STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Rick Stansbury denied reports a decision has been made on the future of junior center Renardo Sidney.
According to an SNY.tv unnamed source, Sidney will not return to MSU for his final year of eligibility and could pursue either a transfer or professional opportunities. Stansbury, who is in his 14th year season at MSU, said he has not had a conversation with the 6-foot-10 former McDonald’s All-American selection out of high school.
“I don’t know where all those reports come from,” Stansbury said on the Southeastern Conference media teleconference. “Another one of those reports.”
Sidney is currently averaging 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game for the MSU program.
“No discussion at all,” Stansbury said. “We haven’t talked one bit about his future plans. We’re just trying to get through the season.”
Sidney’s career at Mississippi State has included two suspensions, one being NCAA-mandated after a year-long investigation and the other following a highly-publicized fight between him and former MSU center Elgin Bailey in the stands between games of the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii around Christmas 2010. The junior has also had a constant battle over his conditioning issues since he’s arrived on the Starkville campus.
“I don’t think they win the game (at Vanderbilt) without Renardo Sidney playing the way he did in the second half,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes said. “In fact, I know they don’t.”
SNY’s source in the report allegedly said Sidney is closer to 310 pounds than his listed 270 in the MSU media guide.
“I don’t think more criticism can be thrown out at him than what he has had over the last year and a half,” Stansbury said two weeks ago.
“I don’t think that affects him any more because his game is better; everything about him is better. There’s not much you can say that hasn’t been said about him.”
Sidney has been made unavailable to the media since the the 2011-12 regular season started.
“I’m sure they’re waiting on me to screw up,” Sidney said in October.
“Our team isn’t going to have a problem this year. We finally have grown up really.”
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