Why Franck Kepnang will be one of Kentucky's most important players this season

A couple of minutes into his first shift as a Kentucky Wildcat last Friday night, Franck Kepnang flung all 7 feet and 270 pounds of himself to the floor.

Kepnang, who turned 25 years old the previous day and already holds a master’s degree, had knocked the basketball loose from a Little Rock player and saw his opening. So he took it.

It didn’t matter that this game didn’t matter. Kepnang was acting on instinct.

Many of those who knew his history surely held their breath at that moment, seeing the hustle and fearing the worst. But there was little time to worry. Kepnang didn’t come up with the loose ball, but he did pop back to his feet almost instantly. 

A Little Rock player missed a shot. The ball went the other way. And so did Kepnang.

On the Trojans’ next possession, the veteran center flew in as a helpside defender and got enough of the ball to earn his first blocked shot as a Kentucky player.

Kepnang’s first shift that night lasted nearly six minutes. He came back out for a couple of more stints in the second half. His final stat line was unremarkable: three rebounds, one block and one steal in 12 minutes. He didn’t score a point and took only one shot.

But he provided energy. He mixed it up physically. He made a difference defensively. In other words, he played his game, and when he jogged off the floor for good with 1:37 left in UK’s 69-49 exhibition victory, there was a smile on his face.

Kepnang had made it through the night unscathed, and that’s what mattered most.

The first six years of college basketball haven’t been particularly kind to Kepnang, who enters his seventh knowing full well that it will be his last. And he’s come to Kentucky to make the most of it. To do that, he’ll need to stay on the court.

And these Cats are going to need him.