Why would Jarvis Varnado, the nation’s leading shot blocker the past two years, give up his scholarship the summer after he tested the NBA Draft waters? No, he wasn’t kicked off the squad – Varnado is doing it for the betterment of his team.
After Renardo Sidney and John Riek signed with Mississippi State this Spring, that pushed the Bulldogs’ scholarship count this year to 14 players, one over the limit. And although Sidney and Riek haven’t technically been cleared by the NCAA yet, after classes began on Monday, players currently on scholarship can’t be taken off of it. So Varnado and his family agreed to pay.
“We had discussed it with coach [Rick] Stansbury and he let us know that if Jarvis put his name in the draft, and he had a chance to get Renardo Sidney, we’ll take out a loan so he can come back to school,” Winston Varnado, Varnado’s father and the coach at West Point High School, said.
While this is certainly an unorthodox move, you gotta think it’s just a small hurdle before Varnado becomes a pro. Playing a front line of Riek (7-2), Sidney (6-10) and Varnado (6-9) could be the best in the country.
If you were in Varnado’s situation, would you give up your scholarship and pay for school?
Source: The Clarion-Ledger