The Washington Huskies have had to play their last three games without center Franck Kepnang and will have to wait a few more weeks before the fifth-year senior returns to action.
According to head coach Danny Sprinkle, Kepnang, who has averaged 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game so far in his final season, underwent a “very minor procedure” to clean up his surgically repaired knee.
“He probably didn’t even need it, we did just to be precautionary,” Sprinkle said on Monday. “It’s very minor, and he’ll hopefully be back in a couple of weeks.”
That timeline would mean that Kepnang will be unavailable for at least Washington’s next four or five games, including the start of Big Ten play when the Huskies head to Los Angeles to take on the UCLA Bruins on December 3. A safe assumption would be that the fifth-year senior remains out through December 10, when the Huskies take on Eastern Washington and are shooting for a return date of December 18, when the Washington State Cougars come to town.
Despite being without his starting center for what would be over a month if that is his return date, Sprinkle said the coaching staff is happy with the results of the procedure.
“They looked at some of the surgeries he’s had in the past, and everything looks phenomenal,” he continued. “I know that puts his mind at ease, it puts my mind at ease, and I know our trainer Darren’s mind at ease. Everything looks great with his health and his knee.”