Pat Forde's take on USC, Sidney

by hicalliber on Feb 24, 2009 12:03 PM PST Comment 21 comments

Pat Forde's Minutes on ESPN.com has an interesting take (for the MSM) on USC...because he actually criticizes them! I thought the galactic media empire of ESPN, Disney, and USC would prevent such a thing from happening, but I guess I'm wrong. First, he mentions package deals in college basketball with respect to USC:

In addition to the loss, neither of the Hacketts nor Floyd was especially pleased with an ESPN "Outside The Lines" report Sunday on package deals in college basketball -- the practice of bringing in a family member or other influential figure so the team can sign a player. Floyd strongly defended Hackett's credentials, though The Minutes has always wondered how an assistant strength coach had such a prominent seat on the bench for games.

And let's not forget how classy they are:

Meanwhile, the L.A. Daily News reported that eyewitnesses saw Hackett and fellow guard Dwight Lewis (34) get into a shoving match on the court 20 minutes after the game, and the altercation was broken up by security.

And finally, re: Renardo Sidney's press conference for his verbal comittment:

Even if it's a one-year forced marriage, the Sidneys did not scrimp on ostentation at the announcement. According to Times writer Eric Sondheimer, this was "such an elaborate production that it made quarterback Jimmy Clausen showing up to his news conference three years ago in a Hummer limousine to announce Notre Dame look amateurish."

Sondheimer described the scene: "... [Thirteen] tables set up in the gym, complete with rose centerpieces, immaculate tablecloths, folding chairs covered with white linen, red and gold balloons and a catered meal of chicken and ribs for more than 100 family and friends ... "

LOL. No wonder CBH stopped recruiting this (alleged) idiot. He's a "me first" guy who would not mesh very well with our current roster. Not to mention he is a one and done kind of guy. I'm still not sure how I feel about those kind of players, but I can't help but feel that they hurt more than help a team (rare exceptions include Carmelo Anthony).

And while we're on the subject of one and dones, I thought KL was a great player but I believe he impeded the progress of Alfred Aboya. Can you imagine if PAA had another year of real experience under his belt, even at the 4 (his natural position)? He is finally living up to his potential because he is getting the chance to start. Really, this is his freshman year as far as I'm concerned. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather fill my team with talented players who are comitted to the program and a solid education. Disclaimer: I don't blame any player for bouncing to the NBA early...I'd do the same thing.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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Interesting

IIRC it was Forde that ripped USC after the OJ Mayo revelations for their blatant disregard of NCAA rules and a general lack of class among their athletes.

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

by MexiBruin on Feb 24, 2009 1:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

a quick convo

when i ran into drew gordon on campus and i asked him what he thought of renardo and he said he was happy he didnt come here, because of his attitude.

Seems to be a sentiment shared my most apparently.

by uclabruin34 on Feb 24, 2009 2:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

A NAMED source??

Well, even though you’ll never make a very good MSM reporter, this comment carries a lot of weight. Thanks for sharing that. Id DG saw that, no doubt CBH did, too.

greg in denver - UCLA guy for life

by gbruin on Feb 24, 2009 2:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

"attitude"

Actually that’s not what we were really concerned with as much re. Sidney. Howland can work with players and mold them. With Sidney UCLA’s issues had to do more with than just “attitude.”

First of all he wasn’t even qualified academically and there was no signs (despite what we will now inevitably here from the Trojan hype machine) that he was going to meet UCLA’s requirements. End of story.

by Nestor on Feb 24, 2009 4:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Did you get DG's permission

to air his personal views on Renardo to the whole world?…..just asking.

by kdout on Feb 24, 2009 4:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thought the same thing when I

first read that comment. Until we hear otherwise, I would assume that 34 got some indication that it was alright to disclose that info. If not, ask to take it down.

B.F.

by eubruin on Feb 24, 2009 5:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

sorry for the confusion

let me clarify it was not just me and him this was at the student gym (he had come to watch some games) and we were talking in a small group about basketball, and as he was walking out the gym he turned over his shoulder and said it pretty loudly to the whole group. Did i get his explicit permission, no, but by the same token his remark was loud enough for everyone in the area to hear. Sorry for the confusion, if you would still like me to take it down i can but i thought id clarify.

by uclabruin34 on Feb 24, 2009 9:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

too many people wearing their lawyer hats today.

I’m sure I’ll get flamed for saying it, but there you have it. Glad I caught this little gem before it was taken down.

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

by MexiBruin on Feb 25, 2009 12:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Likewise sorry for the confusion,

I hope that you didn’t take it personally. Sounds perfectly good to me – thank you for clearing that up. I, to a certain extent, agree with MexiBruin… we have gotten almost too sensitive, although I would hate to create a “situation” for DG, as I am sure you would too. Thank you!

B.F.

by eubruin on Feb 25, 2009 6:03 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Can't wait for Bobo to dominate him next year!

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Feb 24, 2009 3:09 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

He has his own website

I knew this guy was not a right fit for UCLA as soon as I googled his name to find that he has his own webpage AND domain.

http://renardosidney.com/

Lol. Perfect fit for SUC if you ask me.

by zokle on Feb 24, 2009 4:32 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Don't be too quick to judge

The website says that they are not affiliated with him. Whether or not they actually are, it’s hard for a kid like Sidney to dodge a slew of people trying to make money off of his future.

He might be late to mature, or never mature, but at this point I don’t know the guy and his situation is hard to relate to.

by dokein on Feb 24, 2009 5:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

In any event

gooooood riddance! Let him “mature” somewhere else. Would any of our top recruits families (i.g. Kevin Love’s father) put on such a lavish production for their son’s announcement? To me, this just makes the Sydneys seem very douchy. I also don’t have faith in Harvey Kitani to prepare kids for Division I. Sure you can say Josh Shipp came out of Fairfax but it still took him awhile to become adjusted to Howland’s style of basketball. Meanwhile, Chace Stanback was never able to get with the program here (after sloughing it for 4 years at Fairfax) and has since transferred. Havrvey Kitani and his staff seem to allow their star players to slough it in practice. The evidence seen when his players get to a Division 1 program is damning IMO.

by bruin8uclap on Feb 24, 2009 8:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs