By Andrew Bailie Posted on

Washington Men’s Basketball prepares for Seattle U

The Washington Huskies (7-3, 1-1 in conference) will face the Seattle U Redhawks (8-2) on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena. The Huskies have won two games in a row against USC and Southern Utah and are looking for a third straight win. Head coach Danny Sprinkle held a press conference on Tuesday ahead of this week’s game. He discussed the upcoming opponent, his team’s defensive progress, and spoke about F Franck Kepnang at the media briefing.

Washington wants to become more elite defensively

The Huskies’ head coach was not pleased with his team’s defensive performance in last Saturday’s game. Washington allowed 69 points to Southern Utah in a 105-69 victory. Danny Sprinkle spoke on Monday about what he wants to see from his defense as the Huskies prepare for Seattle U:

“Like, we have to feed on being consistent, whether we’re making or missing shots. You know, defensively, it can’t, it can’t change. Our transition defense has to be elite. Our box outs have to be elite, like I said, whether we’re making or missing shots”, Sprinkle said.

Washington has struggled defensively over the last five games. Allowing 74.8 points per game over that span. To beat the best teams, the Huskies must play better defensively. This season, Washington has done a fantastic job of rebounding the basketball. Out-rebounding opponents in all but one game this season. Where the Huskies need to improve is in their defensive switching when opposing teams push the pace. Washington struggled to recover defensively against Southern Utah, allowing 38 points in the paint. When the Huskies play a talented Seattle U squad on Friday, they must do a better job of switching and guarding on the interior.

Washington’s F Franck Kepnang is cleaning up the mess inside

One player the Huskies have been able to rely on to stop opponents inside the key is Franck Kepnang. The big 6’11 senior forward has been a force inside on defense for Washington. Kepnang is averaging 3.4 defensive rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game this year. Danny Sprinkle spoke glowingly about his senior forward’s play on defense this year:

“You know, like I said I’m proud of him (Kepnang). You know, ever since the last 10 minutes of the Southern game, like, his energy has been completely different. Like he’s been very consistent, not just with his energy and effort, but like, his production. You know, he’s blocking shots…You know, he’s been much better in ball screen defense. You know, even help side defense. Like, he’s blocking shots and not just throwing it out of bounds. You know, like, we’ve really challenged him because sometimes he’s up so high, like, no, just, like, grab it, or knock it to one of our players. You know, that way they don’t get the ball back. And he’s had two or three of those in the last, you know, two games, which it’s showing like, that’s, the more he’s on the court, the better he’s going to get”, said Sprinkle.

With forwards Hannes Steinbach and Bryson Tucker missing time due to injury, Kepnang has filled in nicely. The Huskies have counted on him defensively in rebounding the basketball and stopping opposing bigs inside. The senior forward had missed time the past two seasons due to injury, and having him healthy has been critical this year. Kepnang averaged 26.4 minutes per game while Tucker and Steinbach dealt with injuries. Now that Washington has all three forwards healthy, the Huskies’ defense will get stronger in the paint.

The Huskies are expecting a tough game against the Redhawks

Seattle U has played well early this season on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. The Redhawks are averaging 83.3 points per game on offense and allowing just 65.3 points on defense. Danny Sprinkle says he expects Seattle U to be a good challenge for his team this week:

“Yeah, the keys for Friday is obviously, you know, containing their guards. I mean, the Maldonado Kid’s been playing terrific. You know, Maleek Arrington is a great point guard. He’s a distributor, gets the ball to the paint, big strong. Number 15 Heimbrodt, like, he’s a phenomenal player, like a 6’7 wing, played really well against us last year, you know, averaging 15 a game this year. And their bigs are capable. I would even say they’re good. You know, they can shoot threes, they’re big, they’re physical, they roll. And they’re playing really well as a team”, said Sprinkle.

Brayden Maldonado leads the Redhawks, averaging 16.6 points and 2.2 three-pointers a game this year (while shooting 51.2% from beyond the arc). Will Heimbrodt is scoring 14.2 points and pulling in 3.9 rebounds per game. Maleek Arrington has done a fantastic job sharing the ball with 4.9 assists a game. Washington has its work cut out on Friday, facing a feisty Redhawks squad. The Huskies will have to play well on both ends of the floor to avenge last year’s 79-70 loss to Seattle U.

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