Simien says: Big 12 player of the year

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Roy Williams first saw the seventh grader from Leavenworth, Kan., he made a point to introduce himself to Wayne Simien.

And on that day nine years ago, the former Kansas coach began what might be the longest recruiting period of any player in Jayhawk history.

It was certainly one of the most fruitful.

By the time Simien was a high school senior and widely recognized as one of the finest prospects in the area, he had attended far too many Roy Williams basketball camps for any other school in the country to stand a chance of signing him away from Kansas.

Now nearly 6-foot-9, Simien is concluding one of the finest careers in school history. And in a year when the Big 12 is bristling with talent, Simien was the unanimous choice as The Associated Press' Big 12 player of the year. Every member of a panel of 24 sports writers who regularly cover the league gave their vote to the soft-spoken and deeply religious senior.

Almost equally effective under the basket as he is on the perimeter, Simien led the Big 12 this year in both scoring (19.4 points per game) and rebounding (11.1). He was the only Big 12 player to average a double-double.

''He is the best player in the country,'' declared Iowa State coach Wayne Morgan.

Another runaway winner was Oklahoma's Taj Gray for AP Big 12 newcomer of the year. The 6-8 junior averaged 14.7 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Sooners, who tied Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season title. He was also second in the league with a field goal percentage of .570. The panel gave him every vote but one, which went to teammate Terrell Everett.

Chosen as AP Big 12 freshman of the year was Texas point guard Daniel Gibson, who polled 14 votes to 10 for Baylor guard Aaron Bruce. Gibson was eighth in the league in assists, fifth in steals and vital in helping the Longhorns stay afloat despite the loss of key players to injuries and academic concerns.

Simien is certain to get consideration for national player of the year. He had perhaps his finest outing in what may have been the best game of the Big 12 season, a two-point Kansas win over Oklahoma State last month. In that thriller, he had 12 rebounds and a career-high 32 points.

''We kept throwing bodies at him and he kept hitting,'' said Oklahoma State's Joey Graham, who along with Simien was an unanimous first-team AP All-Big 12 selection.

''He is the best big man in the country,'' Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said that night. ''He is a great basketball player.''

Two of his best games this season came against Colorado, when he totaled 48 points and 28 rebounds.

''Wayne Simien is one of my all-time favorite players,'' said Colorado coach Ricardo Patton. ''I wish we didn't have to play them. I really, really like him.''

The 6-9 Gray came into the league as one of the most sought-after junior college stars in the country and was never a disappointment as the Sooners went on to capture a piece of their first league championship since 1989.

''He's expanded his game offensively. I think he did better offensively early than we anticipated,'' said Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson. ''Taj has been our best player. Taj has been the man for us.''

Gibson, a 6-2 Texas native, stands atop what may be the deepest and most talented freshman class in Big 12 history.

''He's a potential NBA player,'' said Colorado assistant coach Paul Graham.

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