| Thursday, April 5, 2018 |
| Mississippi farmers impacted by tariffs | |
 | The Dow plummeted 500 points Wednesday morning after China announced it plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of American goods like soybeans and airplanes. The tariffs are in direct response to the Trump administration's Tuesday proposal of imposing a 25 percent tariff on 1,300 of China's goods and products. And Mississippi farmers will feel the repercussions. For Mississippians, the impact of the proposed tariffs could be hard and fast. Soybeans are a $1.1 billion industry in the state and are the third highest agricultural crop behind poultry and forestry. Of those acres, half of the crops were shipped overseas, Keith Coble, professor and head of agricultural and economics at Mississippi State University, said previously. "We export almost half of every bushel of soybeans that we produce in the country," Coble said. "If you think about the Mississippi River, where a lot of those beans pass through, half the bushels are going through the river and to another part of the world." |
| Businesses see boost during Pride Parade | |
 | Businesses in Starkville saw a boost during the weekend of the Starkville Pride parade on March 24. Greater Starkville Development Partnership Director of Tourism Jennifer Prather said the Starkville Police Department estimated between 2,500 and 3,000 people were in town for the parade over the weekend. "Many people were from out of town and occupied hotels here," Partnership CEO and President Scott Maynard said. "There was a large event at The Mill Friday night and a large crowd at the Saturday event. There were multiple events in town that weekend. It is good to have enough hotel space to host multiple groups in town at the same time." Maynard said the Pride events, Everything Garden Expo at the Mississippi Horse Park and Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival and Gatsby Gala at Mississippi State University all on the same day created a busy weekend in Starkville. |
| Split vote in Starkville allows beer at Clydesdales event | |
 | A pair of items at Tuesday's board of aldermen meeting highlighted what aldermen say is a need to reevaluate some of the city's special event policies. Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins voiced strong opposition to a condition of an event where the famous Budweiser Clydesdales will visit Starkville on April 19. Perkins took particular issue with free beer samples being available at the event in Fire Station Park, which is city property. Perkins said there's nothing in the city ordinance that allows for alcohol to be distributed for special events. City Attorney Chris Latimer said Perkins' assessment was correct, and that the issue would likely need to be addressed legislatively -- through an amendment to the city's ordinances -- "as soon as possible." |
| Sumner Davis appointed to SOCSD Board of Trustees | |
| All five seats on the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees are filled again. The Starkville Board of Aldermen approved Sumner Davis to serve on the board until March 2022, replacing Melissa Luckett, who resigned in February after moving out of the Starkville city limits. Davis served as Ward 1 Alderman from 2001 to 2009, and has twice been up for a school board seat, losing out to Anne Stricklin on his first try and to current school board secretary Debra Prince on his second. Davis was the sole applicant for the vacant seat. He has two children in the district: one at Armstrong Middle School and one at Overstreet Elementary School. Davis was approved 6-0 with Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker recused. In a previous interview, Davis said public education was the basis of a strong community, linking it with economic development and quality-of-life. |
| SCT's 'The Drowsy Chaperone' is a madcap musical | |
| Start with a "man in a chair," add two lovebirds on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a misguided Don Juan and gangsters posing as pastry chefs and you have the makings of "The Drowsy Chaperone," Starkville Community Theatre's latest production. This winner of five Tony Awards opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Playhouse on Main at 108 E. Main St. Directed by Paula Mabry and sponsored by Renasant Bank, the show is a send-up of the American musical comedy of the 1920s. Cast members include DeeDee Baldwin, John Brocato, Rylee Burchfield, Michele Crescenzo, Sean Dyess, Justine Edwards, M.J. Etua, Genny Fischer, Audrey Gammill, Madeline Golden, Katherine Hardin, Lorraine Hughes, Elyse Hunt, Jessica Jolly, Luke McFatrich, Warren Nybo, Cindy Ruff, Paul Ruff, Gabe Smith, Paul Sullivan and Karen Thead. Accompaniment is by Elizabeth Hawkins, with music direction by Bob Hawkins. |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith to focus on agriculture, military, economy as U.S. Senator | |
 | Cindy Hyde-Smith, who will soon be Mississippi's first female U.S. Senator, spent Wednesday in Meridian touring various facilities, including the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience and Rush Foundation Hospital. Scheduled to take the oath of office on Monday, Hyde-Smith visited The Meridian Star to discuss her plans for the remainder of 2018, as she will spend the year wearing two hats: senator and senate candidate. "I just want to get in there and just capitalize on the things Mississippians believe in -- the life that we enjoy here and what makes that possible and the conservative values that we have here in Mississippi... and helping the president promote his agenda," Hyde-Smith told The Star's editorial board. |
| Hyde-Smith tours the MAX, talks future plans | |
 | Soon-to-be U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith made a stop in Meridian to tour a soon-to-be major attraction in east Mississippi. Hyde-Smith was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to fill the remainder of Thad Cochran's term when he resigned due to ill health Apr. 1. Newscenter 11 talked to Hyde-Smith about her future plans while she toured the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience, a facility she says will showcase all of Mississippi's talent. "You read about it, and you just come in and see it and the reality of how wonderful this is," Hyde-Smith says. "A big, big plus for our state." Hyde-Smith says her goal is to capitalize on conservative values shared by Mississippians. |
| Is Democrat Mike Espy Leading in the Mississippi Senate Race? | |
 | On Tuesday, Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Mike Espy's campaign released an internal poll showing him in the lead in Mississippi's upcoming Senate election. The headline might sound like good news for Democrats -- every candidate obviously prefers to be ahead, and Mississippi is extremely red. But if you dig beneath the toplines, you'll see that this poll isn't a clear signal that Espy is doing well. First, it's an internal campaign poll and you should handle such data cautiously. The main goal of a campaign is not to provide clear readings of public opinion to the American people -- it's to help the candidate win. So skilled, talented pollsters might be privately getting numbers that accurately reflect the state of the race, but they're likely going to publicly share only data that helps their candidate shape the narrative. There's nothing inherently wrong with that (campaigns should try to help their candidate win), but it's important to remember the campaign's motivations when evaluating one of their polls. |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith, Thad Cochran's replacement, makes bid for Trump endorsement | |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith is quietly establishing ties to key Republicans as she hunts for President Trump's endorsement in the Mississippi special election to choose a permanent successor to former Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Hyde-Smith, the elected state commissioner for agriculture and commerce, is a complete unknown in Washington. She slipped into the nation's capital last week for meetings at the White House and Republican National Committee. There, Hyde-Smith met with RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Trump's 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale, and other senior Republicans. Appointed to succeed Cochran, whose resignation took effect Saturday, Hyde-Smith has yet to win over Trump or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Republican insiders say the hesitation is simply a product of their nonexistent relationship -- literally, top Republicans had never met or spoken with Hyde-Smith when Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant tapped her in late March. |
| Jason Shelton, Andy Taggart: Spoilers for U.S. Senate in Mississippi? | |
| Two "wild card" candidates and a potentially crowded field in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran could make a special election even more unpredictable and have the state and national Republican and Democratic establishments worried about splitting their votes. Democratic Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton on Tuesday announced he plans to run. Republican attorney, author and party patriarch Andy Taggart said he expects to announce a decision by week's end whether he'll run. Both have been met with criticism by some in their respective parties. Neither is odds-on to win in a no-primary special election nearly certain to go to a runoff. But either could tilt the scales -- in which direction is uncertain. |
| Fire ratings, stopping sex-trafficking all in day's work for Mike Chaney | |
| When most folks consider Mike Chaney's job as Mississippi's insurance commissioner, it's a sure bet they probably never think of firetrucks and sex-trafficking stings. On Tuesday, Chaney, now in his eighth year on the job, used both during his appearance before the Columbus Rotary Club at Lion Hills Center to illustrate that his office handles far more than insurance matters. "We do a lot of things besides insurance," Chaney said, noting that his office led the fight to make sure fire rebates on insurance remained a special fund solely dedicated to supporting the state's firefighters after an effort to sweep that money into the state's general fund two years ago. The result of Chaney's successful effort has returned $4.5 million to the fire department fund, $4 million of which will go to helping purchase fire trucks for volunteer fire departments throughout the state. |
| Legislators honor one of architects of transportation program | |
 | John David Pennebaker was credited with being a leader in passing legislation to significantly improve the Mississippi transportation system during his tenure in the state Legislature. It is fitting that during the just-completed 2018 legislative session, a bill was passed and signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant to name after Pennebaker a portion of Mississippi Highway 15 in his home county of Union. The portion of the highway beginning at the New Albany city limits and running north to the Tippah-Union County line will be known as the John David Pennebaker Memorial Highway. Pennebaker died in March 2016. The legislation was authored by Reps. Margaret Ellis Rogers, R-New Albany; Steve Massengill, R-Hickory Flat; and Jody Steverson, R-Ripley, who all represent a portion of Union County or areas near Union County, and by Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Water Valley, who served in the House with Pennebaker. |
| Cosmetology board: Director misused funds, quit, left us to repay $21K | |
| The head of the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology sensed officials were on to his mismanagement of public funds, so he quit, the board said in a release Wednesday. Now, board members are left responsible for repaying more than $20,000 to the state. David Derrick was the board's executive director until he resigned last May, six weeks before the end of the fiscal year. Months prior, board members began hearing that the agency hadn't been issuing licenses and a backlog was forming, the release said. The board said Derrick explained the cause of the backlog -- staff turnover and a new computer system -- but didn't tell them that the office was failing to make receipts and deposits. The state auditor's office eventually found the board lost $21,068.15 in public funds after failing to provide proper oversight. The board members are bonded; the former executive director was not. |
| Fury, hope and debate about the legacy of the civil rights movement | |
| The role of the news media in Dr. Martin Luther King's social movements is the focus of Hope & Fury: MLK, the Movement and the Media, a documentary timed for release as the nation remembers King's assassination 50 years ago Wednesday. Andrew Lack, the chairman of NBC News and a Mississippi Today co-founder, was executive producer and provided an editor's cut of the film for a screening hosted by Mississippi Today at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Tuesday night. Alcindor joined Tom Brokaw, a veteran broadcaster who covered the civil rights movement during the 1960s, and Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba in a panel discussion following the screening. |
| Bernie Sanders, Lumumba reflect on MLK's dream and economic justice | |
| Over 50 years ago, civil rights activists risked their lives to sit-in at white restaurant counters across the South. Finally allowed to order, a larger obstacle emerged. How to pay? Economic justice needed to be tied in with racial justice Jobs and justice are inextricably linked, Martin Luther King Jr. said as he exposed societal ills in the 60s. Also, worker rights, income inequality and livable wages were staples of King's message when he helped to organize and support Memphis sanitation workers just before he was shot and killed at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968. Fifty years later and to that end, progressive firebrand U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba Wednesday night at Thalia Mara Hall in downtown Jackson. |
| KKK resurfaces, this time with political intentions | |
| The Ku Klux Klan is getting back into Mississippi electoral politics. Last week, the United Dixie White Knights, a south Mississippi-based chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, allegedly sent video of a burning cross to the leader of Mississippi Rising Coalition, a Gulf Coast-based group working to change the state flag, which is the last in the nation containing the Confederate battle emblem. Following the backlash, which included national media attention, the group denied sending the video and posted a statement disparaging the coalition and criticizing reporters who covered the story, and included a political threat to a top legislative Republican, who has said he wants a new flag. On Wednesday, just days after receiving the video, the Mississippi Rising Coalition filed a federal lawsuit to force the city of Ocean Springs to stop flying the state flag. Responding to reports of the video, the KKK chapter's leader, Brent Waller, vowed increased political action to keep the state flag flying in an official capacity. |
| Suit: Mississippi Flag's Rebel Symbol 'Racially Demeaning' | |
 | The Mississippi flag is "racially demeaning and hostile" because it contains the Confederate battle emblem, says a new federal lawsuit that seeks to ban one city from any public display of the state banner. "Ocean Springs' display of the Mississippi state flag is intended to -- and does -- send a message to its African-American citizens that they are second class citizens and are not welcome in Ocean Springs," says the lawsuit filed Wednesday by local residents who have been trying for months to have the flag removed from city property. The lawsuit does not seek a statewide change of the banner that has been used since 1894. |
| Amid Trump attacks, Amazon competes for lucrative DOD contract | |
 | The Trump administration is considering whether to award Amazon a multi-billion dollar defense contract even as President Trump takes public shots at the company. Over the past week, Trump has repeatedly derided Amazon on Twitter, with reports suggesting the president is aiming to damage the e-commerce giant and its owner, Jeff Bezos. The company's stock has tumbled as a result. Even as the president hammers Amazon, federal defense officials are widely seen as likely to award the company a multi-billion dollar cloud-computing contract early next month. The Department of Defense is finalizing the details of the contract during a public comment period, but has signaled that it will ask a single company to develop a new department-wide cloud computing system. The DOD rejects those allegations, saying that no company has received special treatment. |
| Feds Say They've Detected Apparent Rogue Spy Devices In D.C. | |
 | The Department of Homeland Security says it has seen activity in Washington, D.C., of what appear to be rogue surveillance devices that could be used to hijack cellphones, listen to calls and read texts. But it says it's not able to actually track down where they are, because that would require more funding. It's not clear who is deploying the unauthorized devices, which are known as IMSI catchers or Stingrays and may legally be sold only to public safety and law enforcement officials. The agency has previously warned that the devices could be used by hackers, criminals and spies to gather information. This is believed to be the first time the U.S. government has publicly acknowledged the devices in Washington, according to The Associated Press. |
| Study: flood control engineering likely has worsened floods | |
| Flood control work in the Mississippi River and its tributaries has likely made floods worse in Mississippi and Louisiana, researchers say. Using 500 years of data from tree rings and from sediment in oxbow lakes -- bends that once were part of the Mississippi River but became lakes when the river changed its path slightly -- they say the river has flooded more often and poured more water into those states over the past 150 years than any previous period. Climate change may be responsible for about one-quarter of the difference, they estimate. Engineering, such as building levees and creating a straighter, narrow channel for navigation, is likely responsible for the rest, researchers from Massachusetts, Illinois, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas and Liverpool, England, say in Wednesday's journal Nature. |
| 'The Fresh' at Southern Miss aims to please every student's taste | |
 | What pumps out 400 pizzas a day, doles out dozens of vegan dishes and serves up a side of gumbo or ramen? It's "The Fresh" -- "The Fresh Food Company" -- the main dining facility on the Southern Miss campus, where 3,000 students a day come for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and maybe all three. Nursing student LaRhonda Mack was enjoying pork loin, zucchini, broccoli, rice and an apple for lunch on a recent day. She'd had a wide array of items to choose from. "I'm on a diet and I can get a salad, or the 'Comfort' station has a different selection each day," she said. "It tastes pretty good. "When I'm not on a diet, I like the pizza and pasta because you can choose the different (toppings) you want. If there was something I didn't like, I could always choose something else. There's always something you'll like in here." Something you'll like -- that's the idea at "The Fresh." It has 14 stations offering different types of food, with the goal of satisfying every taste. |
| Mound Bayouian elected Mississippi College student president | |
| Increasing student activities and pumping up school spirit for Mississippi College sports teams are some of his priorities. Working closely with the university's new administration in 2018-2019 will be another goal for Anthony Jackson and as MC's newly elected Student Government Association president, he's ready to deliver on his promises. A political science major from Mound Bayou in the Delta, the former Choctaws football player is breaking new ground. Jackson becomes the first African American to serve as MC's SGA president on the Clinton campus, school officials say. "It's a great milestone for me,'' Jackson said. The 2015 John F. Kennedy Memorial High graduate and school valedictorian should prove to be an asset to the MC family for the next 12 months as SGA president, supporters say. |
| Martin Johnson chosen as new dean of LSU journalism school | |
 | LSU promoted one of its own to be the new dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication. Often quoted as a social media expert, Martin Johnson is the associate dean for graduate studies and political communication at the journalism school. He takes over as dean on July 1 from Jerry Ceppos, who is retiring. The university held a nationwide search with four candidates, including Johnson, appearing in March for interviews and forums with students and faculty. "Dr. Johnson's scholarly work coupled with his passion to advance mass communication education made him the ideal candidate at this critical junction for the Manship School," Rick Koubek, executive vice president and provost, said in a prepared statement. The dean administers the Manship School, including academics, strategic planning, research and fiscal management. The school currently has a total of 34 full-time faculty and 21 full-time staff positions, along with approximately 500 undergraduate majors and 60 Masters and Ph.D. students. |
| Ex-LSU instructor's gender discrimination, whistleblower claims rejected by appeals court | |
| A former LSU digital arts instructor's gender discrimination and whistleblower claims were rejected Wednesday by a federal appellate court. Margaret "Margot" Herster, who was fired in 2012, alleged in a lawsuit against LSU that she was denied equal pay compared with her male counterparts. She also claimed she was terminated for complaining about alleged misappropriation of student fees in the School of Art. Senior U.S. District Judge James Brady, who died in December, had thrown out Herster's gender-based compensation claim and her whistleblower claim in December 2016. On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans affirmed Brady's dismissal of those claims. |
| UGA Foundation hires Jason Bull as first investment officer | |
 | The University of Georgia Foundation has hired its first chief investment officer. Jason Bull, who had been managing director for Emory University's $6.9 billion endowment, will become the foundation's CIO effective April 9, the university announced recently. The foundation picked Bull after a national search by a committee of 11, including UGA Foundation trustees and UGA senior administrators, according to a UGA press release. UGA's endowment recently topped $1 billion, including stocks, bonds, real estate and other assets. That billion-dollar milestone prompted the decision to hire a professional manager, according to John Crawford, the UGA Foundation's vice chair and the leader of the search committee for the new CIO. The university's endowment has lagged behind those of many Southeastern Conference universities and other institutions considered UGA peer universities, but is on the rise and is now among the nation's top 100 university endowments. |
| UGA faculty member on bike struck, killed; charges pending | |
| A University of Georgia faculty member was killed Tuesday evening in Bishop when her bicycle was hit by a pickup. Karen Tinsley, 45, of Watkinsville was pronounced dead at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, where she was transported after the crash, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The collision was reported at 6:57 p.m. on Astondale Road about 300 yards west of Railroad Street, a patrol spokeswoman said Wednesday. Tinsley and Richard Poulnott, 55, of Watkinsville were both traveling west. The patrol said Poulnott, driving a 2003 Ford F-150 pickup, was following too close and did not provide proper clearance for the bicycle. The bike was hit from behind and the impact tossed the bike and rider onto the north shoulder of the road, the patrol said. Charges are pending, according to the patrol. "Karen was a dear friend and colleague," Steve Dempsey, associate vice president for the UGA Office of Public Service and Outreach, said in a statement from UGA. |
| Best-selling astronomy writer to speak at U. of Florida | |
 | In the late 1800s, a group of women at the Harvard College Observatory changed the field of astronomy by interpreting telescopic images. Dava Sobel, a New York Times best-selling author, wrote about the women in "The Glass Universe," which was published in 2016. She's visiting the University of Florida on Thursday to speak at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The talk is part of the Dean's Interdisciplinary Speaker Series, and the talk's panel includes professors from the history, physics and gender, sexualities and women's studies research departments. The speaker series' theme is "Paradise in the Natural Sciences, the Social Sciences and the Humanities." Sobel said "The Glass Universe" details a type of paradise for astronomers as the women studied faint images on pieces of glass via telescopes as light would accumulate over time. This allowed scientists to follow changes in stars and in the solar system. |
| With Changing Students and Times, Colleges Are Going Back to School | |
 | Many colleges and universities are facing a gloomy picture, painted by polls, politics and population shifts that are forcing an overhaul of campuses across the country. Amid a growing disillusionment with higher education, thousands of institutions are seeking ways to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape that has been destabilized by skeptics, an impatient work force and a fierce conservative populace streak. For colleges, that means re-examining centuries worth of practice. In Washington, congressional Republicans have set their sights on the Higher Education Act -- the law governing the nation's roughly 4,000 colleges and universities -- to dismantle what they see as bloated, liberal-leaning bureaucracies that have left 6 million unfilled jobs and over $1 trillion in student debt. |
| The state of the race for the Senate special election race as it currently stands | |
 | Alan Lange writes at YallPolitics.com: "David Drucker at The Washington Examiner wrote an interesting article on the state of the Senate special election race in Mississippi. There were some new tidbits about the campaign that were heretofore not public. A good bit of the article continues to deal with the narrative of how Cindy Hyde-Smith is being greeted in DC. There are still a lot of 'unnamed sources' that are commenting on her reception in the White House and in DC in general. That will likely diminish over the coming weeks. Drucker makes the point that Trump's endorsement of Hyde-Smith is a major inflection point in this campaign. Although there has been some off the record 'grousing' from some unidentified White House staffers who may be more loyal to the Bannon wing, it remains pretty hard to believe that Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant would have pulled the trigger on appointing Hyde-Smith if he didn't think he could get Trump to endorse his pick." |
| Transportation could be tough issue for Republicans in 2019 | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "The Republican leadership of the Mississippi Legislature will have one more regular session before statewide elections to try to develop and pass a proposal to provide additional funds for transportation. During the just-completed 2018 session, that effort, like all in recent sessions since the issue of more money for transportation bubbled up, was a dismal failure. House and Senate leaders wrestled with the issue with both sides passing proposals out of their respective chambers. But in the end, an agreement could not be reached. Both sides said they would continue working on the issue and, barring a special session, their last chance to address it before the 2019 statewide elections will be the regular session of the Legislature earlier in 2019." |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs shut out Jaguars in baseball | |
| A return back to Dudy Noble after two weeks was welcomed by the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Wednesday night, but it wasn't always pretty. State had just two hits and one run through seven innings before getting something going in the eighth inning. It didn't particularly matter, however, as Southern University couldn't score a run in the game and the Bulldogs (15-15) were back in the win column with a 5-0 victory. "Midweek games are tough to get up for because we had an emotional weekend at LSU where we could have easily won the series," MSU junior outfielder Jake Mangum said. "SEC weekends take a toll on your body. It was a good weekend but everybody knows what's coming this weekend (against Ole Miss)." MSU carries a 2-7 Southeastern Conference record into this weekend's home series against No. 3 Ole Miss in a game that Mangum said needs no introduction. |
| Late offense helps Bulldogs blank Southern | |
| Offense was at a premium for Mississippi State on Wednesday evening until the Bulldogs were finally able to break through in the eighth inning. MSU had managed only two hits and one run against Southern (7-19) prior to a four-run outburst in its final at-bat to secure a 5-0 victory. Freshmen Jordan Anderson and Tanner Allen both had RBI singles in that big inning for the Diamond Dogs that was aided by two walks, a hit by pitch and two wild pitches. "Those hits were nice at that point in time," said MSU interim head coach Gary Henderson. The Diamond Dogs host No. 3 Ole Miss this weekend. |
| Mississippi State's Jeffrey Simmons recovering from shoulder injury | |
| Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons had a breakout season in 2017. Simmons had 60 tackles, including 12 for a loss, five sacks, and five quarterback hurries to earn first-team All-Southeastern Conference recognition. Simmons did it with an injured shoulder. The former Noxubee County High School standout revealed the injury following the football team's practice Tuesday. Simmons has been in a yellow jersey, which is reserved for those practicing but limited from contact, as he recovers from the injury. "It wasn't stopping me from playing. It was minor. It wasn't a real bad labrum tear," Simmons said. "I was able to play with it." Simmons said he had surgery to repair the tear in January. He said he is prepared to play at full capacity. |
| Mississippi State's Landon Guidry back on the field following knee injury | |
| In Mississippi State's final fall scrimmage last August, safety Landon Guidry was hoping to make one final push to play right away as a true freshman. But on the first drive of the day, Guidry was running to tackle Austin Williams and remembers hearing a loud pop in his left knee. He fought through the pain and actually finished the scrimmage only to learn later that he has torn his anterior cruciate ligament. Surgery followed the next week along with nearly seven months of rehab before Guidry was cleared to take the field once again. "I don't recommend that for anybody," Guidry said. "I wouldn't put that on my worst enemy, that's how terrible it was. I was just happy to get through it." Guidry got through it just in time before the Bulldogs began spring practice last month. He spent the first few sessions limited in a yellow jersey but has since graduated to be full-go. |
| Mississippi State's Lamar Peters to test 2018 NBA draft waters, but not hire an agent | |
| Mississippi State's flashy point guard wants to know where he stands with the NBA. Lamar Peters will enter his name into the 2018 NBA draft but will not be hiring an agent, which means he could return to Starkville for his junior season if his draft prospects aren't what he desires. Peters made this announcement on Twitter on Tuesday. Peters is not a top 100 prospect on Jonathan Givony's latest rankings on ESPN. So, Peters is likely set to just receive feedback on his game. By not hiring an agent, Peters has the option to return to MSU provided he withdraws his name by 4 p.m. on June 11. Ben Howland has said on multiple occasions recently that he believes Peters can lead the SEC in assists next season. The way Peters looked in the second half of the season, particularly in the postseason, it's easy to understand why. |
| Mississippi State's Lamar Peters declares for NBA Draft, won't hire agent | |
| Mississippi State point guard Lamar Peters will test the waters of the NBA Draft having completed his sophomore season in Starkville. "After an improved season for my teammates and I and discussing it with my mother, I will enter my name into the NBA draft for evaluation of my talents but will not hire an agent," Peters tweeted on Wednesday. The 6-foot, 185-pounder from New Orleans started 21 of 34 games for the Bulldogs this past season averaging 9.6 points and 4.5 assists. For his career, Peters has started 38 of 64 games scoring 10.1 points and averaging four assists. The NBA Draft Combine will be on May 15 in Chicago. |
| Howard White Jr. named women's basketball coach at The W | |
| The Mississippi University for Women Department of Athletics announced Tuesday the hiring of Howard White Jr. as the new coach of the school's women's basketball program. "This is an amazing opportunity for me to come in and re-start a program with such a rich history and to coach at an institution that strongly emphasizes having success in the classroom as well as on the court," White Jr. said. The Wilmot, Arkansas, native comes to The W after serving two seasons as women's basketball coach at Concordia College - Alabama, in Selma, Alabama. As a first time head coach, White led his team to a 26-3 record in 2015-16 and a USCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship. In his second season, White went 25-4 in 2016-17 and won another USCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. It was the sixth national championship in Concordia's history. |
| Ole Miss names Yolett McPhee-McCuin women's basketball coach | |
| Both of Ole Miss' basketball coaching vacancies have been filled. Ole Miss on Wednesday tabbed Yolett McPhee-McCuin as the women's coach, ending a month-long search after the school parted ways with Matt Insell on March 2. The hire comes just weeks after Kermit Davis was hired as Andy Kennedy's successor for the men's team. McPhee-McCuin spent the last five seasons as the women's coach at Jacksonville University. She'll be publicly introduced Friday at noon at The Pavilion. A native of the Bahamas, McPhee-McCuin went 94-63 during her time at Jacksonville with a 50-24 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play. She guided the Dolphins to the program's first-ever Atlantic Sun tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2016. |
| Auburn president issues second round of support for athletic director Allen Greene, Bruce Pear | |
 | After being relatively silent regarding Bruce Pearl's leadership of Auburn's basketball program for several months during its historic season, Auburn University president Steven Leath issued a second round of public support for the coach in a week. During an interview with Auburn's in-house staff, Leath addressed athletic director Allen Greene's recent comments supporting Pearl as well as the Tigers coach. "Allen is a talented, bright guy and he's fully capable of managing athletics in general and specifically the basketball situation, that's why I hired him," Leath said during the in-house podcast interview. Leath's remarks on Wednesday come a week after he issued a statement expressing similar support for Greene, who earlier on March 28 stated his plan was "absolutely" to retain Pearl next season. |
| Alabama changes title of barbershop show, releases new video | AL.com | |
| What was "Shop Talk" is now "Bama Cuts." The long-anticipated second edition of Alabama's barbershop web video dropped Wednesday night. It was billed as Episode 1, Part 2 but the title changed after a day of controversy. No explanation was given, though the new name was likely connected to the claims made by LeBron James. The NBA star has a web show "The Shop" that started last summer. His production team sent a letter to Alabama after "Shop Talk" premiered last week following a similar format. Nick Saban said Tuesday the show would go on before James responded angrily a few hours later. An intellectual properties lawyer on Wednesday told AL.com that James would have a hard time legally proving any claims against Alabama if they were pursued. |
| Jeremy Pruitt explains why he cut music from Tennessee football practices | |
 | Jeremy Pruitt is not all about that bass. The first-year Tennessee coach has eliminated music from Vols practices. Why? "I don't think they play music during football games," Pruitt said after Tuesday's practice. "I've never heard it." Pruitt is mostly right. Pruitt's predecessor, Butch Jones, incorporated music at practice, even using it as a motivational tactic. The week of the Alabama game last year, "Sweet Home Alabama" played while Tennessee stretched. That came after the Vols had to listen to the "Go Gators!" fight song while stretching during Florida week. Pruitt pulled the cord on the jukebox. "I like to coach, and I like for the people to be able to hear me when I do coach," Pruitt said. |
| Mavs Pick 'Dimez' As NBA 2K League Tips Off With E-Sports Draft | |
| Dimez slipped on his draft hat, shook hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and began life as the No. 1 pick in the draft. The video game draft. Dimez is Artreyo Boyd's gamer tag and no he doesn't run or jump like LeBron James or shoot like Stephen Curry. But he is a star at "NBA 2K," and on Wednesday he was the first player chosen in the draft for the NBA 2K League, the first official e-sports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league. Dr. Matthew H. Zimmerman, an assistant professor of Sports Studies at Mississippi State University, believes that kind of growth is possible, with the number of gamers and e-sports fans who are already paying to watch games in person and online. "Staples Center has hosted sold-out e-sports events, for instance," he said. |
| At Trustmark Park, there'll be a new but familiar face in the coaches' box | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "Chris Maloney played his first baseball in his backyard where the grass was worn down to dirt in the spots where the bases and home plate were. ...What's more Chris went on to play for Ron Polk at Mississippi State, where he is the answer to a trivia question: Who was the first baseman who played ahead of baseball legend Will Clark at MSU? Maloney was a hard-hitting senior. Clark was a freshman. Then Maloney came down with the flu. Clark took his place and hit a pair of home runs against LSU. That's when Maloney became State's designated hitter for the rest of his senior season." |
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