STARKVILLE — Expect a different Renardo Sidney this season.
The Mississippi State junior center spent more than a month working out with former NBA player and coach John Lucas in Houston, Texas, to shed weight and to improve his conditioning.
Sidney returned to campus last week 23 pounds lighter after weighing 320 pounds in May when he showed up in Houston.
Sidney wouldn”t say Monday what he weighed, but he said he wants to lose another 20 pounds before the start of the men”s basketball season in November.
He”ll get a jump on that goal next month when MSU takes a preseason tour of Europe, which includes games against teams from Amsterdam, Belgium, and France.
“I ran 18 miles a week,” Sidney said. “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.”
Sidney labored through stretches, was overweight, and struggled to reach game fitness in his first season at MSU. He went into the offseason determined to lose weight and to erase the memory of a season in which he was largely criticized for being out of shape.
Still, Sidney averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds after sitting out his freshman season due to an eligibility battle with the NCAA.
“I think I have a lot of people to show I can do a lot of stuff this year,” Sidney said. “I got a lot of stuff to prove about my attitude, my game, and my conditioning.”
Sidney said he works out three times a day, including a morning session with strength and conditioning coach Richard Akins and on-court drills with team trainers.
Sidney”s weight has been an issue from the moment he was cleared to play in April 2010. He always has been straightforward about his need to lose weight, but it was never clear how much weight he”d lost while playing last season.
Teammates have noticed a difference in Sidney”s appearance and ability to run the floor since returning to campus for the start of the second summer semester.
“It makes me happy to know he”s working,” MSU point guard Dee Bost said. “It”s gonna help us out a lot. He has got better conditioning. He”s ran more possessions each time.”
Partly motivated by his intentions to enter the 2012 NBA draft, Sidney is attacking his junior season with a different mind-set. Last year, Sidney and Bost served nine-game suspensions for separate eligibility issues. To have both players available for the start of the league season, MSU created a logjam of non-conference games in December that ultimately saw the team suffer damaging RPI losses.
There also was the embarrassment of a fight between Sidney and former MSU center — and friend — Elgin Bailey in between games of the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.
Sidney was labeled a trouble-maker at the heart of a 17-14 season that ended without a postseason bid.
Distractions like controversial twitter posts and lingering issues about his dedication to the team aren”t what you”ll find in Sidney this year.
“I”m trying to stay low,” Sidney said. “Last year was the worst year for me. I”m trying to get my image back out there. I”m not worried about twitter or Facebook. Just stay in the gym.”
Lucas, who battled cocaine and alcohol addiction as a player in the NBA, has served as a motivator and life coach for athletes. Sidney said the former All-Star point guard and NBA coach helped narrow his focus and showed him ways to improve his game and to avoid negativity.
“Every day he talked to me about life,” Sidney said. “He was teaching me about how to keep my cool and not worry about what people say. Just stay in the gym and stay hungry.”
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