Huskies Limp Into Senior Night Against USC

As the University of Washington basketball team closes out its home schedule, the Huskies will honor three players -- Quimari Peterson, Jacob Ognacevic and Franck Kepnang -- as seniors before tipping off against USC on Wednesday night at Alaskan Airlines Arena.

Yet the Huskies should customize this moment some, befitting everyone's more urgent circumstances.

Twenty-nine games into a chronically unhealthy season, the 6-foot-1 Peterson should be saluted for being just one of two UW players who has been able to play in every outing, along with sophomore guard Zoom Diallo.

For that matter, he might be the only one of the seniors healthy enough to play on Senior Night.

The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Kepnang typically would have graduated two years ago, but he's about to become the longest playing Husky in program annals if he chooses -- mulling over a seventh college basketball season that will be made available because he previously suffered three season-ending knee injuries. He's struggling with a sore leg.

As for Ognacevic, Montlake has been doubly painful experience for him, with two foot injuries limiting him to just a dozen games, or well less than half a season. He began the basketball season wearing a protective boot and will finish that way.

Jacob Ognacevic had 10 points and 3 rebounds against Michigan in his season debut for the UW. | Dave Sizer photo

If Peterson and Ognacevic have learned anything about the Big Ten Conference, it's that it can be a humbling experience.

Both of those players arrived in Montlake as the 2025 Player of the Year for the Southern and ASUN conferences, respectively.

Peterson has been in and out of the lineup and started fewer than half the games while Ognacevic started just once as he battled to get healthy, only to get hurt again.

A 19.5-point scorer at his previous stop, Peterson is averaging just 8.6 this winter in the step up in conferences. Ognacevic, a 20.4 scorer for Lipscomb, scored just 3.1 per game in his brief run for the UW.

Franck Kepnang lets out a roar while playing against Oregon, his old team. | Dave Sizer photo

While Kepnang will miss his third consecutive game against USC, his season has still been a positive relevation. He's appeared in 27 games this season compared to 32 combined over three previous years.

Had everyone been able to pull steady minutes throughout this season, these guys would have enjoyed their time at the UW a lot more, even if their scoring averages took a significant dip, but an injury epidemic took its toll on the team.

And while everyone is singling out these upperclassmen, the Huskies should honor freshman forward Hannes Steinbach along with the others.

He's likely headed for the NBA following just one year of UW basketball, one in which he quite possibly will exit as the best freshman basketball player the Huskies have ever had. He averages a team-best 18.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

Most seniors never see those numbers.