Jackson Free Press

Mississippi State University star Malik Newman got some good news recently. He is one of more than 70 players to get an invite to the NBA Combine.

Nearly 120 underclassmen threw their hat into the NBA Draft ring. That is a lot of names for a draft that has just two rounds and 60 draft picks.

On top of the 120 underclassmen from college, another nearly 50 international players have also declared. The draft pool will also include every eligible senior.

The players in the NBA Draft Combine will travel to Chicago to take part in various basketball drills, have medical tests done, and meet with scouts, coaches and general managers. In other words, the basketball version of the NFL Combine.

Players will be there from May 11 to May 15. The NBA Draft Lottery is on May 17 during the NBA Playoffs.

A new NCAA rule allows players who declare but don’t hire agents to return to school after the NBA Combine. Players have 10 days after the combine to make a decision if they are going to stay in.

This week will be important for Newman’s draft hopes. If he has a poor showing at the combine, he will more than likely be back at Mississippi State this fall.

On the other hand, a standout showing from Newman could have him jump up the draft boards. NBA draft projections have him all over the place.

Some have the MSU star going late in the first round, and others have him not being drafted at all. That is a very big disparity on where a player will land.

That is why this week will be important for Newman and others who could be on the cusp of being drafted or not. NBA dreams could be squashed for a year with a bad combine.

It is still not the end of the world for players who need to return to school. They can still declare for the draft after next season without losing their eligibility. In fact, they can declare for the draft three times without losing their ability to play in college.

Players can also, at their expense, have one workout per NBA team. That gives them a chance to get another assessment of their skills and learn just how interested teams are in their services.

Players who don’t withdraw their name by May 25 will forfeit their eligibility, even if they don’t hire an agent. Players who stay in the draft and don’t hear their name called will have to catch on with the D-League or overseas.

Newman should get a good idea this week if he should return to MSU.

The U.S. Olympic Trials for Track and Field start this Friday in Eugene, Ore. at Hayward Field. In each event the top three finishers will make the U.S. squad for Rio. Athletes either professional or collegiate who meet qualifying standards for the U.S. trials will take part in the event.

There are six collegiate athletes from Mississippi universities who will be competing at the trails. Two athletes from Mississippi State University and four athletes from the University of Mississippi will compete.

Those who finish in the top three must meet the Olympic qualifying standards to be placed on the Olympic team. The qualifying standards for the U.S. and Olympics are slightly different.

Two Rebels are in the trials for the men’s 800-meters. Both Craig Engels and Holland Sherrer will take part in the 800-meter and will have to reach the time of 1:46.00 to earn a spot on the Olympic team. Neither has run that fast, with Engels’ best time 1:46.13 and Sherrer’s best time is 1:47.13. Both will have to run for new personal bests just to have a shot at making the final or the Olympic team.

The last Rebel on the track will be Michael Ebb in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase. An Olympic qualifying time in the steeplechase is 8:30.00. Ebb’s best time has been 8:34.13, which he ran at the NCAA Track and Field finals. He will have to break a new personal best to make the team or qualify for the finals in Oregon.

One Rebel who could end up heading to Rio is Raven Saunders in the shot put. She won the women’s NCAA title in this event and broke records with her throw of more than 19 meters. Saunders already has thrown better than the Olympic qualifying mark of 17.60 meters. She has the fifth-best throw in the world outdoors this year with a mark of 19.33 meters.

Both Bulldogs will have a good shot at making the Olympic team.

In the men’s javelin, Curtis Thompson won the men’s NCAA title with a throw of 77.69 meters. A throw of 83.00 meters is the Olympic standard. Thompson’s best throw came earlier this year at 81.03 meters.

He will need a new personal best to make the Olympics, but his best throw ranks 44th in the world this year. Only one American, Cyrus Hostetler, has a better throw at 83.83 meters.

Erica Bougard finished second in the heptathlon at the NCAA finals. She will need 6,200 points to meet the Olympic standard. Her best performance came in earlier this year when she put up 6,170 points, which places her at 18th in the world this year. Two Americans, Kendell Williams and Barbara Nwaba, have put up better numbers with 6,225 and 6,360 points, respectively. Bougard could make the team if she can raise her best point total just slightly.

The track and field trials are July 1-10 and can be seen on NBC, NBC Sports and streamed …

One way to tell that college football is just around the corner is the start of college-football media days. Nearly every conference holds media days where coaches and players answer questions about the upcoming season.

The biggest media days might be the weeklong event that the Southeastern Conference holds at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala. A massive amount of credentials will be given out as arguably the best football conference holds media days.

SEC media days kickoff Monday, July 11, with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey giving the State of the Conference address and fielding questions. Monday will also see Auburn University, Vanderbilt University and University of Florida coaches and players.

Tuesday begins with Steve Shaw, the SEC coordinator of football officials, as well as coaches and players from the University of Georgia, University of Tennessee and Texas A&M University. The second day will also see Mississippi State University head coach Dan Mullen, linebacker Richie Brown, wide receiver Fred Ross and defensive end A.J. Jefferson.

Day three features coaches and players from the University of Arkansas, University of Kentucky and University of Missouri. Wednesday will see the defending national champion, University of Alabama, take the podium.

SEC media days end on Thursday, July 14, as coaches and players from Louisiana State University and the University of South Carolina speak to the throng of sports reporters. The final day will also feature University of Mississippi head coach Hugh Freeze, quarterback Chad Kelly, tight end Evan Engram and defensive tackle D.J. Jones.

The SEC Network will televise all four days of the event Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., from Wednesday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from Thursday 9 a.m. to noon.

While the SEC stretches out their event through four days, the SWAC will hold a one-day event. The day after the SEC clears out of Alabama, the SWAC will meet at the Marriott in Birmingham.

In addition to players and coaches, SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at NRG Park Nina Jackson, Coordinator of Football Officials Harold Mitchell, Executive Director of Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl John Grant and other guests will be in attendance and available to the media.

New Jackson State University head coach Tony Hughes will be on hand with quarterback LaMontiez Ivy and defensive end Javancy Jones. Alcorn State University will bring new head coach Fred McNair along with quarterback Lenorris Footman and linebacker Michael Hurns.

Mississippi Valley State University returns coach Rick Comegy, who will be in attendance with wide receiver Booker Chambers and offensive lineman Alvin Soloman. Coaches. Players from the other SWAC teams will be in attendance, as well.

SWAC media day begins at 10 a.m. and will be streamed on the SWAC Digital Network. The conference’s official website, SWAC.org, will carry video and audio of the media day.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant just emailed his supporters urging them to support Donald Trump as the Republican convention gets ready to launch in Cleveland, Ohio. Here is his email verbatim:

Dear Friend,

In just about every previous election, we’ve all heard people running for office say “this election is the most important one in history.” This year, I think we can all agree—that’s undeniably true.

As we prepare to begin the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio next week, I wanted to send you a brief note about the choice you and I face together in November. It’s a historic time for our Party and for the opportunity for a revival of America’s potential.

America faces massive challenges right now. From economic stagnation and financial uncertainty at home to increasing military challenges and terrorist threats abroad—the election this November will literally chart a new course for our country. The question for all of us is, which direction will we go?

When 17 Republican candidates run for President in the primary, obviously, there are a lot of different perspectives and allegiances. But one thing is now clear: if we don’t come together for the sake of our Party and our nation’s future, we will lose the election—and with Hillary Clinton, we could literally end up with a country that goes into an unrecoverable downhill slide. If we unite to support Donald Trump, we still have a chance to save our country for the future.

This election is not just between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. It’s about standing up for the issues we care about as Republicans including the right to life of the unborn, protecting our 2nd Amendment gun rights and appointments to the Supreme Court that will impact our laws now—and for future generations. That’s what’s at stake, and we can’t sit idly by in this election.

With Indiana Governor Mike Pence joining the ticket as the Vice President selection, he brings strong executive experience as a Governor, plus a good perspective from his previous service in Congress. This will make the ticket stronger and will bring a big boost to the campaign in key states.

Here’s what I hope you will consider doing this week to help us win in November:

Talk to your Republican friends about the incredibly clear choice in this election and the major differences between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Ask them to join you and me in supporting Donald Trump—and to get actively involved in the campaign.

Please make a donation to the Mississippi Republican Party today so we can run a strong campaign in our state. Your support can make the difference to help our Party.

Thank you for your longtime support of Republican candidates in our state. Because of your support, our Republican Party is in position to be well-organized to turn out a big vote in November—but we can’t do it without you. Please help today by donating to the Mississippi Republican Party.

Sincerely,

Governor Phil Bryant

The following was sent to the Jackson Free Press in the form of a press release this morning, reprinted here verbatim: Virgi Lindsay to Run for Jackson City Council Ward 7

Expert in Neighborhood Revitalization Knows the Formula for Success

[Jackson, MS] Virgi Lindsay, a community leader and expert in neighborhood revitalization is running for Jackson City Council Ward 7. After filing her official statement of candidacy today, Ms. Lindsay remarked.

“I love Jackson and have spent decades working to make it safer, cleaner and a more vibrant place to live and work. Now I want to use this experience to help all the neighborhoods in Ward 7.”

Virgi has spent 15 years directing the Greater Belhaven Foundation, one of Jackson’s most successful improvement groups. She understands how the city operates. Under her leadership property values improved and new businesses brought more jobs to the city.

Virgi’s accomplishments led to Greater Belhaven’s designation as one of America’s Top Ten Neighborhoods in 2014. Experts in Mississippi neighborhood and downtown revitalization chose her as statewide Main Street Director of the Year in 2015.

Virgi Lindsay’s skillset extends beyond her successes in urban and community development.

Before managing the Greater Belhaven Foundation, Mrs. Lindsay was a reporter for the Clarion-Ledger. She later served as Public Relations Director for the Jackson Public Schools and Communications Director for the Mississippi Arts Commission. This combination of experiences make Virgi Lindsay uniquely qualified to represent Ward 7.

Mrs. Lindsay has identified four areas of focus. She considers them all critical and of equal importance in making Jackson better. They are: • Repair our streets, water lines and other infrastructure • Make Jackson safer • Restore leadership in Jackson Public Schools • Improve and protect housing for all

Mrs. Lindsay has begun an extensive series of meetings all across Ward 7. She explains her intentions “There are shared issues that unite Ward 7 –for example we all have concerns about streets, water, sewer and drainage. But I also have tremendous respect for the uniqueness of every neighborhood in Ward 7 and the people who call it home. I know that in every neighborhood there are champions who are working to protect and improve their community.

These are the dedicated residents who are willing to do the hard work to make things better. I already know some of these leaders, but I want to know them all, and work alongside them to make things better. I want to partner with our neighborhoods and use my experience in community development to help them succeed.”

Virgi Lindsay has lived in Ward 7 for 32 years. She and her husband Chuck have two grown children, Chaz and Mary- Michael. The family has attended St. Richards Catholic Church for 34 years. Virgi currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Jackson Zoo and New Stage Theatre.

College-basketball fans are in for a treat tonight, Feb. 13, as the No. 1-ranked women’s team, the University of Connecticut, hosts the No. 6-ranked University of South Carolina. This game is a possible Final Four preview with March just around the corner.

The South Carolina Gamecocks enters the matchup with a 21-2 overall record and a 9-1 record on the road, and the Huskies enter with a 24-0 overall record and 11-0 record at home, with a 60- home-game winning streak.

One more thing: UConn is also on a 99-game winning streak overall. A victory against the Gamecocks would bring the Huskies to their 100th win in a row.

UConn’s 99 consecutive wins surpassed the school’s previous record of 90 wins from 2008 to 2010. The Huskies own two of the top-three winning streaks in Division I history, with the University of California, Los Angeles men’s team in third place with 88 wins from 1971 to 1974.

Winning 100 games is hard at any level, and every team that the Huskies face gives them its best shot. UConn blows out most of the teams it plays, but those teams come in looking to make history by winning. UConn hasn’t lost a game since a double-overtime to Stanford University on Nov. 17, 2014.

Even Mississippi State University is a part of the streak. UConn defeated MSU 98-38 in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The victory sparked more commentary on whether the Huskies are bad for women’s college basketball.

If UConn is able to win tonight, the 100th victory will likely result in the same kind of debate. UConn wins year in and year out, but at the very least, the Huskies bring attention to the women’s game. South Carolina beating the Huskies would be a huge story. It would make the women’s NCAA Tournament more interesting, as some would tune in to see if another team could knock off the Huskies.

If the Gamecocks win, it will make for huge ratings for a Final Four or National Championship Game, but if UConn wins, it isn’t bad for women’s college basketball. UCLA didn’t ruin the men’s game with its winning streak in the ’70s, and UConn isn’t destroying the women’s game now.

The Huskies are making every team that wants to win a title pick up its game. Teams practice harder, run drills longer, shoot more shots in practice, and work more on dribbling, free throws and every part of their game. Opposing coaches and players known they will make history by being the team that beats the Huskies.

But history is getting made one way or another tonight. Either South Carolina breaks UConn’s winning streak, or the Huskies win for the 100th time in a row. As viewers, we all win.

Tune in to ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

Mississippi has six Division I men’s basketball teams, but only one made a postseason tournament. The University of Mississippi is heading to the National Invitation Tournament as a fifth seed.

None of the men’s teams reached the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after the field of 68 teams were revealed on Sunday, March 12. That left the NIT, which the field of which was revealed on Sunday night.

The Rebels reached the NIT after a 20-13 season and reaching the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. This is the ninth time UM has won 20 games under current head coach Andy Kennedy.

In the NIT, the higher seed normally hosts the games, but the lower seed will host if the higher seed can’t host for a number of reasons.

No. 4 Monmouth University from West Long Branch, N.J., will host the Rebels on Tuesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. ESPN3 will broadcast the game.

The Hawks are 27-7 overall and are the regular-season champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Monmouth lost to Siena in the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament, but it being a regular-season conference champion guaranteed the team a spot in the 81st NIT.

If the Rebels get past the Hawks, they will play the winner of the Syracuse University and University of North Carolina-Greensboro game. Syracuse is the No. 1 seed in the bracket, and UNC-Greensboro is the No. 8 seed. The teams could play the second-round game on either Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

Syracuse will host any game it plays during until the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. If Syracuse loses, the Rebels have a chance to host a game if they keep winning in the tournament.

In the other half of the bracket, No. 6 seed Georgia Institute of Technology will host number No. 3 the University of Indiana. Normally Indiana would host this game, but the school’s basketball complex began undergoing renovations after the regular season ended.

The winner of the Georgia Tech-Indiana game will face the winner of the No. 2-seed University of Georgia against No. 7-seed Belmont University game. If UM reaches the quarterfinals, one of the four teams in this half of the bracket will be waiting in the next round.

This is the Rebels’ 12th overall NIT appearance and sixth appearance under Kennedy. Overall UM is 13-11 all-time in the NIT and 7-5 in the tournament, with Kennedy leading the team. The Rebels have reached the final four of the tournament twice in 2008 and 2010, both times under Kennedy’s guidance.

Correction: An earlier version of this post had the Rebels facing the lower half of the bracket in New York the semifinals but it should have stated the lower half of the bracket will be hosted by the highest seed remaining in the quarterfinals. Sorry for this error, I read the bracket incorrectly.

Only one men’s basketball team from Mississippi reached the postseason between the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament: the University of Mississippi with its bid to the NIT.

Three women’s basketball teams from Mississippi are heading to the postseason. Mississippi State University, which earned a No. 2 seed in the Oklahoma City Region in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, leads them.

The team is in the midst of the best record in school history at 29-4 and broke the school record for most wins for the third straight year. The Bulldogs matched the school record for best finish in the SEC, second place, as they won a school-record 13 conference games.

The best season in school history gives MSU the right to host the first- and second-round games. If the Bulldogs advance to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, teams will play those games in Oklahoma City, and the Final Four will be in Dallas.

In the first round, MSU faces No. 15 seed, 22-10-record Troy University, which won the Sun Belt Tournament to get in the field of 64. If the Bulldogs win, they will face the winner of the game between No. 7 seed DePaul University (26-7), the regular season champion out of the Big East, and No. 10 seed University of Northern Iowa (24-11).

DePaul faces Northern Iowa at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 17, with MSU battling Troy at 1:30 p.m. Both first-round games will be on ESPN2. The winners of round one will play on Sunday, March 19, with the time and viewing platform to be announced.

Both the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi accepted at-large bids to the 64-team Women’s NIT. Both the Golden Eagles and the Rebels will host their first-round games.

USM hosts the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Wednesday, March 15, with tipoff at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles will face the winner of the University of Alabama versus Mercer University game in the second round.

This is the Golden Eagles’ seventh trip to the WNIT in program history. The last appearance for USM happened after the 2014-2015 season.

The Rebels will host Grambling State University on Thursday, March 16, with a scheduled start of 6 p.m. UM will face the winner of the Tulane University versus the University of Texas at Arlington game.

This will be the eighth time UM earned a bid to the WNIT. The last time the Rebels were in this tournament was after the 2014-2015 season.

Second-round games of the WNIT are March 18 to March 21. Third-round games are from March 22 to March 24.

A field of 10 horses will try to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, the 142nd Preakness Stakes, on Saturday, May 20. Five horses, including winner Always Dreaming, are in the field after running in the Kentucky Derby.

Always Dreaming is the morning-line favorite and will break from the No. 4 post with 4-5 odds. There is some good luck breaking from the No. 4 post, as well. Thirteen winners have come from that spot, with 2007 winner Curlin being the most recent.

Second choice Classic Empire, who is at 3-1 odds, will break in the No. 5 post. Classic Empire finished fourth in the derby two weeks ago after he got caught up in the traffic of the 20-horse race.

Lookin At Lee, who finished second two weeks ago, will be in the No. 9 post and is the third choice at 10-1 odds. In the derby, Lookin At Lee was at 33-1 odds but ran through the field at the end of the race.

Cloud Computing didn’t race in the derby and will break from the No. 2 post at 12-1 odds. Horses that didn’t run the Kentucky Derby are known as “new shooters” in the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

Gunnevera in the No. 6 post and Conquest Mo Money in the No. 10 post are both at 15-1 odds. Gunnevera finished seventh in the derby, but Conquest Mo Money is a new shooter whose owners paid $150,000 supplemental to be in the Preakness and Belmont.

Hence finished in 11th place at the derby and will break from the No. 3 post at 20-1 odds. It was a poor showing overall for Hence two weeks ago, as he never really got going in the race.

A trio of new shooters round out the field at 30-1 shots to win at the Preakness. Multiplier will break from the No. 1 post, Term of the Art will be in the No. 7 post, and Senior Investment will be in the No. 8 post.

The Preakness Stakes at one and three-16ths miles is the shortest of the three Triple Crown races. The Kentucky Derby is one and a quarter miles, and the Belmont Stakes is the longest at a mile and half.

Rain caused the derby to have a sloppy track, but it did little to slow down Always Dreaming. Weather isn’t expected to be a problem at the Preakness on Saturday, which forecasts say will be cloudy and 70 degrees.

NBC Sports Network begins coverage at 1:30 p.m., and NBC picks up the coverage at 4 p.m. The Preakness Stakes itself is scheduled to run at 5:45 p.m., but expect it to take longer with the pre-race festivities.

You know college football is right around the corner when the teams get together to face the media.

The SEC has a week of media days because they have to fill up hours on their own network, and C-USA normally does two to three days. On the other hand, the SWAC crams in the whole conference in one day.

All 10 teams will gather at the Birmingham-Marriott Hotel in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday, July 14. Each coach in the SWAC will bring two players with him to talk to the media. SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp, Coordinator of Football Officials Harold Mitchell Sr. and others will be available to the media upon request.

The 2017 Media Day will be available for fans to stream on the official SWAC website, swac.org, with streams. The order of the coaches and athletes hasn’t been released yet.

Jackson State University head coach Tony Hughes begins his second season at the helm of the Tigers, and senior defensive lineman Keontre Anderson and senior linebacker Andre Lloyd will join him. JSU finished 2016 with a 3-8 overall record in 2016.

Alcorn State University looks to win its fourth-straight SWAC East title and second under head coach Fred McNair, who looks to build on last year’s 5-6 overall record. Senior quarterback Lenorris Footman and senior defensive end Michael Brooks Jr. will join McNair.

Rick Comegy enters his third season at Mississippi Valley State and is still trying to turn around a struggling program that has won just three conference games in three years. Comegy will try to build on last year’s 1-10 record. He will bring senior defensive back Everett Nicholas and senior offensive lineman Alvin Solomon with him to media days.

One other player heading to media days with ties to our state is Grambling State University quarterback Devante Kincade, who also played football at the University of Mississippi. Last season, Kincade led GSU to a victory in the SWAC Football Championship Game and Celebration Bowl.

The 2017 SEC Football Media Days is scheduled from Monday, July 10, to Thursday, July 13. If the tentative schedule doesn’t change, Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen will meet the media on Tuesday, July 11, and UM head coach Hugh Freeze will meet them on July 13. No student-athletes have been named yet for media days.

Conference USA has yet to set its media days dates. Normally, the conference holds its media days toward the end of July. and the last few have been around July 21-23.