One of the most important assets a college basketball player can possess these days is experience; it truly is that simple.

Whether you’re a senior who averages double-figures or you’re a senior who only sees the court once your team has a comfortable lead against a non-conference opponent, having a seasoned veteran who’s been around the game for a long time is crucial. Kentucky men’s basketball has four seniors on this year’s roster: Franck Kepnang (graduate student), Milan Momcilovic, Justin McBride and Jerone Morton.

Let’s take a look at how many games these newcomers have accumulated and take a peek at how they performed at their former schools.

Franck Kepnang

Franck Kepnang: Washington Transfer
Kepnang is the oldest player (24 years old) on the Cats’ roster, having played six collegiate seasons before coming to Lexington.

The 6-foot-11 center has spent his whole college career in the Pacific Northwest, playing at Oregon from 2020 to 2022 and at Washington from 2022 to 2026.

Kepnang has a pretty lengthy history when it comes to injuries, having suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries in 2023 and 2024, missing a total of 69 combined games for the Huskies over that span, crushing to say the least.

With that being said, though, Kepnang still played 52 games with Oregon and 59 games with the Huskies, bringing 111 game appearances to the Bluegrass with him.

Injured or not, Kepnang has been around the collegiate game for six years; he’s experienced good seasons, bad seasons, good teammates, bad teammates, and all that in between, which should turn out to be pivotal for Kentucky.

Milan Momcilovic

Milan Momcilovic: Iowa State Transfer
Momcilovic is one of the most exciting transfers that head coach Mark Pope was able to reel in this offseason, coming off a highly offensive campaign where he managed to shoot an astonishing 48.7% from beyond the 3-point arc.

We could rave about Momcilovic’s offensive abilities all day, but back to the point of the story, the rising senior competed in 102 games for the Cyclones over three seasons, seeing eight NCAA Tournament games while reaching the Sweet-16 twice.

The 6-foot-8 forward has had an immediate role from the moment he touched down in Ames, starting in 101 of the 102 games that he played for head coach TJ Otzelberger.

The number of games that Momcilovic has seen is comparable to Kepnang’s; however, given the fact that he surfaced in more do-or-die scenarios while playing on the road in some of the Big 12’s most terrifying venues, he should be no stranger to hostility once he enters the SEC, which will help his teammates battle as well.

Justin McBride

Justin McBride: James Madison Transfer
McBride heads over to Kentucky after spending three seasons at the three different schools, which is a unique component to his veteran status, although it’s becoming more prevalent in college sports these days.

The 6-foot-7 forward played his freshman year at Oklahoma State, his sophomore year at Nevada and this past season at James Madison, where he averaged 15.3 points per game while leading the Dukes in rebounds per game with an average of 5.6.

Over his three year run in college hoops, McBride played a total of 88 games and started in 33 of them. The bulk of his starts came at JMU, starting in 30 of the 31 total games that he played in.

While James Madison competes in the Sun Belt Conference and isn’t accustomed to power-five opponents, the Dukes did face John Calipari and the No. 18 ranked Arkansas Razobracks this past season.

McBride put up 13 points, five rebounds and one assist on 5-10 shooting from the field, going 1-4 from deep and 2-2 from the charity stripe as well.

Jerone Morton

Jerone Morton: Washington State Transfer
Last but not least, we have Morton, a Lexington native that will serve as one of four true point guards on UK’s depth chart this season.

Morton started his career in the Bluegrass at Morehead State where he played two full seasons, handling the bulk of the starting point guard role as a sophomore.

Over two years with the Eagles, Morton played 60 games and earned 22 starts, elevating his freshman year average of 2.2 points and 0.6 assists per game to 10.4 points and 3.4 assists per game in his second campaign.

After a two-year stint at Morehead State, Morton transferred out to Washington State where he earned 29 starts through 32 games played, logging an average of 25 minutes played per contest.

Morton faced a national powerhouse in Gonzaga twice this season as the Cougars and Bulldogs both compete in the WCC. Aside from Gonzaga, Morton also battled Saint Mary’s, a program that has seen the NCAA Tournament every year dating back to 2022.

There are numerous factors that manufacture a championship caliber team, but having veteran leadership on a team can provide more comfortability, which is surely needed when competing in a conference like the SEC.

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