Sidney signs with Mississippi State

McDonald's All-American Renardo Sidney signed with Mississippi State on Thursday.

"It’s good to be coming back home," said Sidney, a Mississippi native who spent the bulk of his high school years in Los Angeles. "A lot of my family hasn't been able to see me play the last three years and it will be good to be around them again. Mississippi State is a great school with a great program, and I’m coming in to help them win a national championship and build a bond with my new teammates."

Sidney originally committed to Southern California but was forced to look elsewhere when the administration decided not to enroll him, sources told CBSSports.com. One of those sources said that with the Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo cases lingering, the school simply felt it could not risk taking Sidney, who has been a high-profile and controversial prospect for many years, primarily because of his move to California and his father's "consulting" job with Reebok.

"They just couldn't risk anything popping up," the source said. "How could USC tell the NCAA that it learned from the Bush and Mayo stuff if the school enrolled Renardo and something popped up down the road? That probably would've guaranteed them a charge of lack of institutional control, and it's just not worth the risk with the NCAA investigation into Bush and Mayo ongoing."

Sources said UCLA similarly opted not to enroll Sidney.

Still, Mississippi State didn't hesitate to accept his letter of intent.

"We are excited to have ‘Shug’ coming back home where his roots are,” said Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury. "It’s very obvious he brings a wealth of talent and versatility to our program. He has great parents and grandparents, and we are excited to have them join our family too."

Sidney is a 6-foot-10 forward.

Scout.com ranks him as the fifth-best senior in the nation.

I attended RBK U, an elite camp held in Philadelphia back in 2007, and Sidney impressed me way more than a ton of other kids getting a lot more hype and who were upperclassmen in HS at the time. As a Vanderbilt fan and alum, I fear this fella lighting it up in the SEC for the next four seasons. Varnado ought to announce right now that he's out of the Draft so he can play a season with Sidney, he's that special.

There is a lot to be excited about if you're a MSU fan or student or alum right now. Not to forget that Rick Stansbury is a totally underrated head coach. But then again, it can be said that Dean Smith himself would have been underrated if he had toiled in Starkville.

Great signing for State and I wish them luck except for the one or more times they square off with the Commodores each season.

And thanks to Gary Parrish, too. You are doing a great job on the college hoops beat. My buddies in Memphis have raved about you often and now we get to see your work everywhere thanks to CBS Sports.com. You are making me read about college hardwood even though I'm a die-hard fan of MLB, PGA and NASCAR and in the meat of those seasons right now. Thanks.

Sidney signs with Mississippi State

Thanks for the pat on the back.
Things change a lot if Wall signs with the Cats........could be the first undefeated SEC for the first time since 1996, when the Cats did it for the first time in 40 yrs.
I believe that both Patterson and Meeks will return as well, and
If there is such a thing as INSTANT FINAL FOUR............that would be it!

(would invite Sidney and MS ST. to beat KY in the conf. tourny again, though.........just to light a fire under the Cats after a season of 20 pt. wins)

GO BIG BLUE!

Sidney signs with Mississippi State

As a student who will be an alumnus after tomorrow's graduation, I am glad to see State bring him in. With him and Swat (Jarvis Varnado to the rest of you), we may be as good as the team a few years ago that earned a 2-seed yet lost to Xavier in the second round. This team can go farther if we improve on offensive consistency, especially down low since we were such a streaky perimeter team last year.

zcg Reputation: 95 Level: Superstar Since: Sep 23, 2006	Posted on: April 30, 2009 9:35 pm Score: 73 Sidney signs with Mississippi State Good to see the SEC pulling in high-level talent again. Florida with Boynton, MSU with Sidney, and UK with Cousins and Orton (and hopefully Wall) should make for some exciting matchups this winter. [ Reply to Comment ]
TROUBLESHOOTER Reputation: 72 Level: Pro Since: Jan 15, 2007	Posted on: April 30, 2009 9:41 pm Score: 33 Sidney signs with Mississippi State SEC sucks/ krazy ref/ cant play basketball in a football league. [ Reply to Comment ]
oddjob73 Reputation: 96 Level: Superstar Since: Dec 8, 2006	Posted on: April 30, 2009 10:04 pm Score: 132 Sidney signs with Mississippi State I attended RBK U, an elite camp held in Philadelphia back in 2007, and Sidney impressed me way more than a ton of other kids getting a lot more hype and who were upperclassmen in HS at the time. As a Vanderbilt fan and alum, I fear this fella lighting it up in the SEC for the next four seasons. Varnado ought to announce right now that he's out of the Draft so he can play a season with Sidney, he's that special. There is a lot to be excited about if you're a MSU fan or student or alum right now. Not to forget that Rick Stansbury is a totally underrated head coach. But then again, it can be said that Dean Smith himself would have been underrated if he had toiled in Starkville. Great signing for State and I wish them luck except for the one or more times they square off with the Commodores each season. And thanks to Gary Parrish, too. You are doing a great job on the college hoops beat. My buddies in Memphis have raved about you often and now we get to see your work everywhere thanks to CBS Sports.com. You are making me read about college hardwood even though I'm a die-hard fan of MLB, PGA and NASCAR and in the meat of those seasons right now. Thanks. [ Reply to Comment ]
johnnyo2425 Reputation: 1 Level: Amateur Since: Feb 5, 2009	Posted on: April 30, 2009 11:14 pm Score: 44 Sidney signs with Mississippi State Does anyone know why both USC and earlier UCLA stopped recruiting Sidney? [ Reply to Comment ]
KUJayhawk11 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Sep 14, 2006	Posted on: April 30, 2009 11:18 pm Score: 84 Sidney signs with Mississippi State Judging by Sidney's size after watching him play in high school a few times, this guy is going to make an immediate impact with his size as long as he stayed conditioned in the SEC. I'd like to see what MSU could do if Varnado returns as well. [ Reply to Comment ]
whs21 Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Jul 22, 2008	Posted on: April 30, 2009 11:20 pm Score: 66 Sidney signs with Mississippi State Huge pickup for State. Get Jarvis to come back and go out and win the SEC next year. Go DAWGS [ Reply to Comment ]
UKblueballs Reputation: 92 Level: All-Star Since: Oct 6, 2007	Posted on: May 1, 2009 2:31 am Score: 82 Sidney signs with Mississippi State Thanks for the pat on the back. Things change a lot if Wall signs with the Cats........could be the first undefeated SEC for the first time since 1996, when the Cats did it for the first time in 40 yrs. I believe that both Patterson and Meeks will return as well, and If there is such a thing as INSTANT FINAL FOUR............that would be it! (would invite Sidney and MS ST. to beat KY in the conf. tourny again, though.........just to light a fire under the Cats after a season of 20 pt. wins) GO BIG BLUE! [ Reply to Comment ]
stives Reputation: 82 Level: All-Star Since: Aug 29, 2006	Posted on: May 1, 2009 3:53 am Score: 47 Sidney signs with Mississippi State uk went undefeated in the sec in 02-03 season...are you sure your a cats fan [ Reply to Comment ]
LivingGhost Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Mar 8, 2008	Posted on: May 1, 2009 7:07 am Score: 64 Sidney signs with Mississippi State Good for Mississippi State [ Reply to Comment ]
KPGBaseball Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Mar 11, 2007	Posted on: May 1, 2009 11:46 am Score: 106 Sidney signs with Mississippi State As a student who will be an alumnus after tomorrow's graduation, I am glad to see State bring him in. With him and Swat (Jarvis Varnado to the rest of you), we may be as good as the team a few years ago that earned a 2-seed yet lost to Xavier in the second round. This team can go farther if we improve on offensive consistency, especially down low since we were such a streaky perimeter team last year. [ Reply to Comment ]

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