Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Renardo Sidney returning to school, commencing the worst part of the season

My least favorite part of the college basketball year is when the coaching carousel goes into full-fledged spin cycle.

The speculation. The ridiculous expectations of delusional fan bases. Folks losing their jobs. Families getting uprooted. Its necessary, but it isn't enjoyable to write about.

My second least favorite part of the season?

Early entry to the NBA Draft.


Its not that I don't support it. I do. If these kids have a chance to make real money off of their talent, I think that they should. I think Kyrie Irving and Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger would be fools if they stayed in school next year.

That said, I'm a college basketball writer. This is a college basketball blog. I like watching good college basketball and writing about good college basketball. I'm happy for the players that declare for the draft and get to fulfill their dreams, but it also saddens me in a selfish way. I want to watch and write about those kids for four years.

Which brings me to Renardo Sidney.

Today, Sidney posted on his facebook account that he would be returning to school for his junior season:

YES for all you BULLDOG fans I will attend MSU another yr and I promise to work even harder than I have ever work b4 getting in shape is my main focus... watch out for them DOGS next season!!!
It is probably a good decision for Sidney.

He is the draft equivalent of hiring Kelvin Sampson. Radioactive does not begin to describe his reputation. The talent is there, but he needs to come back for a season, prove that he can be a teammate, get his behind in shape, and who knows, maybe he will end up living up to the first round potential that the recruiting experts saw in him as early as junior high.

The thing about playing college basketball is that it not only prepares a kid for a career in the NBA on the court, it does off the court as well. The best coaches not only teach their players how to be better shooters and scorers, they teach them how to be better people and how to function in society when there are behavioral expectations and professional responsibilities.

If anyone needs an extra year in college, its Sidney.

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