The Washington Huskies could be one of the nation’s biggest surprises in 2024 as they head into the Big Ten with Danny Sprinkle at the helm.
The former Utah State head coach and his new staff have put together an impressive roster headlined by forward Great Osobor, but the former Mountain West Player of the Year will need some help in the paint and could get some center Franck Kepnang.
After transferring to Washington from Oregon in 2022, Kepnang has played in just 18 games over his two seasons in Seattle due to various knee injuries. Still, he’s extremely effective whenever he’s on the court, averaging 8.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.
“We’ve just got to keep him healthy. It’s too bad for coach Hopkins,” Sprinkle said on the Field of 68 Podcast. “Franck only played one game in the last two years in conference. He was kind of a game-changer. They would have won a lot more games with Franck on the floor. Hopefully, we can get him back to 100 percent and keep him healthy during conference because I think he and Great can really play well off each other.”
Hey @franckkepnang, you ready to run it back? pic.twitter.com/WgutwoQJeA
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) April 30, 2024
Sprinkle couldn’t be more spot on. Osobor’s offensive skillset can draw a lot of attention and with Kepnang’s high-intensity play style, he should be a reliable option in the paint when opposing defenses choose to key in on the Utah State transfer.
On the other side of the ball, the seven-footer has the talent, athleticism, effort level, and length to be one of the best defenders in the Big Ten.
The Huskies have put together an exciting combination of guards and wings to space the floor, but if Kepnang can stay healthy, he could help Washington be one of the best teams in the Big Ten in the 2024-25 season.