Cameroon big man Franck Kepnang says he’s been offered scholarship by KU
Franck Kepnang, a 6-foot-11, 225-pound junior center from Westtown (Pennsylvania) School, has received a scholarship offer from Kansas, he reported recently on Twitter.
Kepnang, the No. 29-ranked high school basketball player in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com, has made unofficial visits to Georgetown (March 7) and Maryland (March 8). Some of the other schools on his list: KU, Stanford, Wake Forest, UConn, St. John’s, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Saint Louis, Syracuse, Texas A&M, UCLA and Vanderbilt.
“Just overall, I know Kansas has a really rich basketball history and they do a good job preparing their bigs for the next level,” Kepnang told Zagsblog.com. “I don’t really know any specific details about them. I’m doing more and more research on them.
“They want to start a good relationship and build the relationship to see where it goes from there,” added Kepnang, who is from Cameroon.
He told Zagsblog.com he wants to see “how a school plays through their bigs and how much they allow their bigs to do. With the new style of basketball, do they let their bigs shoot? That’s important to me because I’ve been working a lot on my shooting and getting pretty good at it.”
“I play hard every single possession and I protect the rim. Even if I’m not on the court, I’m supporting my teammates. I try to communicate with them as much as I can and I just play hard. When I get a pass and hit the rim, I finish it,” he added.
Jordan Bruner lists six schools
Yale’s Jordan Bruner, a 6-9, 205-pound senior-to-be forward out of Spring Valley High in Columbia, South Carolina, has narrowed his list of transfer possibilities to six: Baylor, Alabama, Maryland, Gonzaga, Arkansas and Louisville, according to 247sports.com.
Bruner, who averaged 10.9 points and 9.2 rebounds a game during his junior year at Yale, originally listed KU as a grad-transfer possibility. He hit 112 of 253 shots his junior year for 44.3%. He made 32 of 99 threes for 32.3% and was a 76.6% free-throw shooter.
“Initially over 30 schools contacted Bruner, but in the end he decided to cut it down to six, and now he will focus in on those schools, and figure out if he will be able to make visits, or if a decision will have to come without the aid of any trips,” writes Brian Snow of 247sports.com.
“Bruner has been one of the most heavily recruited graduate transfers with his combination of size, length and solid athleticism to go with a strong skill level. He also is a skilled passer and averaged 3.8 assists per game this past year for the Bulldogs, and was considered one of the best players in the entire Ivy League.”
Carolina offers Jaden Bradley
North Carolina has offered a scholarship to Jaden Bradley, a 6-3 sophomore point guard from Cannon School in Charlotte, North Carolina, he reported on Twitter.
Bradley, the No. 8-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2022, according to Rivals.com, also has been offered a scholarship by KU. Originally from Rochester, New York, he is also being recruited by Kentucky, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, Florida State, Auburn, Xavier and others.
Thompson nets Gatorade honor
Incoming KU freshman combo guard Bryce Thompson has been named Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Oklahoma for the second straight year.
Thompson, a 6-4 senior from Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2020 by Rivals.com, averaged 25.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game this season after averaging 19.8 points a year ago as a junior for the 2019 Class 6A state champs. He finished his career with 1,945 points.
“Bryce has had an amazing year,” Washington coach Conley Phipps told Barry Lewis of the Tulsa World. “He’s a phenomenal player. It’s been amazing to see the level that he’s taken his game to since the state tournament last year. He’s the best offensive player in the country and one of the best overall players in the country.
“As great a player as he is, he’s an even better human being,” Phipps added. “He’s been a joy to coach every day. It’s been an unbelievable ride for me to coach him the past three years.”
Paul Pierce speaks
Former KU standout Paul Pierce recently offered his “all-time KU team” on ESPN’s NBA Countdown show.
“I’m going to go big with my squad. We’re going old school, 6-8 and up pretty much except for point guard,” Pierce said. “So I’m going to start off with Wilt Chamberlain at my center, Then I’m going to put him down low next to Joel Embiid.
“Then at the wing, it’s going to be Danny Manning. I’ve gotta have him. He was a great Kansas player. I’m going to put myself at the other wing. And what Kansas team … you can’t leave off Mario Chalmers. Super Mario. Won a national championship at Kansas with big shots; I’m going with Mario Chalmers. That’s my all-time starting five.”
Would KU have made Final Four?
This past weekend would have been Elite Eight weekend. Who would have survived to advance this week to the Final Four?
Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi chose KU, Duke, Michigan State and Kentucky, teams that compete annually in the Champions Classic. Rivals.com’s Corey Evans went with KU, Michigan State, Maryland and Florida State. And another Rivals analyst, Dan McDonald, went with KU, Kentucky, Dayton and Florida State.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Cameroon big man Franck Kepnang says he’s been offered scholarship by KU."
