Kansas City, Mo. ? When Wayne Simien crumpled to the Kemper Arena floor because of a dislocated shoulder on Saturday, Jeff Graves’s fall conditioning suddenly meant a lot more.
Graves instantly became a significant piece of a depleted Kansas University basketball puzzle during KU’s 100-46 victory over Missouri-Kansas City.
With Simien out indefinitely and Moulaye Niang returning to Senegal this week because of his father’s death, Graves will be a catalyst for the Jayhawks when Big 12 Conference play kicks off Monday at Iowa State.
“Obviously, I’ve got to step it up some,” said Graves, who battled weight problems in the offseason. “He’s got some awful big shoes to fill.”
On Saturday, Graves did his part. The junior secured his first double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds in 25 minutes.
Despite his 6-foot-9, 270-pound frame, Graves showed a soft touch Saturday. He connected on six of eight free throws against UMKC, and for the season he’s hitting 73 percent from the stripe.
The injury to Simien tainted what was otherwise a satisfying day for Graves.
Graves, a junior, hails from Lee’s Summit, Mo., just 20 minutes away from Kemper Arena. He said he had lots of friends and family in attendance, including his older brother, Robbie, who played two seasons at UMKC.
“He was rooting for me,” Graves said. “He don’t like UMKC anymore.”
Graves is averaging 2.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest, but he hopes those numbers improve now that his responsibilities have increased dramatically.
“He’s been playing better,” KU senior Nick Collison said. “It’s a wait-and-see (situation), though, because it’s a totally different game in conference season. He and the other newcomers haven’t been there yet.
“At times he’s been good, at times he’s really struggled. All the newcomers … the conference season starts at Ames and it’s something they’ve not been used to. We’ll see how they step up.”
Graves likely will make his first start of the season Monday in Ames, Iowa. He has averaged just 12 minutes a game so far this season, but knows his playing time will double and maybe even triple until Niang and Simien return.
“I am up to the challenge,” Graves said. “I am around my playing weight, and my confidence is getting higher and higher. Every time it goes up, it will help me produce good things.”