Kansas University senior forward Wayne Simien will miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his sprained left thumb Monday evening, head coach Bill Self announced Monday.
Simien injured his thumb in the second half of KU’s 64-60 win against South Carolina on Saturday. Self said doctors informed him that X-rays indicated there was no break, but further testing showed damage to ligaments.
“We all feel for Wayne but after visiting with Wayne, his family and all the doctors who have seen him, I strongly encouraged Wayne to go through the procedure,” Self said. “We believe having Wayne at 100 percent the final two months of the season is far better than having him 60 to 70 percent.
“Though this is unfortunate, we still have a solid group of seniors who can lead us through this. We also will have to have some other players step up while Wayne is out.”
Simien’s absence will mark the fourth straight season the senior forward will miss at least one game because of an injury. He missed the first five games his freshman season, 22 his sophomore year and one last season.
