STARKVILLE — Most incoming freshmen in any college sport are asked to raise their level of play.
Mississippi State forward Rodney Hood is enjoying just being a part of a team where he isn”t the focus.
Hood, a two-time Mississippi player of the year, led Meridian High School to the Class 6A state title game in back-to-back seasons despite getting double- and triple-teamed nearly every game.
“It”s great when you have other great, experienced players playing with you,” Hood said. “I can just sit on the wing and you just shoot or play defense. I don”t have to do as much.”
Hood, a 6-foot-8 wing player, averaged 24.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a point forward to lead Meridian High to a Class 6A state championship. He then signed a National Letter of Intent with the Bulldogs during the early period in the fall.
“Rodney Hood”s going to be a terrific player,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “There”s no question about that.”
Hood showed the potential to live up to Stansbury”s comments earlier this month in the MSU men”s basketball team”s five-game European tour of Amsterdam, Belgium, and France. Despite playing off the ball, Hood was fourth on the team in scoring.
“You”re asking me did he confirm everything I thought about him on that trip? Yes he did,” Stansbury said. “His ceiling”s high.”
Stansbury said Hood will have to adjust to the speed of the game. He said he also will have to develop the strength needed to defend at the highest level of Division I competition, but he has all the confidence Hood will be able to make the transition.
“His adjustment will be minimized,” Stansbury said. “Like I”ve said so many times, he comes from a really good high school program where he”s been coached. He”s had all those other little things you need instilled in you. He”s been blessed with that in the home.”
The switch to playing without the basketball won”t be as severe for Hood because he adapted to the situation playing with former Jackson Callaway High standout and current MSU point guard Deville Smith on a summer Amateur Athletic Union team.
“I can adjust to wherever coach tells me he needs me to play,” Hood said. “He told me early that if I get the ball off a rebound to just push it.”
MSU fans will see that fast-break mentality early and often at Humphrey Coliseum with Dee Bost, Brian Bryant, Hood and even Arnett Moultrie being bringing the ball up the court quickly after a defensive rebound without an initial outlet pass.
“With the players we got 1-5 can take it and go if they wanted to,” said Bost, a senior point guard. “We got more people that create toward the rim and get there off the dribble.”
Hood moved into the starting lineup with Moultrie, Wendell Lewis, Bost and Bryant for the final three games of the exhibition tour. He averaged nearly 10 points per game.
“It was exciting to go across the pond for the first time and see the sites as a team like the Anne Frank House, which was a historical place I”d read about,” Hood said. “In terms of basketball, it was about getting in the flow of how we”re going to play this year.”
The trip also helped Hood experience a more physical brand of basketball than he was accustomed to in high school.
“It was more of a learning experience for me, and I learned little things like how to box out and how to guard off screens,” Hood said. “It was crazy. They”re not as athletic as American players, so they use little tricks like grabbing your shorts.”
Sidney”s second trip to Houston “wasn”t his call”
Stansbury made it clear Renardo Sidney”s decision to return to Houston for a second time and to miss to team”s European trip wasn”t the sophomore forward”s call.
“It was not his decision to go to Houston,” Stansbury said. “Everybody understand that? I made that decision. Nobody else made that decision. That”s where that is and, again, would I have liked for him to have been on the trip? I would have. It would have been good, but there are some things he had to handle that he hadn”t handled. Since then, he has.”
Sidney attended a training camp in Houston run by former NBA coach John Lucas. However, after the former McDonald”s All-American returned to the MSU campus for summer workouts, he left the team later in the month to return to Houston, bypassing the Bulldogs” trip to Europe.
“I ran 18 miles a week,” Sidney said in July on his first session with Lucas. “We did two-a-days, basketball-wise. I”ve never worked that hard. I think the last time I worked that hard was in seventh grade.”
The last time Sidney left mainland United States he was involved in a fight with former MSU center Elgin Bailey in the stands between games of the Diamond Head Classic last December in Hawaii. Sidney”s career at MSU has included two suspensions, one an NCAA-mandated after a year-long investigation, and a constant battle about his conditioning.
“Come November, that”s when it”s going to matter what it is, where his conditioning is,” Stansbury said. “To his credit, he fulfilled some obligations he had to have for the team, so we”ll see if he keeps progressing and making those things. We all want to hope and believe he can.”
Sidney averaged 14.2 points per game and 7.2 rebounds last season. He has enrolled in fall classes that started last week and is doing weight training with the MSU strength staff. He will start individual drills with the coaching staff next week.
“I think we have a lot of potential to be one of the best frontcourts in the country this year,” Moultrie said. “(Sidney) looks like he”s lost some more weight.”
Gardner redshirting for the 2011-12 season
Stansbury used the media session Thursday to announce freshman guard
David Gardner will redshirt in 2011-12.
The 6-6 guard, rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, averaged 32 points and 10.4 rebounds per game last season at Okolona High.
“You”re not redshirting not to work hard, but to try to catch up,” Stansbury said. “Because you”re redshirting doesn”t mean you”re not working hard. That”s the one thing I wanted to make sure he understood. I think the first time he ever lifted weights is when he got here in June, if you can imagine that.”
Gardner, who said he chose MSU over the University of Memphis mostly because of Hood”s decision to come to Starkville, scored six points in three games in the European tour.
“It was good he was able to realize some things,” Stansbury said. “Most of them will fight a redshirt. It”s probably good he was able to evaluate some things and see he has a ways to go and wanted to redshirt.”
According to NCAA rules, Gardner will be allowed to practice with the team and will qualify for a fifth year of eligibility if he doesn”t play in any games this season.
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