Seniors set for last hurrah
Langford, Lee, Miles, Simien quality class
Kansas University has had some stellar men’s basketball recruiting classes throughout the years.
Not many, if any, have meant more to the school than the class of Keith Langford, Michael Lee, Aaron Miles and Wayne Simien.
The Fab Foursome has accounted for 109 wins, 25 losses, three league titles and two Final Fours — and counting.
“I don’t remember how many seniors we had in ’52 or ’57,” KU coach Bill Self said, reflecting on powerhouse classes in history. “I know you have good players when you win a national championship.
“The ’88 class had some pretty good guys, one in particular was pretty good (Danny Manning),” he quipped. “I may be off a bit, but Nick (Collison) and Kirk (Hinrich) go down as good a pair who played here, and ’97 has to go down as good as any.”
Yet his words are as glowing for this senior class.
“As far as winning,” Self said, “I think it would have to go down as good a senior class that has played here.”
Miles entered postseason play ranked No. 1 in school history in assists and No. 2 in steals; Langford No. 6 all-time in scoring and Simien 14th in scoring and ninth in rebounding.
Lee hasn’t dented any top statistical categories, yet has been a sixth-man deluxe.
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“Aaron is ornery, fun, tough,” Self said while discussing top traits of the foursome. “Even when he is not playing his best, gosh, does he try hard. I’ll remember Keith being clutch, cool, with a dynamic personality. Wayne is just balanced. I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a kid as balanced as him. And Mike … he has such a unique way of leading people and being positive.”
Here are capsule looks at the four seniors:
Keith Langford, 6-4, Fort Worth, Texas
“Keith is cool. He is ‘Freeze.’ That’s his nickname. He lives by it,” Self said.
Langford has been willing to step up and take big shots from Day One.
He had one of the biggest shots of the season his rookie campaign, beating Nebraska with a three-pointer on the road.
He’s been asking for the ball in tight situations ever since.
“I remember my freshman year, I was sort of joking around, but said one time, ‘I want to be one of the five all-time clutch players (in KU history),”’ Langford said.
“When I leave, it might be a legitimate argument.”
The Jayhawks could have used him late in the regular-season finale at Missouri, but he suffered a sprained ankle early in the first half and didn’t return, much to his dismay.
“I like that part of a game,” Langford said. “It’s easy to play when you are winning and everybody is behind you. It takes nuts sometimes to step up and make a shot. If you miss it, everybody will look down on you. You make it, you are a hero. I’ve been on both sides of it.
“I’ve made shots and missed big shots. I’ve made big free throws and missed them.”
His “Mr. Cool” persona allows him to take the shot in crunch time.
“I’m laid-back. It’s one of the better things about me,” Langford said. “In a tight game situation, a lot of people’s (backsides) might tighten up. I don’t want to say I don’t care if I miss a shot, but I can handle it. I can shoulder the blame.”
Self never has blamed Langford the few times he has failed in crunch time.
“Keith has obviously stepped up when it’s counted the most,” Self said. “He’s always been a gamer, ever since he’s been here. What some don’t recognize is he’s as complete a player as there is. He’s our defensive stopper, can make plays on the perimeter as well as any player. He does a lot besides score and score when it counts.”
Michael Lee, 6-3, Portland, Ore.
Lee has been a solid bench player ever since arriving with buddy Aaron Miles out of Portland’s Jefferson High.
“It’s truly been a journey,” Lee said. “You pretty much go from being a boy to man in four years.”
Lee admittedly has had a rocky journey. During his freshman year and the first month of his sophomore season, he was homesick and unhappy.
“I’ll be honest, I thought about quitting and leaving,” Lee said. “I just wanted to feel I was wanted. I didn’t feel I was wanted my freshman year. The first week I was here, coach (Roy) Williams asked me to red-shirt, which was never mentioned in recruiting. I was struggling in class and conditioning. I felt I was the worst player in the world.”
Lee balked at the red-shirt idea. His family and friends said no to his transfer request.
“Aaron would lay on the floor and laugh. He wouldn’t let me give up. My parents would never let me pack up and leave,” said Lee, who became happier after a clear-the-air meeting with Williams early his sophomore season.
“After we got back from New York when we lost two games in the NIT, coach Williams said, ‘Michael, you look like you don’t even want to be out there.’ He was right. From that point on, I changed my mind-set and decided to work hard every day and whatever role I played would be fine with me. I turned it around.”
He has filled in whenever and wherever asked, playing in crunch time during the national-title game against Syracuse his sophomore year.
“My legacy? I hope people remember the four seniors,” he said. “That we cared about winning and cared about the tradition and it carried through with class and pride on the court.”
Self recognizes Lee’s attitude.
“Mike is a fabulous person. He is bright. He has a unique way about him that everybody respects,” Self said. “He has a way of leading people and being positive. He’s the first to practice and last to leave, always working hard. If everybody worked as hard as Mike Lee, this team would be very, very good.”
Aaron Miles, 6-1, Portland, Ore.
Miles would like to be remembered for his team play.
“Just a guy who tried to do whatever he could to help his team win,” Miles said.
Miles improved his outside shooting immensely during his senior year. A lifetime 28.6 percent shooter from beyond the arc, Miles was close to 50 percent from beyond the arc this season.
“He worked so hard on that in the offseason,” said KU sophomore J.R. Giddens, who knows a lot himself about bombing away from beyond the arc. “He got so much better at it.”
Miles explained his progression from the outside.
“My freshman year I was not confident. My sophomore year I was more confident. I was real confident last year. I just made some and missed some. It’s how it goes,” Miles said.
“I know I’m prepared to shoot more so this year,” he added. “Coach (Joe) Dooley always gets on me about being prepared to shoot every day at practice.”
No matter how many points Miles scores, his assists bring the most attention. There’s a good chance his name someday will be added to the trophy that goes to KU’s all-time assist king.
“I might think about those things after my career is over,” Miles said of passing Jacque Vaughn this season for No. 1 on the all-time dish list. “I credit my teammates and former teammates for all those things, all the guys who scored when I passed them the ball.”
Miles will go down as one of the most humble players in KU history.
“One thing Aaron does, he just cares about winning. He plays to win every possession,” Self said. “If you do that, everything else will fall into place for you. He is one of those players who has it figured out. It’s why he doesn’t get hung up on national attention. He knows if we win, it will all come back anyway. There’s only one way to judge that guy … wins and losses.”
Wayne Simien, 6-9, Leavenworth
Simien, who grew up a Kansas basketball fan, turned out to be one of the Jayhawks’ most accomplished players.
He made the most of his decision to return for his senior year, leading the Big 12 Conference in both scoring and rebounding and becoming a unanimous choice for player of the year.
“It’s the best I’ve ever felt, physically,” Simien said of his final campaign. “I worked hard in the summer for this year.”
Simien, who missed four games this season because of a thumb injury, was dandy in all the games he played, recording numerous double-doubles.
He had a career-high 32 points with 12 rebounds in a Big 12-clinching victory against Oklahoma State and followed that with a career high 20 rebounds to go with 20 points in a Senior Day win over Kansas State.
“The way it ended, I couldn’t have planned it any better,” Simien said.
Scouts have said Simien had improved his NBA draft position. He has proven he can step out and hit the 12- to 15-foot jump shot and even has canned a few three-pointers.
“Coach has always encouraged me, encouraged all of the players to take that shot when you are open,” Simien said. “It’s definitely something I worked on and something I feel I can do consistently.”
He is most proud of his work on the boards.
“Yes, because rebounding is effort,” Simien said. “It’s something you can control. Maybe some games you don’t get as many touches because of the other teams’ defenses focusing on you or things like that, but rebounding is effort you can bring every day.”
He says he is humbled by the honors he has received, including preseason All-American.
“It’s pretty big time, especially from a kid coming from Leavenworth,” he said. “Being in Kansas, having an opportunity to play at such a great level competitively and play with such a great group of guys under a great coach, that’s definitely what got me there.”
Self says he never has coached a player as grounded and “balanced” as Simien.
“He is a big-picture guy,” Self said. “He is one of the few guys in college basketball who sees the future as where he will be at 34, 40, 50. Most see the future as this month. My personal opinion is he has one focus — how to better serve God. That’s it, how to be a better husband in the future, father, role model.”