BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Wayne “Big Daddy” Sims, who played in four NCAA Tournaments with LSU from 1987-1991, died Wednesday at age 54.

LSU's athletic department confirmed Sims' death. No cause of death was immediately disclosed. Sims' coach at LSU was Dale Brown, and his teammates included Shaquille O'Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Vernel Singleton. During Sims' senior season, LSU won the Southeastern Conference championship. “He brought the best out in players, and everyone liked him,” Brown said. “He was a team player - didn’t get the credit maybe he deserved for the great run they had, but he was a wonderful person.

"He was never a flashy guy that needed stardom, but he was the base to our team.”