The transfer portal seems to be heating up for Michigan State as names are being thrown around in connection to that starting center spot.
Tom Izzo is going to have to make some tough decisions here in the near future as he decides if he wants to pursue a fifth season for Carson Cooper, goes with Anton Bonke, wrestles Moustapha Thiam away from some major competition, or settles for a guy like Franck Kepnang.
Would the latter actually be a fit in East Lansing for his seventh year of eligibility?
Other than having a name that would undoubtedly have Will Tieman in a chokehold — if you’ve listened to Tieman try to pronounce Divine Ugochukwu, you’d understand what I mean — Kepnang would be the perfect fit in East Lansing… as a backup center option.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Kepnang, and I think he would fit the need that Michigan State has at center with a physical rebounder who’s willing to protect the rim on the defensive end. However, I’m just not so sure that he’s the “missing piece” to the national title puzzle in the way that I believe that Cooper would be — or even Bonke.
If Izzo is just looking for a complementary piece and mentor for Jesse McCulloch and Ethan Taylor, then this would be a smart pick-up. Kepnang has a little “dawg” to him and Izzo Izzo has to love it. If he’s looking for an offensive boost, Kepnang is not the guy.
Kepnang averaged just 6.2 points and 6.3 rebounds as a sixth-year senior with Washington this past season. He did also block 2.1 shots per game which was good for second in the Big Ten, but he’s limited offensively. He’d essentially be strictly a lob threat for Jeremy Fears Jr. with the occasional back-to-the-basket move.
Now if Izzo could somehow figure out how to bring Cooper back and have Kepnang back him up, that’s a national title-caliber center position.
A starting five with Franck Kepnang would be offensively limited
If Kepnang is your starting center, that already means you’re down an offensive threat. He can go off for 10-plus every now and then, but he’s never made a 3-pointer in his six-year career and the most he’s ever averaged in a season was 9.0 but he only played eight games that year. The second-most was 8.3 and he only played 10 that season.
Just glance at what the starting five would look like if Kepnang was Izzo’s top center option:
PG: Jeremy Fears Jr.
SG: Jordan Scott
SF: Coen Carr
PF: Cam Ward
C: Franck Kepnang
That would give the Spartans really just one consistent 3-point shooter in the starting five and two guys who need to improve a lot in that area this summer. The power forward and center spots would have zero floor-stretching ability, barring a miracle with Cam Ward’s jumper.
I just don’t think Kepnang should be the top option for Michigan State at center. I’d only like this for the Spartans if he was going to be the backup.
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