LSU brings in speaker to help team cope with death of Wayde Sims

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- LSU has brought in a speaker in the area of post-traumatic stress disorder as the team attempts to cope with the death of junior Wayde Sims, who was shot and killed in late September.

Bob Delaney, a former NBA referee who wrote a book about PTSD, visited campus to help players and coaches, according to veteran guard Skylar Mays.

"We've definitely gotten something out of it," Mays said during SEC basketball media day. "It was a traumatic event. I definitely believe it's going to take time."

Mays said he and his teammates have tried to keep the memory of Sims alive, like writing his name and No. 44 on their sneakers. During a team photoshoot Tuesday, Mays said they left a seat open in which they placed Sims' jersey.

"We do something in the weight room every day called 'Sims Sets,'" Mays said. "To finish up, we'll do 44 barbell curls, 44 triceps pull-downs, things like that to honor him and remember."

He added: "He was an unbelievable teammate, an unbelievable person, a guy that people gravitated towards. Losing someone like that, not even on the basketball court but losing a friend you see every day, it's hard. But we have to take it day-by-day. It just takes time."

LSU coach Will Wade said his team is adjusting to "new normal" without Sims, whom he complimented as a "glue guy" within the program.

"Obviously, normal is relative," Wade said. "It's a new normal. We have a bunch of resources right now. We're working with somebody who is a specialist in post-traumatic stress and works with the military.

"Post-traumatic stress comes in a lot of different forms. ... We're doing everything we can to be there and be resources for our guys."

Sims was shot during an altercation near the Southern University campus. The 20-year-old who grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was transported to a local hospital, where he died from a gunshot wound.