One addition that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats made this offseason was former Washington center Frank Kepnang. The veteran big man is a massive human being at 7'0, 270 pounds, and he has been the enforcer for Pope and the Wildcats.

During his long college basketball career, Kepnang has dealt with various injuries, but the hope is that this season he will be able to stay on the floor and back up Malachi Moreno. At some point this season Moreno will get into foul trouble, and Kepnang will have to play extended minutes, and we saw that in the season opener on Tuesday.

In the three exhibition games, Moreno was playing a ton of minutes, and Big Blue Nation didn't see all that much from Kepnang. This left BBN wondering if he was a viable option off the bench for the Wildcats at the five. Well, in the team's first game of the season against Manhattan, Kepnang proved that he will be a weapon for Pope off the bench.

In the first game of the season, Kepnang played 13 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points to go with three rebounds. Kepnang is a force down low, and he looked like it on Tuesday night in Rupp Arena. After the game, Kepnang was asked about what it means to put on the Kentucky jersey. Big Blue Nation will love what the veteran seven-footer had to say. Here was his response: “Every time I put on that ceremonial cloth, we understand the importance of it. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. I’m grateful, it’s a blessing to do it.”

Kentucky really will need a big season out of Kepnang off the bench, and the feeling is that fans are going to see that. He is a massive person and can really protect the rim down low. Kepnang needs to remember that he isn't in the game to look flashy on offense. His job is to rebound, protect the rim, and score down low when the time is right. If he does this, he is going to be a great depth piece for the Wildcats.

Big Blue Nation really appreciates players that take pride in putting on a Kentucky jersey, and Kepnang is one of those players. He has become a fan favorite in Lexington, and Kepnang is going to have some big moments this season for Pope's team.

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