Renardo Sidney, ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect by Scout.com, signed a national letter of intent with Mississippi State today.
Sidney, a 6-foot-10-inch, 260-pound Mississippi native, spent the past three years in the Los Angeles area playing center for Fairfax High School during his junior and senior season. He averaged 23.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots this past season, leading the Lions to a 27-5 record.
Sidney, 19, grew up in Jackson and said he is excited about returning to his roots.
“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,” Sidney said in an MSU news release from the athletic department. “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.”
The heralded Sidney, by all accounts, will become the second McDonald’s All American to actually suit up in a Maroon and White uniform. In part due to a 2005 NBA collective bargaining agreement which banned the practice of high school players entering the draft following their senior season, Sidney will go where a host of elite MSU prospects did not: to the Hump for hoops.
Jonathon Bender, Monta Ellis, Travis Outlaw, Jackie Butler and Al Jefferson – all who signed LOIs with MSU with exception to Jefferson – decided to pursue careers in the NBA.
Scout.com National Recruiting Director Dave Telep told the Clarion-Ledger Sidney will pose as a “major [Southeaster Conference] match up problem in the post and outside on the perimeter.”
“With the league adding a lot of talent since the fall signing period, getting a guy like Sidney helps you keep pace in the talent department.” Telep said in a Clarion-Ledger report.
Sidney said he will arrive in Starkville for workouts in July to fine tune his skills with hopes of earning a starting role.
“Playing beside Jarvis [Varnado] and Dee Bost and Romero [Osby], I think we’ll have a good chance to win a national championship,” Sidney told the Clarion-Ledger.
Osby, who was a freshman last year, has known Sidney his whole life, said in an MSU press release. He said Sidney was like a brother to him. The two played together for the AAU team Jackson Tigers from 2004-06.
“He’s a like a little brother,” Osby said in the release. “We grew up together, and he’ll be a great addition to our team.”
Pending on whether or not Jarvis Varnado withdraws his name from the NBA draft and returns to school, the addition of Sidney could give the Bulldogs one of the most feared front courts in the country. If this best-case scenario plays out, many college basketball pundits project State as a preseason top-15 team and a possible favorite to win the 2010 SEC title.
MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said he is excited to see “Shug” – Sidney’s apparent nick name – return to Mississippi.
“It’s very obvious he brings a wealth of talent and versatility to our program,” he said. “He has great parents and grandparents, and we are excited to have them join our family too.”
Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani said Sidney is one of the better McDonald’s All Americans who has played for him. Kitani has coached five other players with that honor.
“He possesses extraordinary skills for a young man his size,” he said to MSU basketball spokesman Gregg Ellis. “His best basketball is still ahead of him, though. It’s going to be fun to watching him play because he has a great feel for the game. He’s a great passer who understands the game.”