Confusion over Dee Bost and his return to Mississippi State

Last year, the NCAA dragged its feet with their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Renardo Sidney's amateur eligibility.

This season, the NCAA is once again looking into a Mississippi State player's eligibility.

Dee Bost had a solid, if unspectacular, sophomore campaign with the Bulldogs, averaging about 13 points and 5 assists per game. He, along with back court mate Ravern Johnson, decided to enter to NBA Draft this offseason.

Only time will tell is Dee Bost can get eligible at Mississippi State.
(photo credit: B/R)

This is were the story gets a bit murky. You see, most have believed that Bost tried to remove his name from the draft after the May 8th deadline had passed. His argument? He didn't know the rule had changed, which is far from a valid excuse.

But according to Andy Katz, that isn't exactly true. Apparently, the rule Bost claims he didn't understand was that undrafted players that don't sign with agents can no longer return to school. If you remember, Randolph Morris did just that a few years back, returning to Kentucky after going undrafted, then getting signed by the Knicks just days after his final season ended.

This story is a bit more believable, but -- as you should expect in cases like this -- there is more. From the Katz story:

According to a source with knowledge of the case, the NCAA has questions about who paid for Bost to work out in Las Vegas for a three-week period while he was supposedly prepping for the draft. The NCAA has asked for phone records and check receipts from Bost to see how the trip was paid for.

That would, obviously, be a bigger problem and more than just an honest mistake.

If Bost was allowed to return, he would immediately make the Bulldogs the favorite in the weak SEC West, combining with Johnson and big men Sidney, Kodi Augustus, and John Riek to form a team with an outside shot of making a run at a tournament bid.