Wayne Simien has a big body and sure knows how to use it on the basketball court.
“One thing I love about Wayne,” KU coach Roy Williams says, “is he is so big and strong he can clean some people out without doing it in an unsportsmanlike manner. He does not mind putting his body on someone.”
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound freshman has resembled a snow removal truck in the lane, clearing the way for 52 points in 72 total minutes or 10.4 points per game on 63.3 percent shooting.
The only selfishness Simien has shown is on the backboards, where the Leavenworth native has torn down 30 rebounds in five games for a 6.0 average.
“When Wayne gets a rebound,” Williams said of Simien, who missed KU’s first five games because of injury, “he’s going after it with two hands. When he gets a rebound, it’s not like he’s cradling an egg. He’s getting after it.”
On the boards, Simien has resembled NBA veteran forward Karl Malone more than an 18-year-old college yearling.
“When you rebound the ball, we say, ‘Chin it,”‘ Williams said of grabbing the board high, then engulfing it with both hands, elbows horizontal. “If you get it right under your chin and have your elbows out, it’s hard for somebody to get it from you. It’s human nature you don’t want to get involved in that scenario, putting your face or hands in there.”
An opposing basketball player will lose teeth if he puts his face anywhere near Simien’s arms.
“I’ve always thought, seeing other big power forwards on TV, if you chin the ball seriously and hard, it kind of gets the little guys away from you with their scrappy hands,” Simien said. “It’s something you need to do, ripping it with two hands.
“You chin the ball. You can’t be casual.”
Simien learned how to rebound at a young age from AAU coach Lafayette Norwood, Leavenworth High mentor Larry Hogan and various other youth instructors.
“This is a very bright youngster,” Williams said. “I think he’s picked things up everywhere he’s been whether coach Norwood or coach Hogan … he’s a very coachable young man.”
Simien has been an attentive pupil.
“I have definitely come up with some good coaches who model their style after coach Williams,” Simien said. “They teach things the way he does. I feel blessed to have been taught the fundamentals the right way.”
His ferociousness may be innate.
“When I was little, I played with older guys because I was bigger than a lot of guys my age,” Simien said. “Having older guys bang me around is where my aggressive play started.”
Aggressiveness can lead to injury and that’s where Simien’s story becomes less of a fairy tale.
“Big Dub” been hounded by injuries for years. He had knee surgery before his freshman year of high school, had a minor heart ailment his junior year, a shoulder problem which led to surgery his senior year, plus arthroscopic left knee surgery early this season.
Most recently, his right knee has been bothering him along with the left.
He’s hoping four days off for Christmas will help soothe what aches him, but it seems like it’s always day to day how much Simien is able to play.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Simien, who said he’s been told he’s been putting extra pressure on his right knee as a natural reaction to having surgery on the left. “It’s not something you want to hear that you are injury prone or always getting hurt. It happens when you play as hard as we do out there. All the physical pounding, guys get hurt sometimes. Unfortunately more times than others it’s me.
“As far as being injury prone, I don’t believe in that. I’m trying to do extra things to stay healthy. If it happens it happens.”
The thing about Simien is he does not like to play at less than full speed.
That’s why he says, “Man, I think my feelings are hurt more than anything. It’s just real frustrating not being real healthy, not being 100 percent.
“I have played through pain before. As far as holding anything back, if doctors release me to go but say only play at a certain percent, I’d rather sit out than play half heartedly. The times I do get hurt, I consult with the doctors.
“If they do release me I do not hold back, I am full go.”
That’s one of the things Williams loves about Simien, a player he recruited a long time.
“It’s hard to say a guy (like Simien) is a surprise when you’ve basically recruited him since he came to our campus as a seventh grader,” said Williams. “I said, ‘Before he leaves (camp) I’m going to visit with his mom and dad.’
“I saw him play his 10th-grade year. I said to myself, ‘He needs to get a little quicker or continue growing.’ The good thing is he did a little of both. He got to the size he could play and be effective. The summer after his junior year … the things he did that summer against good competition made me think he deserved mention as one of the top players in the country.
“He is a fantastic young man and I love the fact he’s from Kansas, too. If we could find Wayne Simiens of the world every year in Kansas, it’d make my recruiting a lot more pleasant.”
Growing up in Leavenworth, Simien became a Jayhawk fan early on. He was a fixture at KU home games his entire junior year and verbally committed to the Jayhawks in the spring before his senior year.
Now he’s proud member of a freshman class that includes Keith Langford, Aaron Miles, Michael Lee and red-shirt Jeff Hawkins.
“It’s like we are a horde,” Simien said. “The upperclassmen tease us. If there’s one of us, you can usually find two or three of us lurking around. It’s definitely tight knit. It will help us when times get tough. There will never be any bickering because we’ve already bonded.”
He likes the veterans, too.
“We all communicate and get along well on and off the court,” Simien said. “The leadership of the older guys, the enthusiasm of the younger guys, it’s a family.”
Wayne Simien has a big body and sure knows how to use it on the basketball court.
“One thing I love about Wayne,” KU coach Roy Williams says, “is he is so big and strong he can clean some people out without doing it in an unsportsmanlike manner. He does not mind putting his body on someone.”
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound freshman has resembled a snow removal truck in the lane, clearing the way for 52 points in 72 total minutes or 10.4 points per game on 63.3 percent shooting.
The only selfishness Simien has shown is on the backboards, where the Leavenworth native has torn down 30 rebounds in five games for a 6.0 average.
“When Wayne gets a rebound,” Williams said of Simien, who missed KU’s first five games because of injury, “he’s going after it with two hands. When he gets a rebound, it’s not like he’s cradling an egg. He’s getting after it.”
On the boards, Simien has resembled NBA veteran forward Karl Malone more than an 18-year-old college yearling.
“When you rebound the ball, we say, ‘Chin it,”‘ Williams said of grabbing the board high, then engulfing it with both hands, elbows horizontal. “If you get it right under your chin and have your elbows out, it’s hard for somebody to get it from you. It’s human nature you don’t want to get involved in that scenario, putting your face or hands in there.”
An opposing basketball player will lose teeth if he puts his face anywhere near Simien’s arms.
“I’ve always thought, seeing other big power forwards on TV, if you chin the ball seriously and hard, it kind of gets the little guys away from you with their scrappy hands,” Simien said. “It’s something you need to do, ripping it with two hands.
“You chin the ball. You can’t be casual.”
Simien learned how to rebound at a young age from AAU coach Lafayette Norwood, Leavenworth High mentor Larry Hogan and various other youth instructors.
“This is a very bright youngster,” Williams said. “I think he’s picked things up everywhere he’s been whether coach Norwood or coach Hogan … he’s a very coachable young man.”
Simien has been an attentive pupil.
“I have definitely come up with some good coaches who model their style after coach Williams,” Simien said. “They teach things the way he does. I feel blessed to have been taught the fundamentals the right way.”
His ferociousness may be innate.
“When I was little, I played with older guys because I was bigger than a lot of guys my age,” Simien said. “Having older guys bang me around is where my aggressive play started.”
Aggressiveness can lead to injury and that’s where Simien’s story becomes less of a fairy tale.
“Big Dub” been hounded by injuries for years. He had knee surgery before his freshman year of high school, had a minor heart ailment his junior year, a shoulder problem which led to surgery his senior year, plus arthroscopic left knee surgery early this season.
Most recently, his right knee has been bothering him along with the left.
He’s hoping four days off for Christmas will help soothe what aches him, but it seems like it’s always day to day how much Simien is able to play.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Simien, who said he’s been told he’s been putting extra pressure on his right knee as a natural reaction to having surgery on the left. “It’s not something you want to hear that you are injury prone or always getting hurt. It happens when you play as hard as we do out there. All the physical pounding, guys get hurt sometimes. Unfortunately more times than others it’s me.
“As far as being injury prone, I don’t believe in that. I’m trying to do extra things to stay healthy. If it happens it happens.”
The thing about Simien is he does not like to play at less than full speed.
That’s why he says, “Man, I think my feelings are hurt more than anything. It’s just real frustrating not being real healthy, not being 100 percent.
“I have played through pain before. As far as holding anything back, if doctors release me to go but say only play at a certain percent, I’d rather sit out than play half heartedly. The times I do get hurt, I consult with the doctors.
“If they do release me I do not hold back, I am full go.”
That’s one of the things Williams loves about Simien, a player he recruited a long time.
“It’s hard to say a guy (like Simien) is a surprise when you’ve basically recruited him since he came to our campus as a seventh grader,” said Williams. “I said, ‘Before he leaves (camp) I’m going to visit with his mom and dad.’
“I saw him play his 10th-grade year. I said to myself, ‘He needs to get a little quicker or continue growing.’ The good thing is he did a little of both. He got to the size he could play and be effective. The summer after his junior year … the things he did that summer against good competition made me think he deserved mention as one of the top players in the country.
“He is a fantastic young man and I love the fact he’s from Kansas, too. If we could find Wayne Simiens of the world every year in Kansas, it’d make my recruiting a lot more pleasant.”
Growing up in Leavenworth, Simien became a Jayhawk fan early on. He was a fixture at KU home games his entire junior year and verbally committed to the Jayhawks in the spring before his senior year.
Now he’s proud member of a freshman class that includes Keith Langford, Aaron Miles, Michael Lee and red-shirt Jeff Hawkins.
“It’s like we are a horde,” Simien said. “The upperclassmen tease us. If there’s one of us, you can usually find two or three of us lurking around. It’s definitely tight knit. It will help us when times get tough. There will never be any bickering because we’ve already bonded.”
He likes the veterans, too.
“We all communicate and get along well on and off the court,” Simien said. “The leadership of the older guys, the enthusiasm of the younger guys, it’s a family.”
Wayne Simien has a big body and sure knows how to use it on the basketball court.
“One thing I love about Wayne,” KU coach Roy Williams says, “is he is so big and strong he can clean some people out without doing it in an unsportsmanlike manner. He does not mind putting his body on someone.”
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound freshman has resembled a snow removal truck in the lane, clearing the way for 52 points in 72 total minutes or 10.4 points per game on 63.3 percent shooting.
The only selfishness Simien has shown is on the backboards, where the Leavenworth native has torn down 30 rebounds in five games for a 6.0 average.
“When Wayne gets a rebound,” Williams said of Simien, who missed KU’s first five games because of injury, “he’s going after it with two hands. When he gets a rebound, it’s not like he’s cradling an egg. He’s getting after it.”
On the boards, Simien has resembled NBA veteran forward Karl Malone more than an 18-year-old college yearling.
“When you rebound the ball, we say, ‘Chin it,”‘ Williams said of grabbing the board high, then engulfing it with both hands, elbows horizontal. “If you get it right under your chin and have your elbows out, it’s hard for somebody to get it from you. It’s human nature you don’t want to get involved in that scenario, putting your face or hands in there.”
An opposing basketball player will lose teeth if he puts his face anywhere near Simien’s arms.
“I’ve always thought, seeing other big power forwards on TV, if you chin the ball seriously and hard, it kind of gets the little guys away from you with their scrappy hands,” Simien said. “It’s something you need to do, ripping it with two hands.
“You chin the ball. You can’t be casual.”
Simien learned how to rebound at a young age from AAU coach Lafayette Norwood, Leavenworth High mentor Larry Hogan and various other youth instructors.
“This is a very bright youngster,” Williams said. “I think he’s picked things up everywhere he’s been whether coach Norwood or coach Hogan … he’s a very coachable young man.”
Simien has been an attentive pupil.
“I have definitely come up with some good coaches who model their style after coach Williams,” Simien said. “They teach things the way he does. I feel blessed to have been taught the fundamentals the right way.”
His ferociousness may be innate.
“When I was little, I played with older guys because I was bigger than a lot of guys my age,” Simien said. “Having older guys bang me around is where my aggressive play started.”
Aggressiveness can lead to injury and that’s where Simien’s story becomes less of a fairy tale.
“Big Dub” been hounded by injuries for years. He had knee surgery before his freshman year of high school, had a minor heart ailment his junior year, a shoulder problem which led to surgery his senior year, plus arthroscopic left knee surgery early this season.
Most recently, his right knee has been bothering him along with the left.
He’s hoping four days off for Christmas will help soothe what aches him, but it seems like it’s always day to day how much Simien is able to play.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Simien, who said he’s been told he’s been putting extra pressure on his right knee as a natural reaction to having surgery on the left. “It’s not something you want to hear that you are injury prone or always getting hurt. It happens when you play as hard as we do out there. All the physical pounding, guys get hurt sometimes. Unfortunately more times than others it’s me.
“As far as being injury prone, I don’t believe in that. I’m trying to do extra things to stay healthy. If it happens it happens.”
The thing about Simien is he does not like to play at less than full speed.
That’s why he says, “Man, I think my feelings are hurt more than anything. It’s just real frustrating not being real healthy, not being 100 percent.
“I have played through pain before. As far as holding anything back, if doctors release me to go but say only play at a certain percent, I’d rather sit out than play half heartedly. The times I do get hurt, I consult with the doctors.
“If they do release me I do not hold back, I am full go.”
That’s one of the things Williams loves about Simien, a player he recruited a long time.
“It’s hard to say a guy (like Simien) is a surprise when you’ve basically recruited him since he came to our campus as a seventh grader,” said Williams. “I said, ‘Before he leaves (camp) I’m going to visit with his mom and dad.’
“I saw him play his 10th-grade year. I said to myself, ‘He needs to get a little quicker or continue growing.’ The good thing is he did a little of both. He got to the size he could play and be effective. The summer after his junior year … the things he did that summer against good competition made me think he deserved mention as one of the top players in the country.
“He is a fantastic young man and I love the fact he’s from Kansas, too. If we could find Wayne Simiens of the world every year in Kansas, it’d make my recruiting a lot more pleasant.”
Growing up in Leavenworth, Simien became a Jayhawk fan early on. He was a fixture at KU home games his entire junior year and verbally committed to the Jayhawks in the spring before his senior year.
Now he’s proud member of a freshman class that includes Keith Langford, Aaron Miles, Michael Lee and red-shirt Jeff Hawkins.
“It’s like we are a horde,” Simien said. “The upperclassmen tease us. If there’s one of us, you can usually find two or three of us lurking around. It’s definitely tight knit. It will help us when times get tough. There will never be any bickering because we’ve already bonded.”
He likes the veterans, too.
“We all communicate and get along well on and off the court,” Simien said. “The leadership of the older guys, the enthusiasm of the younger guys, it’s a family.”
Wayne Simien has a big body and sure knows how to use it on the basketball court.
“One thing I love about Wayne,” KU coach Roy Williams says, “is he is so big and strong he can clean some people out without doing it in an unsportsmanlike manner. He does not mind putting his body on someone.”
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound freshman has resembled a snow removal truck in the lane, clearing the way for 52 points in 72 total minutes or 10.4 points per game on 63.3 percent shooting.
The only selfishness Simien has shown is on the backboards, where the Leavenworth native has torn down 30 rebounds in five games for a 6.0 average.
“When Wayne gets a rebound,” Williams said of Simien, who missed KU’s first five games because of injury, “he’s going after it with two hands. When he gets a rebound, it’s not like he’s cradling an egg. He’s getting after it.”
On the boards, Simien has resembled NBA veteran forward Karl Malone more than an 18-year-old college yearling.
“When you rebound the ball, we say, ‘Chin it,”‘ Williams said of grabbing the board high, then engulfing it with both hands, elbows horizontal. “If you get it right under your chin and have your elbows out, it’s hard for somebody to get it from you. It’s human nature you don’t want to get involved in that scenario, putting your face or hands in there.”
An opposing basketball player will lose teeth if he puts his face anywhere near Simien’s arms.
“I’ve always thought, seeing other big power forwards on TV, if you chin the ball seriously and hard, it kind of gets the little guys away from you with their scrappy hands,” Simien said. “It’s something you need to do, ripping it with two hands.
“You chin the ball. You can’t be casual.”
Simien learned how to rebound at a young age from AAU coach Lafayette Norwood, Leavenworth High mentor Larry Hogan and various other youth instructors.
“This is a very bright youngster,” Williams said. “I think he’s picked things up everywhere he’s been whether coach Norwood or coach Hogan … he’s a very coachable young man.”
Simien has been an attentive pupil.
“I have definitely come up with some good coaches who model their style after coach Williams,” Simien said. “They teach things the way he does. I feel blessed to have been taught the fundamentals the right way.”
His ferociousness may be innate.
“When I was little, I played with older guys because I was bigger than a lot of guys my age,” Simien said. “Having older guys bang me around is where my aggressive play started.”
Aggressiveness can lead to injury and that’s where Simien’s story becomes less of a fairy tale.
“Big Dub” been hounded by injuries for years. He had knee surgery before his freshman year of high school, had a minor heart ailment his junior year, a shoulder problem which led to surgery his senior year, plus arthroscopic left knee surgery early this season.
Most recently, his right knee has been bothering him along with the left.
He’s hoping four days off for Christmas will help soothe what aches him, but it seems like it’s always day to day how much Simien is able to play.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Simien, who said he’s been told he’s been putting extra pressure on his right knee as a natural reaction to having surgery on the left. “It’s not something you want to hear that you are injury prone or always getting hurt. It happens when you play as hard as we do out there. All the physical pounding, guys get hurt sometimes. Unfortunately more times than others it’s me.
“As far as being injury prone, I don’t believe in that. I’m trying to do extra things to stay healthy. If it happens it happens.”
The thing about Simien is he does not like to play at less than full speed.
That’s why he says, “Man, I think my feelings are hurt more than anything. It’s just real frustrating not being real healthy, not being 100 percent.
“I have played through pain before. As far as holding anything back, if doctors release me to go but say only play at a certain percent, I’d rather sit out than play half heartedly. The times I do get hurt, I consult with the doctors.
“If they do release me I do not hold back, I am full go.”
That’s one of the things Williams loves about Simien, a player he recruited a long time.
“It’s hard to say a guy (like Simien) is a surprise when you’ve basically recruited him since he came to our campus as a seventh grader,” said Williams. “I said, ‘Before he leaves (camp) I’m going to visit with his mom and dad.’
“I saw him play his 10th-grade year. I said to myself, ‘He needs to get a little quicker or continue growing.’ The good thing is he did a little of both. He got to the size he could play and be effective. The summer after his junior year … the things he did that summer against good competition made me think he deserved mention as one of the top players in the country.
“He is a fantastic young man and I love the fact he’s from Kansas, too. If we could find Wayne Simiens of the world every year in Kansas, it’d make my recruiting a lot more pleasant.”
Growing up in Leavenworth, Simien became a Jayhawk fan early on. He was a fixture at KU home games his entire junior year and verbally committed to the Jayhawks in the spring before his senior year.
Now he’s proud member of a freshman class that includes Keith Langford, Aaron Miles, Michael Lee and red-shirt Jeff Hawkins.
“It’s like we are a horde,” Simien said. “The upperclassmen tease us. If there’s one of us, you can usually find two or three of us lurking around. It’s definitely tight knit. It will help us when times get tough. There will never be any bickering because we’ve already bonded.”
He likes the veterans, too.
“We all communicate and get along well on and off the court,” Simien said. “The leadership of the older guys, the enthusiasm of the younger guys, it’s a family.”
