Inside The Huskies

Huskies Unearth a Big Man, Welcome Oregon's Kepnang

Franck Kepnang is the UW's second incoming Pac-12 transfer.

Dan Raley

In this story:

Franck Kepnang revealed on Wednesday he will join the University of Washington basketball team from Oregon through the transfer portal, a move that checks off a number of important boxes.

The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center provides the Huskies, who were desperate in need of an inside presence, with a big man.

From Yaounde, Cameroon, Kepnang gives the UW a high-quality international player, something Gonzaga often relies on and the UW used to make a priority with past standouts Christian Welp, Detlef Schrempf and Todd MacCulloch.

And the Huskies will do all of this at expense of their least favorite Pac-12 rival in Eugene. 

Frank Kepnang will leave Oregon for Washington.
Franck Kepnang leaves Oregon after a season and a half :: Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports

Kepnang, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining, is the second Pac-12 transfer picked up by Mike Hopkins' coaching staff, following 6-foot-5 Washington State guard Noah Williams to Seattle.

His roster addition helps take some of the sting out of the UW recently losing starting forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. to the portal.

Kepnang played in all 35 Oregon games this past season, starting five. He averaged 4.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. 

Against the Huskies, the big man had 9 points, 3 rebounds and a block in 14 minutes in the Ducks' 84-56 victory in Eugene.

At Alaska Airlines Arena, he scored 4 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, blocked a shot and nearly fouled out with 4 personals in 16 minutes of play.

Franck Kepnang will transfer to the UW from Oregon.
Franck Kepnang works against the UW's Nate Roberts.  :: Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports

Kepnang, who spent a season and a half at Oregon, will be a noticeable upgrade for the Huskies over the departed 6-foot-11, 265-pound Nate Roberts, though the numbers don't indicate that. 

Starting all 32 UW, Roberts averaged 5.5 points and 7.5 rebounds an outing before choosing to pass up his final year of eligibility.

If the UW had to play a game today, it would open with Kepnang at center,  6-foot-9 Langston Wilson at forward and 6-foot-6 Jamal Bey, 6-foot-4 PJ Fuller and Williams in a three-man backcourt. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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