Simien’s truck turns up

Wayne Simien’s missing truck has been found in Topeka.

One week after the Kansas University senior-to-be forward’s 1992 GMC Sierra was stolen from Simien’s Lawrence apartment-complex parking spot, Topeka police found the vehicle parked Tuesday on a Topeka street.

“It was found on a side street with the license plate gone,” Simien’s mother, Margaret, said Tuesday night. “We will go to Topeka tomorrow to find out what condition it’s in and have it towed back to Leavenworth. We want that truck no matter what condition it’s in.

“If it was found sitting on the street, it has to have some wheels on it,” she added in a hopeful tone.

The Simiens have yet to learn the condition of the truck or whether Wayne’s two Bibles, which were in the truck at the time it was stolen, still were in the vehicle. Wayne Simien is at Nike camp in Indianapolis this week working as a counselor.

“We called Wayne to tell him the police found the truck. He said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding,”’ Margaret Simien said. “He was thrilled.”

It was believed the individuals who stole the truck had not been caught.

Williams turned down L.A.

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly approached North Carolina’s Roy Williams about their head coaching vacancy before they approached Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

ESPN’s Andy Katz reported Tuesday that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke to former the former Kansas University coach about the vacancy June 19, a day after Phil Jackson stepped down as coach.

Williams said Kupchak called him on Father’s Day and asked, “Do you want to come out here and join us?”

Williams said he responded that he “couldn’t tell coach (Dean Smith) that, after one year, I’m leaving.”

Williams said he spoke to Kupchak one other time on the phone before telling the Lakers that he couldn’t pursue the job.

Chenowith catches on

Former Kansas University center Eric Chenowith will be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer-league team.

The 7-foot-2 Chenowith made it to Lakers’ veteran camp last year and lasted until the final cut.

Baty returning slowly

Former Kansas University baseball player Ryan Baty was taken off the disabled list Monday by the Hudson Valley Renegades, but did not play in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Class A farm team’s game against Staten Island.

Renegades’ manager Dave Howard said he planned to ease Baty into the lineup.

“We’ll see how he feels,” Howard told the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal. “I don’t want to throw him to the dogs.”

Baty, who graduated from KU in May, suffered a concussion when he was beaned during an extended spring training game in early June.

Kansas tennis names new assistant coach

Frank Polito was named assistant coach for Kansas University’s tennis team Tuesday, marking his second stint with the Jayhawks.

“I am thrilled to have Frank on staff,” KU coach Amy Hall said. “With his knowledge of the national and international field of players, as well as his instructional on-court expertise, he will be a great weapon for us.”

Polito served as interim head coach for KU in 1996, after former coach Chuck Merzbacher left for Ohio State. He later was named assistant coach of the men’s team.

He had been working with junior tennis players in Ohio for the last six months. Polito has been head coach at Akron and Louisiana-Monroe.