The knee seemed to hold up well when Franck Kepnang recently bounded onto the floor at Alaska Airlines Arena, but he wasn’t dunking a basketball or swatting away a shot. Somewhat impulsively, the oft-injured University of Washington center went out to wipe up a wet spot, to keep things tidy for others.
Now if Kepnang could just receive a clean bill of health for himself.
As the Huskies (10-8 overall, 1-6 Big Ten) prepare to play a road game at Oregon (15-3, 4-3) — Kepnang’s original college basketball home — the 6-foot-11 center likely won’t be available next Tuesday in Eugene. He remains a lingering question mark for coach Danny Sprinkle over whether he’ll be able to play again for the Huskies this winter or have to sit out the majority of a third consecutive season since coming to Montlake.
After playing in all 35 games for the Ducks during the 2021-22 season, and 17 the year before, the 6-foot-11, 250-pound Kepnang has appeared in just 8, 10 and 2 outings for the UW in each of his three seasons because of chronic knee issues.
“The poor kid has had three surgeries in three years,” Sprinkle said. “Even if [the knee] is healthy and everything is showing, it’s still a mental block that you’ve got to get through and a confidence he has to have in it. Obviously we need him back as soon as possible.”
A native of Cameroon in central Africa, Kepnang hasn’t been able to play any later on the schedule each year than Dec. 17 for the Huskies, which is when he got hurt against Seattle U in 2023. He’s appeared in just one conference game during his entire time at the UW, getting hurt against Oregon State when both were still Pac-12 members on Dec. 1, 2022. He’s never played against the Ducks, in the Pac-12 or Big Ten.
While Kepnang has been easing himself back into the practice, and took part in pregame activities in this past Wednesday night’s game against Purdue, his coach says he won’t play until everyone is absolutely sure he’s OK to resume.
“I would never put him out there, and i know our trainer wouldn’t put him out there, if he wasn’t ready,” Sprinkle said. “That’s not fair to the kid. no matter how good of a player he is. We would never do that with any of our guys.”
Clearly, Kepnang has the potential to be disruptive player. Last season, he came up with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks to power the Huskies to an 78-73 upset of then No. 7-ranked Gonzaga in Seattle.
This season, he appeared in just two games before going out with his latest knee flare-up. In a season-opening 79-73 victory over UC Davis, the big man had a well-rounded stat line of 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Sprinkle said even if it’s just a few games he’ll use Kepnang this season, if nothing else as a springboard for next season. While playing parts of five seasons already, the center should be able to petition the NCAA for at least another year for medical reasons.
“He just needs to get on the court — he hasn’t played in three years, in two and a half years,” the coach said. “Even if it’s five games, he’s got to play, even to build to next year.”
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