UK basketball’s ‘growling’ 7-footer could make opponents think twice next season
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Franck Kepnang is listed at 7 feet and 275 pounds on Kentucky's roster.
- This will be his seventh NCAA season after six prior college seasons with injury history.
- If healthy, Kepnang should provide a strong paint presence given his shot-blocking.
Kentucky’s new point guard has already made a promise regarding another addition to the UK basketball roster for the 2026-27 season.
In doing so, the duality of Franck Kepnang was explained.
“Man, I think BBN is going to love Franck, to be honest,” junior point guard Zoom Diallo said. “Off the court, he is a great guy. He cares. He cares very much. Any person, if you walk up and have a conversation with him, you’re going to feel his energy and his intent.”
And for the flip side of the 7-footer?
“On the court, he’s a real-life dog,” Diallo continued. “I was just joking with the guys, like, ‘If you guys see Franck get low and start growling, it’s because — I’m serious — he cares.’ He really has the intention of trying to come and win, and he’s a worker. Weight room, off the court, whatever he’s doing, he’s always working. But I think BBN is going to love his energy and what he brings, because he’s a force — a force to be reckoned with. Seriously.”
Diallo started the summer as the resident expert on Kepnang, who’s officially listed at 7 feet tall and 275 pounds on the UK roster. Originally from Cameroon, the college basketball veteran is well traveled. He played high school ball in Pennsylvania, but that was a while ago.
Kepnang, who will turn 25 years old before the 2026-27 season tips off, started his college career at Oregon back in 2020. He played two seasons there. He’s spent the past four seasons at Washington, where Diallo was one of his teammates for the last two years.
During his time in college, Kepnang has earned a bachelor’s degree in geographic data science and a master’s degree in information systems, specializing in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
This will be his seventh and final season at the NCAA level, and the longevity is due to an extensive injury history. While he’s appeared in games in each of his six previous seasons, he’s played in more than 20 only twice. Kepnang has endured multiple serious knee injuries and finished last season on the sidelines at Washington due to a stress reaction in his leg.
He’s still recovering from that setback, which has kept him out of UK’s summer practices so far. That means Kepnang’s new teammates haven’t fully witnessed the growling giant that Diallo describes.
He’s still making his presence known.
“Franck’s a guy, man,” said fellow UK center Malachi Moreno. “We were in the weight room this morning, actually, and we were doing dumbbell rows. And they said nothing below 50 (pounds). But I think Franck took it to an extreme. He said, ‘Nothing below 100.’
“So Franck’s a big guy, and he’s loud, energetic. So, BBN, you better be prepared. Because he’s gonna surprise some people.”
If he can stay on the court, Kepnang should be a key piece of Kentucky’s roster.
He made a career-high 25 starts at Washington last season, appearing in a total of 27 games (his highest total since 2021-22) and managed 6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 22.9 minutes.
Moreno, a potential first-round pick in next year’s NBA draft, has the starting 5 spot at Kentucky locked down, so coach Mark Pope likely just needs Kepnang healthy enough to play 10-15 minutes per game. If he can do that, the Cats could boast quite the formidable front line.
Diallo says his attitude and energy is contagious. He also thinks Kepnang’s presence in the paint will make Moreno a better player and up the physicality of others in the frontcourt, like Ousmane N’Diaye, Justin McBride and Reece Potter.
That tracks with what another former Washington teammate has said. Hannes Steinbach, a 6-10 big who was selected with the No. 14 pick in last month’s NBA draft, told the Herald-Leader at the NBA Combine in May that practicing against Kepnang every day made him a more creative offensive player while also improving his physical approach to the game.
That post presence was often on display at Washington last season. Kepnang registered 15 games with multiple blocked shots, including four outings with at least five blocks.
“Even in the Big Ten, dudes were like, ‘Man, I don’t even want to go to the paint, because Franck’s down there.’ Like, I’m serious,” Diallo said. “So just having a guy on our team that teams are gonna know — like, he’s gonna go in there and you’re gonna feel his presence, I feel like it’s gonna help our team defensively.”
That booming voice has also been a presence at UK’s summer practices, even though the hulking body it emanates from is on the sideline. Milan Momcilovic, the team’s star transfer, said last week that Kepnang has been one of the most vocal guys in those sessions.
Kepnang and Diallo are similar, in that regard, and Kentucky’s top returnee says it’s helped.
“They’re like the same demeanor,” Moreno said. “They’re both loud, energetic. But they honestly go at it. They’ll be in the weight room, and they’ll be like, ‘Come on, Zoom!’ ‘Come on, Franck!’ Things like that.
“And you can just tell they already got that brotherly bond that you need. And I think having two guys like that on the team already is what made us jell so much quicker.”
Spending a third season together wasn’t necessarily the plan when both Washington players hit the transfer portal. Their commitments came nearly a month apart. But even with Diallo committed to the Cats and Kepnang still sorting through his options, the two remained in touch.
And each came to Lexington with a chip on his shoulder. Washington had a losing record in each of the past two seasons. Both players are out to prove that’s not a reflection on them.
“Me and Franck are very close,” Diallo said. “He’s considered family — forever family — to me. And even when we both went in the portal, we were still talking, like, ‘Where are you going? What are you doing?’ and stuff like that.
“I feel like we both have winning attributes, and us coming here and already knowing our chemistry and knowing what we already do at a high level, I feel like, ‘Let’s go change that narrative.’”
Once Kepnang is able to hit the court, some changes are to be expected. That’s when guys like Moreno will really start to feel his intimidating presence.
Just to clear one thing up, though … does Kepnang actually growl, as Diallo claimed? Like, really growl?
“I wouldn’t say he growls,” the point guard said. “But I’ve had moments in the game, and even in practice, where you can look at Franck and say, ‘Oh.’ Like, ‘He’s serious.’ I’m being serious. He’s just so determined and has winning attributes. I wouldn’t say he actually, like, growls, but he’ll get low, and he’ll just be like …”
And, here, Diallo made a noise that can only be described as a growl.
“He’s one of my favorite teammates,” Diallo continued. “Because he’s a guy who just cares about not only winning, but his teammates. And I can’t wait until he gets on the court with us.”
