, who provides them with an explosive defender and rim protector when mended and rested.
The downside to incurring three knee injuries is he wore a heavy black knee brace in the season finale against Oregon, his old team.
He might have been a step slow if not worn down some by then, which enabled the 7-foot Nate Bittle, once his teammate, to get free for a career-high 36 points in the Ducks’ 80-73 overtime victory.
Three weeks earlier, Kepnang looked much more fresh when he collected 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 steals — all season highs except for the board work — in a 75-73 win over Penn State on the road.
“Just his energy, his aggressiveness, his athleticism and length, it makes us a better team,” Sprinkle said.
As Sprinkle continues to rebuild, he’ll rely on Kepnang to make the Huskies much tougher in the key than they were while finishing 18th and last in the Big Ten this season, and going 17 games without him. The big man knows his physicality is a UW must have.
“The Big Ten is a big ball league,” he said. “We need that kind of mentality.”
When he isn’t dunking in a fierce manner, Kepnang offers a soft touch, both with one-handers around the basket, with an overall shooting percentage of 53.3, and from the foul line, where he deftly connected on 16 of 20 free throws.
The Huskies better resemble the Big Ten basketball team they want to be when his knee behaves. A full season from him would be a bonus. He averaged 23 minutes a game over the final six, all of which he started. His coach is hopeful.
“He can really help us,” Sprinkle said. “He can change some shots.”
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