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Simien makes move to minister

By Jason Baker

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Four years ago, Wayne Simien was on his way to Miami to start a new chapter in his life as an NBA player. Today 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 Coach Bill Self’s tenure.

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Faith and Basketball: Former KU Basketball player Wayne Simien Preaches on the Court

Former KU basketball player Wayne Simien created Called to Greatness, a ministry organization aimed a reaching children through althetics.

Simien said the past four years had been a journey, as today 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.

“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.

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.

After that day in 2003, Simien 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.

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.

“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.

Life in the NBA

Soon after his senior season came to an end, Simien had to prepare for the next level: the NBA. On draft night, instead of being in New York, Simien chose to await his fate back home in Leavenworth with his closest family and friends along with Self and the other coaches.

Simien was selected as the 29th pick overall by the Miami Heat in the first round. Simien said he remembered hearing his name called by Commissioner David Stern on TV and getting so excited that he didn’t hear what team he was going to.

Simien was drafted to the Miami Heat to play with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade — players Simien said looked up to.

He joined the Heat in the 2005-2006 season, averaging 9.6 minutes and 3.4 points a game. The Heat would go on to win the NBA Championship that year. Simien described his rookie season as “amazing.”

”Going into a locker room with guys who had been playing a lot longer like Alonzo, who had been playing for 10 years, and Gary, it was an incredible feeling,” Simien said.

Two years into his faith, Simien knew he could be tested by the lifestyle of a professional athlete, but he wasn’t worried about it. He said he had relied on one thing: surrounding himself with strong men of God.

When the Heat would travel on the road, Simien said, he would have close friends meet him at his hotel so he wouldn’t be tempted to take part in a lifestyle that conflicted with his faith. He also sometimes stayed at former NBA player A.C. Green’s house, someone whose faith was also important to him.

While playing in the NBA, Simien knew what kind of money he would make.

“I had a mindset that every penny that I earned, whether it was in the NBA or not, wasn’t mine,” Simien said. “I didn’t do the typical rookie thing.”

Simien said he donated money to charity and to his church. His biggest purchase was his Ford F-150 pickup truck.

“I didn’t have any elaborate lifestyle,” Simien said. “I know that God is my provider whether it’s in the NBA, being a minister or working at McDonald’s.”

Because of the way he handled his money, Simien said, it was easier for him to walk away from the game.

Coming into his second year in the NBA, Simien only played in eight games. The rest of his season was plagued with knee injuries and a bout with salmonella. “He couldn’t catch a break,” Self said. “His body never really gave him a chance.”

Simien said it was disappointing not being able to play, but his faith and positive attitude helped him get through. Self agreed.

“If he was frustrated, you wouldn’t know it,” Self said. “He never said ‘Why me?’ He used it as a test and I think it made him a stronger person.”

Life after the NBA

After his second NBA season, Simien went through changes on and off the court. Off the court, Simien started a family in 2006 when he married his wife, Kaite, and by 2008 had two kids. On the court, Simien bounced back from injury to play professionally in Spain for the team Caceres CB. But one thing Simien enjoyed the most was speaking to youth. In 2008, he started his ministry organization Called To Greatness, which worked to reach kids through basketball.

Simien said his basketball camp ministry started as a way to carry the torch for camps that were once hosted by former player Danny Manning. Simien himself used to go to those camps as a kid and worked them when he was in high school and college.

Simien started his ministry at Morning Star Church, 998 N 1771 Rd., north of 6th and Wakarusa streets.

Zach Sperry, Arlington Texas junior, got involved in Simien’s camp through interning at Morning Star Church. Sperry said that his job was mainly helping with drills and refereeing 3-on-3 games. Sperry said Simien was a genuine person.

“It’s awesome because you can tell how much he loves God by the way he loves people and treats people,” Sperry said.

Sperry said he learned from Simien that there’s more to life than just sports. As a former Kansas baseball pitcher, Sperry said, he appreciated this insight.

A part of the camp experience is Simien’s daily message to the kids about God.

“He’s very eloquent,” Sperry said. “He puts it in words that kids can understand.”

The Called To Greatness camps are open to students from 3rd to 12th grade. Simien said there had been talk of branching the camps out to other sports such as soccer, baseball and dance.

Simien said that when he first decided to become a minister, he got some mixed responses.

“People were either real excited or asking ‘What the heck are you doing? You could still be playing,’” Simien said.

It’s been a long journey for the Leavenworth native, from winning an NBA championship to full-time ministry, but Simien said it was the right focus for him.

“To me,” Simien said, “it was more of a desire to change the lives of people through Jesus Christ than playing basketball for a paycheck.”

— — Edited by Derek Zarda

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