Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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FOOTBALL RECRUITS PROVIDE NEW DEPTH
As season opener nears, fresh faces show promise. PAGE 25
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2009
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 22
FAITH IN FOCUS
Chance Dibben/KANSAN
1.5
4.
BY JASON BAKER
jbaker@kansan.com
Four years ago, Wayne Simien was on his way to Miami to start a new chapter in his life as an NBA player. Now he's starting a new one, this time as a minister.
During his time playing Kansas basketball, Wayne Simien was considered by many to be one of the best players to grace the floor of Allen Fieldhouse. The former McDonald's High School All-American was the only Jayhawk of his class in 2005 to be drafted into the NBA and the only Jayhawk to be a first team All-American under Kansas Coach Bill Self's tenure.
Simien said the past four years had been a journey, as now he's focusing on his sports ministry Called to Greatness. Here's a look at the road that led this basketball great to where he is now.
COMING INTO HIS OWN
July 12, 2003 is an important date in Simien's life. It is the day he became a Christian. He said that before that time, he only lived for two things: himself and basketball.
Even with the status of being a big man on campus and having access to anything he wanted, he said he felt as though he was searching for more.
"At that time it was what can you do for me and what I can do to excel my career as a basketball player and being the big man on campus." Simien said.
After that day in 2003, Simien
Christian Moody, a former teammate who played for Kansas from 2002 to 2006, said he remembered guarding Simien at practices during his freshman and sophomore years at Kansas.
said, he was a completely different individual, changing his attitude about life on and off the court.
On the court, Simien took his job seriously.
"He was the best big man on the floor," Moody said. "He never took it easy on people."
Simien said he saw being a hard worker on the court as an opportunity to better the team and himself as a player.
"I felt like if I took a day off then I felt I was cheating number one, the team, and then myself". Simien said.
Off the court, Moody said, Simien was generous to every person he met.
"A fan would come up and he would take time out to sign autographs, ask them how they're doing." Moody said. "He was a great leader on and off the court."
Self, who coached Simien during his junior and senior years, described Simien as a "deep thinker." When Self came to the University as head coach in 2003, he said, Simien wanted to evaluate the situation as opposed to automatically supporting Self.
"That's how I'm wired," Simien said. "I didn't see the good right away."
Self said he recalled the first team meeting as head coach.
"All the other players were asking
me stuff like what shoes are we going to wear and what color are our uniforms," Self said. "I remember Wayne asking 'What did you tell the Illinois players when you left?'
From then on, Self said, Simien embraced him as his coach.
When the 2005 season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament with Kansas losing to an unknown Bucknell University, Self said he felt terrible for Simien and the three other seniors. But to Simien, the loss didn't have that big of an effect on him.
"Wayne is a spiritual guy" Self said.
"He took it in stride as a positive."
This optimistic attitude would pay out later in Simien's life.
SEE SIMIEN ON PAGE23
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