Mississippi State falls again as Renardo Sidney's eligibility remains up in the air

MSU's Kodi Augustus (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A five-star prospect from Fairfax High in Los Angeles, fans in Starkville went absolutely nuts when Renardo Sidney signed on to play for their Mississippi State Bulldogs. The combination of Sidney and 6'9" rejection specialist Jarvis Varnardo would give the Bulldogs the best low post duo in the country. At least, that's what everyone was anticipating.

But now we're nearing the end out the season's opening month and Sidney is nowhere to be found. His eligibility remains in question, as the NCAA delays their investigation into a handful of issues that have been attached to his name since he was a prep player. The frustrating thing for Rick Stansbury and his team is that nobody has a clue when a ruling might actually come down. As far as Sidney himself, ESPN's Andy Katz's paints a spot-on picture of the 19 year old:

Sidney's attitude apparently fluctuates. He isn't in great shape yet, because it's hard for him to push himself to the maximum without knowing whether he'll play. The coaching staff has similar feelings since they can't count on using him at this juncture.

Of that entire paragraph above, the one thing that really sticks out to me is the type of shape that Sidney is in. For a kid who had weight problems throughout high school, you'd expect him to do everything in his power to eliminate this glaring red flag upon reaching college. Instead, he doesn't seem like he's even close to being mentally ready to play. That strikes me as a very, very bad sign. Heck, I'm not even convinced that Sidney ever wanted to play a year of college basketball in the first place. He's the type of kid who relishes in his own hype, and blindly assumes that he will get paid on talent alone in the NBA.

With Sidney as a spectator, the Bulldogs have dropped two of their first five games and look nothing like the NCAA Tournament team they were built up to be. Varnardo is doing everything in his power to keep MSU afloat (he's averaging a ridiculous 5.6 blocks per game), but it's just not enough in the grand scheme of things. Guys like O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose wreaked havoc on their respective schools soon after leaving college, and Sidney is doing the same thing without even playing a single game. The future of Mississippi State basketball, much like Sidney's eligibility, remains uncertain.