Mr. Basketball Candidate: Wayde Sims

<p><span style="font-size:14px"><em>Editor&#39;s Note: We will be profiling a number of Louisiana basketball players who are candidates for Mr. Basketball throughout the summer. There will be a power ranking of those players as the season approaches.</em></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>Player: </strong>Wayde Sims, U-High, 6&#39;6 Forward</span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:14px">Previous Season: </span></strong><span style="font-size:14px">31-1 record, 3A State Champions, Sims named Gatorade Player of the Year</span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:14px">Why Will He Win?</span></strong><span style="font-size:14px"> Wayde Sims won the Gatorade Player of the Year last year and with that, is one of the front-runners to win it this year. He will put up gaudy numbers across the board from scoring to rebounding to blocked shots. The LSU commit will have the opportunity to lead his team to three straight state titles as well. His athleticism and ability to score from different levels make him one of the toughest match-ups in the state.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>Why Won&#39;t He Win? </strong>In simple terms, he will be without his close friend and long time teammate Skylar Mays who transferred to Findlay Prep for his final year. Mays is a true point guard who makes those around him better and now Wayde will have to work even harder to get his buckets. Easy shots won&#39;t be as common as they have been in the past few years. However, he did show this summer he can put up numbers without Mays at his side.</span></p>