LSU basketball player Wayde Sims shot to death

Louisiana State basketball player Wayde Sims has died after he was shot early Friday near the campus of another school in Baton Rouge.

Sims, 20, was shot around 12:25 a.m., Baton Rouge police said in a news release.

He was taken to a hospital and died from his wounds, Sgt. Don Coppola Jr. said.

The shooting happened at a restaurant across from Southern University’s A.W. Mumford Stadium, the Advocate reported.

LSU basketball coach Will Wade in a statement said the team is “devastated.”

“We need your prayers for Wayde, for his family, for all of us. We are heartbroken,” Wade said.

Wade had praised Sims for his offseason work earlier this week in a radio broadcast.

“Maybe the guy I’ve been most impressed with is Wayde Sims,” Wade said on ESPN’s “Off the Bench.” “Moving him around, we’re trying to solve the issue of having a bigger 3-man [small forward], and really, the past month or couple of weeks we’ve messed around with him at the 3. He’s done a really nice job.”

Sims was the 2014-15 Louisiana Gatorade player of the year at U-High, where he led the Cubs to three straight state titles from 2014 to 2016.

Police said no arrests had been made and were asking members of the public to come forward with information.

Sims was entering his junior season at LSU. The A 6-foot-6 forward averaged 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last year with 10 starts in 32 games.