Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoNo Kansas high school graduate has ever made a splash quite like Danny Manning.
Manning, a former Kansas University All-American who graduated from Lawrence High, was picked in the first round of the 1988 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and has spent the last 13 seasons in the NBA.
Now along comes Leavenworth High graduate and current KU sophomore Wayne Simien, who hopes to follow in Manning’s footsteps and become one of the rare Kansas products to reach the next level.
Having Memphis Grizzlies forward Drew Gooden as a role model last year didn’t hurt.
“Being able to play behind Drew and Nick (Collison) last year really helped me,” Simien said. “I think that’s really going to help me this year, stepping up and playing more of a role and contribute a lot more than just a few minutes or when someone got in foul trouble or was tired.”
Journal-World File PhotoAs a freshman, Simien averaged 8.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 15 minutes per game. His production is expected to increase this year when he takes Gooden’s spot in the starting lineup.
“It’s going to be pretty tough with the big hole he left,” Simien said. “The expectations are going to be high, but I’m just going to go out there and try to play my game and not try to replace him but just play to the best of my ability.”
Playing to that level could help put Kansas back in the Final Four. Last March’s loss to Maryland left Simien hungry for another opportunity.
“There’s no way you can forget about it, being so close last year,” Simien said. “It’s something I expected it was all part of the plan but it was mind-boggling to go from playing in a small high school gym in Kansas to going out and playing in front of 80,000 people in the Georgia Dome.”
Having teammates such as Jeff Hawkins, Brett Ballard, Lewis Harrison, Todd Kappelmann and Chris Zerbe from Kansas high schools made the transition from the Sunflower League to the NCAA Tournament easier for Simien.
“The rest of the team comes from the all over the country,” Simien said, “so it’s good to have some guys you can relate with. Guys come from all over and bring all kinds of personalities to the team and that’s nice, but it’s good to have someone you can relate to when it comes to being around home.”
Four of those six Kansans were seniors last year, but Lawrence High’s Stephen Vinson has joined Simien and Hawkins on the Kansas roster this season.
“Steve and I played against each other for awhile in high school,” Simien said, “and it’s nice to have someone around to talk about old high school times with, coming from the same area. I’m definitely looking forward to playing with him the next few years.”
Although Hawkins played at Class 4A Kansas City Sumner, he also has a history with his fellow Kansans.
“Wayne and I played AAU ball and we already had a good friendship,” Hawkins said, “and I’ve known Stephen because we played on a camp team three or four years ago. He told me he was coming here his junior year he told me not to tell anybody so I already knew that. It’s good to have that connection with Kansas people.”
Playing at a university about 40 miles from home also gives Simien the opportunity both to work out at home and take college classes during the summer. It also allows his parents, Wayne Sr. and Margaret, to see him in every home game.
“It’s real nice, definitely for my parents to be able to make it to all the games,” Simien said. “Coming from this area, a lot of people know me off the court. Not having a lot of guys from Kansas who can be here on scholarship and play a lot of minutes and be able to assume the role I do, and it’s real important to me and I try to go out and make everyone proud.”
ESPN’s Jay Bilas was in town Monday working on a report on how some of the most successful college coaches in the country run practice.
Leavenworth ? There will be no distractions to clutter Wayne Simien’s senior season.
The 6-foot-8 power forward from Leavenworth High signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to play basketball at Kansas, bringing the all-state selection one step closer to his childhood dream.
“The first time I walked into Allen Fieldhouse, felt the atmosphere and heard the fans, I knew that was where I wanted to play,” said Simien, who has been attending summer basketball camps at KU since he was in sixth grade. He’s also been a fixture behind the bench at KU’s home games the last two seasons.
Simien and teammate Nicholas Sanders, a 6-7 forward who will play at Furman, had a small signing party in Leavenworth High School’s library Wednesday.
“We’ve been best friends since kindergarten,” said Simien, who donned a KU warmup top on the first day of the early signing period. “We’ve played on the same AAU team. We wanted to sign together since we started together.”
By signing in the early period, the seniors avoided the phone calls, mail and endless questions that recruits have to deal with when they delay their decisions until the spring signing period.
“I was counting down the days until the signing period,” said Simien, who averaged 16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game last season while leading Leavenworth to the Sunflower League and Class 6A state titles. “It’s finally done, and it feels great. A lot of guys go into their senior years not knowing where they’re going to college and are scrambling and trying to find out what they’re going to do in the future. Now that we have that out of the way we can focus on being Pioneers and defending the state championship.”
Practices start Monday for the Pioneers, who return four starters from last year’s 23-2 team. In addition to Simien and Sanders, coach Larry Hogan thinks guards David Albo and Joey Payton will also land Division I offers before their senior season ends.
The Pioneers will play a tough schedule that includes dates in the prestigious KMOX tournament in St. Louis and another tourney in Springfield, Mo.
“Hopefully, I’ll be wearing two of these next year,” Simien said, referring to his state championship ring.
KU fans are hoping Simien can win some championships in Lawrence as well. The Pioneer forward was one of four seniors who signed letters of intent Wednesday. Swingman Keith Langford of Crowley, Texas, and Portland Ore., guards Michael Lee and Aaron Miles also picked Kansas.
Recruiting analyst Mike Sullivan of insidersreport.com said the Jayhawks’ recruiting class would rank in the top 10 in the nation.
Simien said he phoned all three of his future teammates Tuesday night to offer congratulations.
Simien attended Late Night with Roy Williams with Lee and Miles and had previously met Miles at Nike’s All-America Camp. Simien’s Kansas City 76ers who won the AAU national tournament two years ago lost to Langford’s team in the AAU national tournament in July.
“He beat us up pretty good,” Simien said of Langford.
Losing isn’t something Simien has much experience with. He’s played on winning teams under Hogan and on Lafayette Norwood’s 76ers team.
Norwood, whose AAU program has produced the likes of Darnell Valentine, Antoine Carr and Kareem Rush, first noticed Simien when he was a 5-foot-7 11-year-old. By the time he was in seventh grade, Simien was 6-3.
Both Hogan and Norwood praised Simien for his work ethic.
“I can’t take credit for Wayne,” Norwood said. “The credit goes back to Wayne. He works extremely hard. It’s easy to work with people when they do things like that. He needs to continue to get stronger. He has all the tools. He just needs to hone them and continue to maintain his work ethic.”
Simien attempted only five three-point shots last year making two but both coaches say the big man can be a dangerous player away from the basket.
“He’s a power forward who can shoot the ball from the perimeter,” Hogan said. “He’s tough around the basket, and he plays very hard.”
“Each year he’s increased his range,” Norwood said. “That just makes him that much more lethal. I saw him work against KU’s players, and he held his own.”
Simien is eager to come to Lawrence his mother Margaret’s hometown. He made a verbal commitment to Kansas in April and never seriously considered another school even when KU coach Roy Williams was being courted for the North Carolina job.
“He’s one of the main reasons I chose the University of Kansas,” Simien said of Williams. “Luckily, that didn’t go that way. He’s going to be there, and I’ll be there with him.”
