Kansas' Simien wins player of the year honor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas' senior Wayne Simien was announced Wednesday as the unanimous choice as The Associated Press' Big 12 player of the year.

Almost equally effective under the basket as he is on the perimeter, the 6-foot-9 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.

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.

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 this year.