Rumor has Renardo Sidney verballing to UCLA on Sunday

[Russ Smith]

I'm skeptical since he hasn't even taken the SAT let alone got a qualifying score, but a guy on Bruinzone who has inside info often, claims his sources say Sidney to announce for UCLA on Sunday.

I still am one of the UCLA fans who wants no part of Sidney and if this were true it means one player has to leave(current rumor has Dragovic leaving for Europe after the season possibly). I'd rather not take the huge gamble on Sidney for one year so I really hope this is a bad rumor. Great player, but huge risk.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I thought St. Howland wasn't going to pursue guys like this? Watching UCLA fans (not Russ per se) flip-flop on this headcase is going to be very amusing.

 

[Russ Smith]

I thought St. Howland wasn't going to pursue guys like this? Watching UCLA fans (not Russ per se) flip-flop on this headcase is going to be very amusing.

The claim is if Sidney qualifies it proves he's straightened up and UCLA will take a flyer.

The LA TImes says Sidney has a press conference scheduled for Sunday to announce. Most people still expect him to say USC, but this one guy on a UCLA board is saying he hears it's going to be UCLA.

If they took him it would be by far the riskiest recruit of the Howland era.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The claim is if Sidney qualifies it proves he's straightened up and UCLA will take a flyer.

So getting an 800 on one's SAT is all it takes for one to straighten up?

 

[Russ Smith]

So getting an 800 on one's SAT is all it takes for one to straighten up?

That's what some people are claiming, that UCLA gave Sidney a list of things he had to do if he wanted to play at UCLA. If he qualifies, he'll have apparently met every item on the list. I want no part of him but it's not my decision of course.

People are saying that after hearing Jennings complain about how unhappy he is playing overseas this year, Sidney decided I want to play in college. I'd be perfectly happy if he went to USC, ASU or Virginia instead of UCLA.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

That's what some people are claiming, that UCLA gave Sidney a list of things he had to do if he wanted to play at UCLA. If he qualifies, he'll have apparently met every item on the list.

What's more likely?

a) Renardo Sidney (fat, lazy headcase with a massive ego) and his father (attention ***** who has been selling his son to the highest bidder for years) knocked out Howland's grade-school laundry list of accomplishments and bent over backwards for the pleasure of playing in Howland's micro-managed system?

b) Howland realized that his frontcourt at the moment blows with little help in the pipeline so offering and landing Sidney was the only realistic way to have a Pac-10 caliber post player next year?

 

[Russ Smith]

What's more likely?

a) Renardo Sidney (fat, lazy headcase with a massive ego) and his father (attention ***** who has been selling his son to the highest bidder for years) knocked out Howland's grade-school laundry list of accomplishments and bent over backwards for the pleasure of playing in Howland's micro-managed system?

b) Howland realized that his frontcourt at the moment blows with little help in the pipeline so offering and landing Sidney was the only realistic way to have a Pac-10 caliber post player next year?

Believe me the possibility that B is the right answer is what bothers me here. UCLA has several bigs coming in next year, Lane, Nelson, Stover, Honeycutt, even Moser although he's more of a swingman, but none of them are instant impact big like Sidney.

I just think it's a slippery slope, you can't get your ethics back once you've modified them to try and win a few more games.

 

[Russ Smith]

Same guy who first broke this rumor is now reporting sidney will NOT commit to UCLA and in fact may not be able to commit to any school. he didn't elaborate beyond saying upon further review things came up that UCLA didn't expect that led Howland to say sorry we can't take you.

Guess we'll find out Sunday what Sidney does. I have to admit if this latest rumor is true I'm breathing a big sigh of relief that UCLA's evaluation process apparently caught whatever it was before it was too late.

 

[Skkorpion]

Entertainment at it's finest.

 

[Gaddabout]

Is is true in some languages "Renardo Sidney" can also be pronounced "Courtney Alexander"?

 

[Russ Smith]

LA Times has a new story saying UCLA has dropped recruiting Sidney and he met with USC officials wed and is now very interested in USC again.

Nobody seems to know for sure. Evan Daniels on SCout.com said he thinks UCLA is leaking this out because Sidney changed his mind and they wanted to people to think they rejected him and not the other way around. But he's the only one to say that, the Times story claims to have used sources close to both UCLA and Sidney who said UCLA has pulled out of his recruitment.

 

[Russ Smith]

Sidney to USC made official today.

If he actually shows up they have a very good recruiting class, Sidney, Solomon Hill(ex UA commit, plays on the same HS team with Sidney) and a shooting guard from Georgia whose name I'm blanking on that's highly regarded. No PG which they really need.

Sidney still has to take the SAT and qualify.

 

[Russ Smith]

You can't make this stuff up, hilarious. LA Times story on Sidney's announcement, they had 13 tables set up in the Fairfax HS gym, with food to feed 100 people. Sidney opened a big box, inside was a smaller box, inside that was a USC hat.

Sidney told reporters that it was a close decision and he consulted with... wait for it.... OJ Mayo who told him Tim Floyd is a good coach he'll get you ready for the NBA.

One of the guests was a guy named Claud Mills. If the name sounds familiar his son Chris was quite a player at Arizona. Claud Mills got famous years ago when an overnight envelope with his name on it popped open in a sorting center for Airborne Express. There was $1000 cash in it, sent from Kentucky assistant coach Dwayne Casey. Mills was not allowed to attend UK, the NCAA investigated and put UK on probation, casey lost his job(has been coaching in the NBA for years now).

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Why wouldn't USC take Sidney? The NCAA is certainly in no hurry to come down on the Trojans for Reggie Bush, Dwayne Jarett, OJ Mayo, Master P, Derozan, or whatever else is going on over in Watts. Just goes to show that if you're making the NCAA money they'll be happy to turn a blind eye to basically any indiscretion.