“I’m concerned about his shoulder every time there is a collision,” Williams said Monday morning after watching Simien, KU’s 6-foot-9 sophomore with a sore right shoulder, collect 17 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes in Sunday’s 77-70 loss at Oklahoma.

“There’s nobody, and I mean nobody, that’s more concerned about the youngster than I am. His mother and father love him, but they’re not the one that’s responsible for putting him out there.

“I know that I can be criticized and probably am being criticized (for playing Simien), but I just care about doing the right thing. There’s no blueprint to follow. In my experience, this hasn’t been done before, so we just have to go minute-by-minute.”

Williams has been told by doctors Simien cannot do additional damage to the shoulder he dislocated Jan. 4 by playing during practices and games.

Simien has said he wants to play and will play before undergoing offseason surgery that will force him to the sidelines for four months.

“There always is and probably will be (pain) the rest of the season,” Williams said. “I keep asking the doctors. I keep asking Wayne. I don’t know the proper answer. I don’t know that anybody has the proper answer. We can sit him down and not allow him to play the rest of the year, but he’s enjoying playing, and he’s getting something out of it, and it’s not hurting him.”

Williams asked Simien how he was feeling right after Sunday’s OU game.

Simien told Williams that he had received a blow in the OU game that was harder than any other he had received in the previous games since his return.

“He said, ‘Coach, one thing about it, with each and every game, how sensitive it (shoulder) is gets to be less,” Williams said. “You still feel it, but the recovery time gets to be a little quicker, the pain goes away faster.”’

Williams said Simien was feeling fine Monday. The sophomore is expected to play in KU’s 6:30 p.m. home game Wednesday against Texas A&M.

Regardless, the Jayhawks would like to get more production out of Simien’s replacement in the starting lineup — junior Jeff Graves — who has struggled recently.

At OU, Graves had two points and two rebounds in 17 minutes.

“He’s struggled lately,” senior Nick Collison said of Graves during Monday’s Big 12 Conference coaches’ teleconference. “I think he came in and played really well once Wayne got hurt. Then, for whatever reason, he hasn’t been playing as well. He’s got to stay out of foul trouble, first of all, and just be really committed to winning.

“Right now, that’s what he lacks, I think, just that commitment. We’re going to need something out of him because Wayne’s played great, but he continues to struggle with that shoulder, so it will be hard to get a lot out of Wayne the rest of the season.”

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Brown questionable: OU coach Kelvin Sampson said Jabahri Brown, who suffered a concussion after bumping heads with KU guard Michael Lee, was questionable for Wednesday’s game at Missouri.

“One of the side effects of a concussion is, you are constantly falling asleep,” Sampson said. “He is having some problems with that.”

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No changes: Williams was asked by a Hawk Talk radio-show caller if he was considering playing Kirk Hinrich at the point and Lee at the shooting guard if Aaron Miles struggles. Miles played 30 scoreless minutes at Oklahoma.

“There’s been no discussion of taking Aaron out of the starting lineup,” Williams said. “He is playing better at his position than Michael at his position. Even Aaron not playing as well as he can … we think he’s more effective total-game at his position than Michael at his.

“Last night’s game was not a very good game, is the bottom line. At the same time, I’m not ready to ship him out.”

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Vote: Hinrich and Collison have been nominated for college basketball’s Senior CLASS Award. Fans can vote for Hinrich or Collison at kuathletics.com or seniorclassaward.com. Each fan can vote twice, so KU fans can register a vote for both Hinrich and Collison.

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Reno tourney: KU will play in a two-day, four-team tournament next season in Reno, Nev. It is believed KU will play Cal-Santa Barbara in the first round, with host Nevada playing a yet-to-be-determined team in the other game. The winners will meet in the finals. KU scheduled the trip for signee David Padgett, a senior at Reno High.