Sidney To UCLA?

by Nestor on Feb 18, 2009 4:09 PM PST in Recruiting Comment 36 comments

Jeff Goodman from FoxSports.com reports:

Renardo Sidney is expected to commit to UCLA on Sunday.

According to two sources close to the situation, the talented 6-foot-9 Fairfax High (Calif.) standout will choose the Bruins at a 4 p.m. PT news conference at his high school.

Sidney is a big-time talent who moved from his home in Mississippi to Los Angeles a couple years ago. His recruitment has been all over the map and several sources have told FOXSports.com that he could still ultimately follow Brandon Jennings' path — and opt for the overseas route.

Sidney's father, Renardo Sr., told FOXSports.com recently that his son isn't seriously considering bypassing college.

However, Sidney still hasn't taken the SAT or ACT.

USC was in the mix for a while. So, too, were Virginia and Mississippi State. While all signs indicate that Sidney will commit to the Bruins, sources have told FOXSports.com that he gave USC a verbal pledge in the past — so anything could still happen.

While Sidney's talent is unquestionable, his effort is not. When the versatile big man wants to play, there's few — if any — in the senior class that can match his ability. Scout.com ranked him as the No. 5 player in the Class of 2009 and Rivals.com has him at No. 10 in the nation.

At one point not too long ago, he was a near-unanimous pick as the top player in the class.

We wrote a long post on Sidney and Lance Stephenson this past spring so I am not going to rehash our thoughts on him again. You can read that post here.

I think it's interesting that this committment (if the rumor/report is actually true) is coming at a time which would put UCLA over a scholarship limit. It might mean Howland possibly has information on the status of his current roster after the season is over. I don't believe Howland or UCLA would be accepting a commitment by taking a scholarship away from another player. I think Howland would only make that move if he has information that would push him to make such a move ... if we were to get to that point.

I also think it is also interesting that Sideny has not taken the SAT or ACT yet. I am going to assume that if Howland were to accept his commitment he would be doing it with the understanding that Sidney's academics are in order and that he would get the required scores to qualify for UCLA. If and when Sidney qualifies for UCLA academically and gives every indication that he is being totally committed to a UCLA caliber basketball player both on and off the court he would be a huge get for the program.

Anyway, it's interesting news to say the least and something to keep an eye on. For now let's hope our boys can take care of business against Huskies.

GO BRUINS.

0 recs | Comment 36 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

This was originally posted on Bruinzone by Bruinau

But since then he’s said that Sidney will not go to UCLA.

Oh oh, The worm turns. As it stands today, Sidney will not be a Bruin, too many issues came up and he can’t go to UCLA, or probably any other school either. I’ll keep you updated but its very disappointing news. He is that good of a player.

LINK

by SuperBruinMan on Feb 18, 2009 5:04 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

but not surprising. Again can’t see how we can count him as a “commit” until he has academically qualified for UCLA.

by Nestor on Feb 18, 2009 6:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

OT

My husband swears that Josh Smith (2010,C, from Kentwood HS in WA) was reported as announcing for UCLA today—-I am not finding any recent news on him…anyone?

Love My Bruins

by Bruingirl83 on Feb 18, 2009 5:16 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Roster status question

If N has correctly guessed that CBH has information regarding our roster status after the season, is there any chance that someone would be transferring, rather than leaving for the NBA? I only ask because I honestly have no clue when players would tell their coaches that they intend to transfer.

by Class of 09 on Feb 18, 2009 5:24 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Totally or Slightly OT

Does anyone know the average SAT and/or ACT for last year’s entering class?

An enquiring father whose daughter has her scores wants to know. Thanks.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 18, 2009 5:27 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Here's some info on the current freshman from the Daily Bruin

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-admissions-data-show-high-48543.aspx

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 18, 2009 5:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks Rye --

She’s competitive.

Is there a father, anywhere, who doesn’t want his daughter to be a Bruin?

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 18, 2009 5:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

right here. But just a technacality because I want my son to be a Bruin:)

formerly known as popopapa

by 84 on Feb 18, 2009 7:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree 66, but...

Four years ago I was heartbroken when my daughter did not get accepted at my alma mater. The reality is it is damned hard to get into UCLA. Now she is about to graduate from Univ. of San Francisco and I am proud of her. She still cheers her daddy’s Bruins when she comes back to SoCal for visits and I don the green and gold when I visit her in San Francisco. It’s all good. Enjoy the ride and good luck to your daughter where ever she enrolls.

by bruin75 on Feb 19, 2009 12:11 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm With You

As much as I want Jen to experience UCLA, I know there are many colleges and universities in which she will thrive. She is getting tons of mail and email from places that are interesting — and somewhat quirky, like she is.

But, it’s cool that she will be in the hunt at UCLA — and a few other UC campuses. I just wish she’d consider Rice which is a fantastic school — but she wants out of Texas.

She will find the right place as did your daughter and, if necessary, I’ll have a second team to cheer.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 19, 2009 5:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

My son graduated from high school last year...

and really wanted to go to UCLA. He didn’t get in, but is now very happy as an engineer major at UCSD.

My point is that these kids are resilient and will likely love whereever they go.

Good luck to your daughter.

by bornagainbruin on Feb 19, 2009 9:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Jen is very interested in UCSD, too.

She’s studying aquatic sciences in high school (what was once “marine biology”) and apparently, both UCSB and UCSD have great programs.

From what I understand, Jen may get a slight boost because, having lived in Exile the last 6 years, she will have to pay out-of-state tuition and the UC system may let in more non-residents as a fund raising scheme.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 19, 2009 7:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

University of Hawaii is supposed to have a great marine bio program

Essentially the only department I’d recommend my hometown college over UCLA in (do we even offer that?)

by Tydides on Feb 19, 2009 10:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh would we love that!

Of course, she’s made clear that we cannot follow her to college.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 20, 2009 7:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Scholarships

Does this include the scholarship we gave to Mustafa Abdul-Hamid this year? I could see his not being renewed for the next year in order to make room for someone else, similar to what happened with Andrew Baumgartner.

by turs12 on Feb 18, 2009 5:29 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

It does not

CBH said it was a 1 year scholarship.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Feb 18, 2009 5:32 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Does not smell right to me

This is not the kind of guy UCLA normally gets. We get Lew who becomes Kareem and goes on to publish books. We get a red head who becomes a space cadet, but is clearly intelligent and articulate. We get a polished kid from Lake Oswego who would clearly be successful without basketball (admittedly maybe not as rcih but still successful).

Love to see it happen but this does not seem probable to me.

by Bruin Dad and Grad on Feb 18, 2009 5:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Serious question

Do you have specific information that establishes the fact that Kevin Love was a better student athlete than Renardo Sidney? I don’t get this comment at all:

We get a polished kid from Lake Oswego who would clearly be successful without basketball (admittedly maybe not as rcih but still successful).

What do you exactly mean by Love was more “polished” than Sidney?

by Nestor on Feb 18, 2009 6:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I suspect

By “polished” he means more dedicated to basketball, more hard-working, etc.

KL seemed a much better “fit” for CBH than Sidney does. KL was a hard-worker, willing to commit to Ben Ball defense, and never had questions linger about his dedication/attitude/etc.

by Bellerophon on Feb 18, 2009 6:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That's definitely a legit point

by Nestor on Feb 18, 2009 6:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

to add on

i think polished here also means in terms of maturity

by bucknellbruin on Feb 18, 2009 8:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Another point

I believe KL had his SAT and grades squared away fairly quickly. I’m not saying it’s the come-all, end-all, but given that KL had his stuff taken care of, was academically eligible to come to UCLA, whereas Sidney still has to put his academics together, does seem to indicate KL was more “polished” (as in, more ready to come to UCLA, both athletically and academically).

by Bellerophon on Feb 18, 2009 8:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Existing commits

We are all focusing on our current team (JMM, JH, ND, MR) and wondering who is transfering/leaving/playing without a scholarship. I wonder if any of the current commits has hinted that he would like to go somewhere else. I know they all have signed letters of intent, but I could see someone like Stover wanting to go somewhere else where he might get more playing time. Also, I believer Reeves Nelson came back from his suspension, but I wonder if that has anything to do with this.

Sidney is a hard character to figure out. I think it is ridiculous to make a judgment about him just from press clippings since we all know how reliable those are. But I really did expect him to go to SC. However, I have seen him play and he is a phenom (more like the previous years one-and-dones than this years class). If CBH trusts that Sidney can play in his system, this would be the prize of another elite recruiting class of CBH.

by bruinponcho on Feb 18, 2009 7:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

in sidney's defense

a lot of the concerns with him, he attributes to a tough time he was having with the passing on one of his best friends. the kid is a beast and has done well under an all-time LA legend coach kitani at fairfax. another point brought up is weight issues, he was called fat for being 6’10 265, he’s been losing weight with a goal of getting down to 240. all the while, what were kevin love’s measurements coming in??? he’s recruitment was/is super awkward and to date he is a bit of an enigma. but at a certain point, you have to give a kid some room. i think a lot of the doubts of overblown and i hope the reports are true. cbh recruits winners and as far as i can tell, this kid is a winner.

Across The Face

by rb bruin on Feb 18, 2009 7:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Albeit I admit we know little about who Sidney really is....

However, I always felt he screamed USC too… How much does this description sound like Derozan and Mayo, and NOT like Love and Holiday: Uber talented, amateur status is a little questionable, not known for team dedication, questionable work ethic, moved to the LA area to improve his visibility and possibly “marketability.”

Combined with the fact that he’s academically questionable, and we are short on scholarships, EVERYTHING screams USC.

That said…. who wouldn’t want to become a Bruin….

by BruinGold82 on Feb 18, 2009 7:10 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I Trust CBH

he has not made a bad offer yet.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 18, 2009 7:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Exactly!

I have a hard time compromising my unyielding confidence in CBH and the belief that there exists a prospect with a personality he cannot handle. I don’t buy any of the “he’s not our type of player” talk. The only players who are not “our type” are players who cannot shoot, dribble, or rebound. If there is a personality issue, then I have the utmost confidence in CBH as a coach and mentor to make it work.

by ishXdavid on Feb 19, 2009 8:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

U$C

Really did seem like the place he would end up at, who knows he still may. Didn’t he even commit to them at one point? Does anyone know if we have even actually offered Sydney at all? I could also see him following Jennings to Europe (another former U$C commit, whatever happened with that) because at one point Sydney wasn’t even going to play for his high school team and just focus on AAU ball and that was a huge story.

by turs12 on Feb 18, 2009 8:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Brandon Jennings was an Arizona commit

He had trouble getting a qualifying score on his SAT. In a subsequent sitting he drastically improved his score, prompting the NCAA to investigate the legitimacy of his new test results. Rather than go through the trouble of an investigation (and judging by his reaction, one may reasonably suspect that there was something illegal that would have been found), he chose to go play in Europe and bypass college.

GO BRUINS!

by rgalloucla on Feb 19, 2009 12:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He was actually ORIGINALLY a USC Verbal

He decommitted from SC then committed to Arizona, then decommitted, and went oversees…. now no one has talked about him for months…

I personally don’t understand kids that dont want to experience college, but to each his own.

by BruinGold82 on Feb 19, 2009 10:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If they don't want to experience college, they shouldn't go to college

and that’s my problem with the current NBA rules that have created the one and done syndrome.

Let them play, out of high school, or don’t let them play until their freshman class graduates (or two years of college).

I don’t want to waste a college slot on a kid who really does not want to be in the college.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 19, 2009 7:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

USC commit

The trojans actually had a really good recruiting class originally with DeRozan, Jennings, and Malik Story all committed at one time. We all know what happened with Jennings and Story decommitted, got kicked out of Oak Hill (how does that happen?) and somehow ended up at Indiana.

by turs12 on Feb 19, 2009 11:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope he flourishes under Kitani

Because he sounds like a rare talent. I am concerned by the red flags that were brought up in the previous write up, but I am also a big believer in second chances. Having read that write up, the first thought that came to my mind was also that diploma mill across town. But, I am encouraged by the idea that Sidney and his father have come to realize that UCLA is the place to be challenged and encouraged to grow as both an athlete and a person. I like the idea that they have realized that in this case they will have to submit to the rigorous demands of admission and put the work in to get in our program. I did read some of that in between the lines. And I may be an optimistic fool. But, I hope this happens. More for his well being and personal growth than any benefit we may receive on the court. As ‘66 said, Howland hasn’t made any bad choices yet, and if Sidney doesn’t take care of his business, we won’t exactly be hurting for talent either.

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Feb 18, 2009 9:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Sidney v. JMM

How much better is Sidney than JMM? Seems to me JMM was really hyped coming out of high school. Is there really a big talent gap between the two? I don’t know, I’m just wondering.

by bruin75 on Feb 18, 2009 11:53 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Not even a comparison

I’ve only seen JMM’s high school clips and the limited amount of PT he’s seen this year, but from what I’ve read and the couple of Fairfax games I’ve seen on TV, Sidney is light-years ahead of JMM on offense. Defense is another story as JMM was focused on that end of the floor to compensate for his lack of polish on offense. Sidney is a 4 in the mold of today’s crop of versatile NBA 4s like Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett. Sometimes that versatility has worked against him as he seemed too content to play out on the perimeter to showcase his jumper and handles when he could just as easily dominated the paint. I remember reading that was the basis of his fall from the consensus #1 ranking he attained only 2 years ago. His love affair with his jump shot and handles is as much as result of the AAU culture as anything else.

I see Sidney as an enigma. The potential is extreme in both directions. Under the proper tutelage, he could have as much impact as KLove, Derrick Rose, or Michael Beasley, or he could get frustrated, sulk, and become one of the biggest busts. He’s going to be a handful for any coach to handle, but the risk/reward with this kid is such that any coach, who doesn’t give him a look, is being derelict in his duty.

by ishXdavid on Feb 19, 2009 8:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs