Mark Pope welcomed Franck Kepnang and his family to Lexington. Kepnang is headed into his seventh year in college basketball. Before joining the Kentucky Wildcats, he played for Oregon and Washington.
This will be Franck’s final season. His eligibility situation has drawn a lot of attention. Franck has had several injuries, and his college basketball tenure has been affected by those injuries.
With one final season at Kentucky, he will close this chapter. Kepnang is a 6-foot-11, 253-pound center with a lot of experience, and he brings size and elite rim protection to the floor for Kentucky.
Head coach Mark Pope welcomed Kepnang and his family to Lexington. He took to X to share a picture he clicked with the new Wildcat.
“So great to officially welcome Franck and his Mom Hortense to Lexington!” he wrote.
Kepnang’s college basketball journey has been interesting and has sparked a lot of conversations surrounding eligibility and injuries. He has played 111 games in six years, averaging 5.7 points per season.
He played just eight games in the 2022-23 season, 10 games in 2023-24, and 14 games in the 2024-25 season. Last season, he played 27 games, his second most, for the Washington Huskies, averaging 6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.
Kepnang’s addition is a major development for the Kentucky Wildcats this year because they have had an underwhelming recruitment cycle. However, Pope is now turning things around with several new signings.
Milan Momcilovic on Why Mark Pope’s System is Best for Him
Milan Momcilovic declared for the 2026 NBA Draft and also entered his name in the transfer portal. He is waiting to see what kind of feedback he will get from NBA scouts, and if it doesn’t meet expectations, Momcilovic will return to college basketball.
He recently spoke on why Mark Pope’s system at Kentucky will be the right fit for him.
“I think Kentucky would be a good fit,” he said. “I obviously went against Pope at BYU his first year (in the Big 12), and I loved how his team played. I think we went 1-1 against them, but they killed us at their place, because they fly the ball up the court and shoot 3s. I really like the way they play.”
“And obviously, Kentucky last year, he didn’t have enough shooters around him to really coach, I feel like, the way he wanted.”
Momcilovic said that if he joins Kentucky, he will fill that gap for Pope and potentially put them in a position to make a deep run in the season.
Read More:
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