Rick Stansbury is hoping John Lucas gets through to Renardo Sidney

By now, you've probably heard the latest twist in the saga that is the career of Renardo Sidney.

The talented-but-mercurial Mississippi State junior will not be traveling with the Bulldogs on their trip to Europe in August. There are conflicting reports out there, but whether or not you believe that Rick Stansbury is keeping Sidney stateside or Sidney made the decision on is own is moot. The bottom line is that instead of taking a chemistry-building trip to Europe with his teammates Sidney is going to remain in Houston, working out with John Lucas.

Before I go any further, the statements.


"Renardo Sidney has returned to Houston, Texas, to continue working out with John Lucas,” Stansbury said in a statement. “He will not accompany the team to Europe next month, but he is expected back on campus for the start of the fall semester in mid-August."

"Everybody has their own opinion but I'm doing what I have to do," Sidney told The Clarion-Ledger. "There's nothing else going on. They can say what they want to say but, like I said, I know what I have to do basketball-wise. I wasn't ready to go and I felt like I really wasn't in shape. I wanted to come back down here and get some more work."

From an individual's perspective, its difficult to criticize Sidney for returning to Houston to workout with Lucas.

Lucas has a reputation for being a guy that helps get troubled talents back on the path to greatness. At this point in his career, Sidney is the epitome of a troubled talent. Between the season and a half he missed due to his acceptance of illegal benefits while in high school to the suspensions he received for fighting last season, from his continuing battle with weight issues and his lack of conditioning, Sidney has a long way to go to learn how to be a functioning member of a basketball team.

The program that Lucas runs is not easy, and the fact that Sidney wants to return should be a good sign for him as a person. He wants to be better. He wants to be able to capitalize on the gifts that he was blessed with.

Sidney, who worked out with Lucas in May and June before attending summer classes in July, is expected to return to the Starkville campus on August 14th. Stansbury "expects" him to be a member of the Bulldog team in the fall. If Sidney feels that it is in his personal best interest to avoid a trip overseas and to continue to learn from Lucas, than he shouldn't be criticized for it. He's trying to get better, and he's already shown some improvement. He lost 23 pounds in May and June.

The question I want answered is how long Stansbury is going to put up with Sidney.

While its commendable that Sidney is putting in the effort to get in shape and better his work habits, missing this trip makes it abundantly clear just how little he cares about the MSU basketball team. The Bulldog's success next season doesn't matter to him. He's not working out because he wants to win an SEC title, he's working out because he wants to be able to play in the NBA and make NBA money.

You see, for all his issues and off-the-court problems, Sidney is an untapped gold-mine of potential. If it ever clicked for him, Sidney would be a dominating force in the SEC. He has enough talent to be worthy of a lottery pick. That kid of player doesn't come along too often, especially when you coach at Mississippi State.

Maybe, for Stansbury, this trip back to Houston is a last ditch effort to turn Sidney around. Stansbury has invested so much time and so much energy into creating the perception that bringing Sidney into his program was a good idea that he can't turn-around. He's pot-committed. He needs this to work out well.

He needs Renardo Sidney to dominate.

He needs to be able to say to the fans and the boosters and the athletic department that it worked out; that he took a risk on a kid that no one else wanted and helped change that kid's life while landing himself a star player.

Stansbury needs this saga to have a storybook ending, and he's hoping that John Lucas will be the answer.