Thursday, October 19, 2017   
 
The Weather Channel: Mississippi -- The Big Itch
The buzzing has already begun in Texas. In Houston, mosquito counts surged in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, as expected. That's thanks to plentiful pools and pockets of standing water, which can be used as breeding sites, creating what University of Southern Mississippi entomologist Don Yee calls a post-disaster "pulse of mosquitoes." t's like clockwork, says Jerome Goddard, 60, a medical entomologist at Mississippi State University who helped run the Gulf Coast mosquito-control program after Hurricane Katrina. "About two weeks after a hurricane, mosquito numbers go through the roof," he says.
 
Meta Games receives $150K Bulldog Angel Network investment
Starkville video game design company Meta Games' three-year project is about to get a much-needed financial boost. The company, run by Mississippi State University alumnus Ryan Gilbrech from Slidell, Louisiana, will soon have $150,000 in hand to complete its video game project. The grant comes from the Bulldog Angel Network, a group of angel investors dedicated to supporting businesses run by MSU students, alumni and faculty. An avid gamer, Gilbrech came up wit the idea for the game in 2014 after graduating from MSU with a degree in biomedical engineering. With his family's support, he began seriously creating the game while pursuing a master of business administration at MSU. He said he heard about the MSU College of Business Entrepreneurship Center while pursuing his undergraduate and began working out of the eCenter.
 
Evan Peacock named interim leader of MSU's Cobb Institute
Evan Peacock, a Mississippi State alumnus and veteran environmental archaeologist, was recently named interim director of the university's Cobb Institute of Archaeology. Peacock joined MSU in 1999 as an anthropology faculty member. Born in Clarksdale and reared in Choctaw County, Peacock also worked as an archaeologist with the U.S. Forest Service. In addition to a summa cum laude degree in anthropology from MSU, he holds master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Sheffield, England.
 
Mississippians can read so don't come for us Twitter, residents tell famous author
Yes, Mississippians know how to read books. And yes, Mississippians will come for you on Twitter if you say otherwise. Famous author Joyce Carol Oates retweeted a photo Monday morning of a banner featuring Mississippi author William Faulkner at Mississippi State University. "So funny! If Mississippians read, Faulkner would be banned," Oates said. One man even had a word of advice of Oates: Read a little bit of Faulkner before forming an opinion about Mississippi. Oates' tweet comes at a time when many people across the nation have their eye on the Magnolia State after the Biloxi School District decided to pull "To Kill A Mockingbird" from its eighth grade lesson plan after a parental complaint.
 
Aldermen to hold public hearing on Starkville vape store exemption
Starkville's board of aldermen will host a Nov. 7 public hearing on a proposed exemption to its recently-amended smoking ordinance that would allow smoking in standalone vape and smoking stores. Earlier this month, aldermen unanimously approved an amendment to the city's longstanding ban on smoking in public places that included electronic cigarettes and similar products. The initial amendment, which Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins introduced in early September, prohibits "vaping" in the same areas where smoking is banned -- including at most restaurants and businesses. Vaping is inhaling vapor produced by heating a liquid "juice," in e-cigarettes and personal vaporizers. The juices can contain nicotine in varying amounts. Aldermen unanimously approved Perkins' amendment on Oct. 3.
 
Joe Nosef resigning as chair of state GOP
Joe Nosef is resigning after nearly six years as chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party. "I want to let you know that after nearly six years of serving as chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party I believe it is time for me to move on and to turn the MSGOP over to a new chairman," Nosef wrote in a letter to Gov. Phil Bryant on Wednesday. "... I am very proud of the last six years and the success all of us have worked together to achieve." Gov. Phil Bryant thanked Nosef for his years of service. "I am happy he will have the opportunity to spend more time with his family and wish him the best in the future," Bryant said. Nosef had replaced Arnie Hederman.
 
Lawyers: Courts Correctly Rejected Confederate Flag Lawsuit
Attorneys for the Mississippi governor say two levels of federal courts have been correct in blocking a lawsuit that challenges the Confederate battle emblem on the state flag. Representing Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, assistant state attorneys general filed papers Wednesday with the U.S. Supreme Court. They said Carlos Moore, an African-American attorney from Mississippi who sued the state, has failed to show he suffered harm because of the flag. During an appearance Wednesday in Jackson, Bryant repeated his position that if the flag design is to be reconsidered, it should be done in another statewide election.
 
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves speaks to Brookhaven civic clubs
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves spent a half-hour Wednesday laying out his views of state government during a joint meeting of civic clubs in Brookhaven. There were few surprises in Reeves' lunchtime speech at the Brookhaven Country Club, but a few questions from the crowd at the end of his prepared remarks gave him an opportunity to address a couple of issues that have been on the public's radar. On road and bridge funding, Reeves was clear that more money needs to be spent at the state level. He was less certain, however, on where the state would find the additional funding. On a state lottery, Reeves said he was personally opposed to it, but that "the chances of a lottery are fairly good."
 
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney honored as one of the top influential people in Mississippi
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner and longtime Vicksburg resident Mike Chaney was honored Tuesday night as one of the top 50 most influential people in Mississippi. The non-partisan awards recognize people who help the state move forward through their position and talent. The awards are sponsored by the political website Y'all Politics and the statewide talk radio station Supertalk Mississippi. A Tupelo native, a graduate of Mississippi State University and a Vietnam veteran, Chaney also serves as the state's fire marshall as part of his duties as insurance commissioner. He was inducted into the Insurance Hall of Fame at Mississippi State. He served as a state representative before becoming insurance commissioner in 2008.
 
Gov. Phil Bryant still skeptical on taking over Jackson Public Schools
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant again on Wednesday voiced skepticism about allowing the state to take over the capital city's public school district. Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday that he's seeking a "third way" between no action and declaring an emergency. That latter move means the Mississippi Department of Education would depose current leaders and appoint an interim superintendent with no local school board. The state Board of Education last month asked Bryant to sign an emergency declaration, saying the 27,000-student district is violating 24 of 32 state accrediting standards. Allegations against the district include seniors graduating without showing they met requirements, teachers providing ineffective instruction and schools bring unsafe.
 
Trump's Health Subsidy Shutdown Could Lead to Free Insurance
If President Donald Trump prevails in shutting down a major "Obamacare" health insurance subsidy, it would have the unintended consequence of making free basic coverage available to more people, and making upper-tier plans more affordable. The unexpected assessment comes from consultants, policy experts, and state officials trying to discern the potential fallout from a Washington health care debate that's becoming harder to follow. What's driving the predictions? It's because another of the health law's subsidies would go up for people with low-to-moderate incomes, offsetting Trump's move. "It's a kind of counter-intuitive result," said Kurt Giesa, a health insurance expert with the Oliver Wyman consulting firm.
 
$50,000 raised to fund Eaglepalooza for 14th year
Eaglepalooza, the free concert that the Southern Miss Student Government Association has been sponsoring for 13 years for Hattiesburg residents, will go on this year despite initial doubts the event would take place. "Originally we thought due to budget issues we weren't going to be able to have Eaglepalooza," SGA President Cameron Cloud said. "But thanks to the USM Foundation, our alumni and various donors from Southern Miss and the Hattiesburg community, we were able to raise more than $50,000 (to fund it)." State budget cuts had affected SGA's finances, so in April Cloud said it would take the support of the entire community to bring the concert back for a 14th year. It costs about $45,000 to hire well-known artists to headline the show, which usually attracts about 4,000 to 5,000 attendees. The USM Foundation raised about $40,000 for Eaglepalooza through an online giving campaign known as Eagle Fever.
 
Pocket Points comes to Southern Miss campus
A mobile app called Pocket Points has come to the University of Southern Mississippi campus in an effort to keep students off their phone during class. Pocket Points works by partnering with local and online businesses to offer student incentives, like free food or other discounted items, that students can earn when they don't use their mobile phone in the classroom. Upon entering the classroom, student will lock their phone and Pocket Points will start collecting point for as long as the phone is locked. Those points can then be redeemed for discounts from the local and online businesses. Using advanced geolocation technology on the mobile phone, students can only earn points for attending class and locking their phone.
 
Congressman Gregg Harper offers advice to Meridian Community College students
Photo: U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, left, greets MCC student Alec Marlow after Harper's talk Tuesday to members of The Phil Hardin Foundation Honors College at Meridian Community College. Harper was at MCC to offer advice to the students, urging them to continue their pursuits. "It's not just the matter of taking the easy road because the best jobs will be those involved with high-tech," he said. Harper also stressed students to be considerate to all. "So, to the person you're sitting next to, be nice to them. They may be very famous. I would have been a lot more nicer to John Grisham in law school if I had known he'd be that famous," he said with a laugh.
 
Robotics, manufacturing lab opened at Itawamba Community College-Belden
Rows of machinery and power tools lined the hangar-like and newly revamped Precision Manufacturing and Robotics Laboratory at Itawamba Community College's Belden campus, where the school celebrated the facility's ribbon cutting Wednesday. A portion of the Belden Center was recently cleared out and renovated to consolidate ICC's precision manufacturing, machining and robotics labs into one new facility in order to encourage cross-training. Although $3.7 million was initially acquired by Three Rivers Planning and Development District for the beginning of the project, according to Three Rivers Executive Director Randy Kelley, costs came out to approximately $1.4 million and the project received $2 million total in grants. Kelley said 58 percent of durable manufacturing jobs in the state are in the Mississippi Partnership, which covers 27 counties in northeastern Mississippi and often partners with community colleges.
 
Anime convention to be held at U. of Alabama's Ferguson Center on Sunday
Fans of anime and video game pop culture will fill the University of Alabama's Ferguson Center on Sunday. ShinkuCon, a convention organized by a group of UA students, will feature live music, vendors, a cosplay contest and more. The daylong event begins at 10 a.m. Sunday. Admission is free for UA students and $5 for the general public. The convention is the brainchild the Bama SOS Brigade, a group that meets weekly to discuss their appreciation of the Japanese style of animation. Since 2007, the group has hosted a separate convention: Kami-Con, a three-day event now held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Kami-Con, which will be held Jan. 26-28, is billed as the state's largest anime, gaming and comic convention. With thousands of people coming to Kami-Con each year, the group decided to celebrate its 10th anniversary by adding a convention, which they dubbed ShinkuCon. In Japanese, "shinku" is loosely translated as "crimson," which ties into UA's school's colors.
 
Auburn professor seeks to improve biodiversity of urban green spaces
Green spaces are common throughout cities and potentially very important for biodiversity. Yet, we know surprisingly little about their ecology and value to conservation, says Auburn University Professor Christopher Lepczyk. Lepczyk, a professor of ecology and conservation biology, and a team of international researchers address this knowledge gap in their recent study published in BioScience titled "Biodiversity in the City: Fundamental Questions for Understanding the Ecology of Urban Green Spaces for Biodiversity Conservation." "The majority of the world's people live in urban areas," Lepczyk said. "As our populations become more centralized and spread across the landscape, the development of urban green spaces have become more prevalent."
 
Gainesville edgy as police presence, anxiety grow ahead of Spencer's U. of Florida speech
Gainesville was beginning to resemble a police state Wednesday in response to Thursday's speech at the University of Florida by white nationalist Richard Spencer. Law enforcement from around Florida rolled into town and began getting the lay of the land at the Phillips Center and the Cultural Plaza, where the speech and protests will occur. Barricades and fencing have been erected at several campus spots, at the Gainesville Police Department and at Bo Diddley Plaza downtown, which was closed at 7 p.m. once the Union Street Farmers Market packed up. The plaza reopens Friday. A greater-than-normal police presence patrolled the area and a helicopter circled overhead. UF faculty, staff and students launched last-ditch efforts Wednesday to try to convince administrators to cancel Spencer's visit.
 
They tried to deny Richard Spencer a platform; now U. of Florida bracing for his speech
With police and barricades, road closures and warnings, the University of Florida braced for Thursday's speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer. UF officials had hoped to avoid all this. After violence followed a Charlottesville rally, several public universities, including UF, announced that they would not allow Spencer to speak on campus, citing imminent threats. But his supporters and a lawyer countered that it would violate the First Amendment, saying the university could not deny him the right to speak based on possible protest from people who disagree with his message -- the "heckler's veto." UF's president, W. Kent Fuchs, continued to urge the campus community to avoid Spencer's speech, saying opposition gives the oxygen white supremacists need to survive. "By giving him attention and confronting him, it allows him to be portrayed as a victim and draws sympathy to him in some quarters," Fuchs said.
 
Few protesters turn out for Ben Shapiro talk at U. of Tennessee
Only a handful of students turned out to protest conservative commentator Ben Shapiro's talk at the University of Knoxville campus Wednesday, even as visits by Shapiro to other campuses in recent weeks have sparked large protests and arrests. Instead, students and others waiting in line for Shapiro's sold-out talk at the Alumni Memorial Building said largely that they were excited to hear from the former editor-at-large of Breitbart News and current editor of the right-leaning news site The Daily Wire. "I think regardless of how liberal you might find this campus to be, Tennessee's still a red state," said Jack Huddleston, a sophomore at UT. "I think there's still the Republican majority in this state and whether people are open and loud about it or not, I think you would find about half the population here probably agrees with him and has no reason for riot." In a roughly half-hour speech, Shapiro said he was going to "try something a little different" and talk about the political divide in the U.S., focusing on the need for Americans to have senses of individual as well as communal purpose.
 
LSU president: TOPS funding decision delays hold families hostage, cost colleges top students
LSU is losing top students to other states because of delays in funding decisions on the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, school president F. King Alexander said Wednesday. The state aid for tuition, known as TOPS, is fully funded for the current school year but was cut by the Legislature last year. Alexander told the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge that students and families need to know funding levels earlier in the year, not in the spring when the Legislature typically acts. He said LSU "took a hit" on luring some top-flight students to campus because they got offers from other schools in January and February, before this year's TOPS funding was decided by the Legislature and Gov. John Bel Edwards. "Our students and parents are held hostage until mid June," Alexander said. "Let's get TOPS settled and get it settled early."
 
Former Ashland CEO Paul Chellgren pledges $12 million to U. of Kentucky
A longtime donor and former University of Kentucky trustee has pledged a $12 million gift to support an academic center he founded. Paul Chellgren, the former longtime CEO of Ashland Inc., and his wife Deborah Cole Chellgren, were at UK on Wednesday to announce the gift, which will support the Chellgren Center for Academic Excellence. UK also is renaming the Woodland Glen I residence hall as Chellgren Hall. "I am honored to have the opportunity to give back to the University of Kentucky -- an institution that has meant so much to me and my family," said Chellgren, who graduated from UK as an undergraduate in 1964. University officials said this gift will bring the Chellgrens' total giving to UK to $18 million.
 
Multimillion dollar Briscoe Ranch endowment to help future ag leaders at Texas A&M
The Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program at Texas A&M, with the help of a multi-million dollar endowment from Briscoe Ranch Inc., is set to continue its work as a resource for the agricultural leaders of tomorrow. Briscoe Ranch Inc. and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service announced Wednesday the establishment of the endowment, designed to support the now-renamed Governor Dolph Briscoe Jr. Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Extension Program -- or TALL -- for emerging agricultural leaders in Texas. Briscoe served as governor of Texas from 1973-1979 and as chairman of the TALL advisory board for more than 20 years before his death in 2010.
 
Search for suicidal subject causes confusion on U. of Missouri campus
A search for a suicidal woman on Wednesday near and on the University of Missouri's campus caused confusion among some students who were unsure about how seriously their safety was threatened by the incident and how they should respond on campus. Columbia police took a woman to the hospital for evaluation Wednesday after the woman's friend called authorities saying she was threatening suicide and had access to a gun. For nearly two hours, officers actively searched downtown near Hitt and Elm streets and some areas of campus looking for the woman. The Columbia Police Department was notified about the incident at 11:10 a.m. and found the woman on the 400 block of Park Avenue just before 1 p.m. She was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital. The University of Missouri Police Department assisted CPD with the search. MU, through MU alerts and Twitter, notified faculty, staff and students that the woman might be on or close to campus and possibly armed.
 
Few revisions expected by Congress from 2014 farm bill
The next time Congress looks at how taxpayers support farmers, there isn't likely to be many major revisions to the ideas enacted in 2014 to use recent commodity prices to determine if producers deserve a subsidy, U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler said Wednesday. Speaking to about 150 agriculture experts, academics and farmers at the University of Missouri's Bradford Research Farm, Hartzler said the House Agriculture Committee has a goal of sending a bill to the Senate by early 2018. That ambitious schedule would be well ahead of the five-year expiration of the current program, enacted three years late in 2014. The Farm Bill Summit, an all-day meeting with seminars on grain crops, livestock and other issues, was sponsored by the university, bringing together extension and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Pat Westhoff, director of the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute, said commodity supports have cost more than expected when the bill was enacted but that crop insurance has cost less because of several good years.
 
Campus Fears Drive Boom in Threat-Assessment Teams
Every other week, a group of administrators and staff members at Santa Monica College blocks off three hours to discuss students who have caused concern or raised suspicions on the community-college campus. Reports arrive from multiple avenues, but all end up here, in a library conference room where the college's crisis-prevention team meets. The members of the Santa Monica team understand the very real potential for tragedy. Four years ago, one happened on their own campus. Working to prevent students harming themselves or others, the group's work is always serious and, as one team member said, sometimes heartbreaking. The Virginia Tech shootings in 2007 pushed campus safety to the top of colleges' agendas, prompting administrators at Santa Monica and hundreds of other colleges to create these well-intentioned and somewhat secretive task forces.
 
How Campus Racism Could Affect Black Students' College Enrollment
With racial discrimination on the rise, students and parents are watching universities' responses closely, and some say that these concerns could affect decisions of where to attend. Still, the degree to which racist acts adversely affect student enrollment remains an open question. A historic look at dramatic, high-profile events on and near college campuses offers an interesting point of comparison.
 
Professors: Purdue president trying to deflect attention from 'inaction' on white supremacy on campus
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels is facing criticism for his response to a request that he investigate a series of white supremacist messages on campus. In particular, a group of faculty members have accused Daniels of drawing a false equivalency between neo-Nazis and antifascist activists, and of personally attacking a professor who's been critical of him in the past. The group says Daniels's tone recalls President Trump's initial comment that there was violence "on many sides" of the August protests in Charlottesville, Va., that left a woman protesting the assembled white supremacists dead. Purdue declined comment on the professors' specific accusations against Daniels but pointed to his past statements condemning racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry and violence.
 
Students and alumni challenge U. of Memphis president at sex assault forum
For more than two hours, University of Memphis students and alumni challenged and criticized president David Rudd and his staffers over the way the university has handled recent sexual assault cases. More than 100 people attended the campus forum at the University Center Theater Wednesday. It began at 8 p.m., and many people were still lined up at a microphone to give their comments when Rudd finally called a halt after 10 p.m. Many of the people asking questions were women, and several said they'd been sexually assaulted. A pattern quickly emerged: people would ask questions about a specific case, such as that of Nicholas Wayman, who reportedly remained on campus despite having been criminally indicted on rape and sexual battery charges by a Shelby County grand jury. Rudd repeatedly said the law stops him from talking about specifics, but that if people only knew everything that the university was doing behind the scenes, they'd feel reassured.
 
Yes, Joyce Carol Oates, we in Mississippi can read
Cartoonist and columnist Marshall Ramsey writes in The Clarion-Ledger: "Joyce Carol Oates is a much better writer than I am. She's much smarter than I am, too. But dang, she sure wrote a stupid Tweet. Carl Rollyson (who I am sure is thrilled to be part of this poop storm) tweeted a photo of a Faulkner banner in the Mississippi State University library. Ms. Oates, who was apparently feeling her oats, retweeted it with this gem of an insult: 'So funny! If Mississippians read, Faulkner would be banned.' OK. ..It's not the first time we've heard Mississippi jokes. I'll even boldly say that we sometimes deserve a joke or two. But not this one. She went for rotten, low-hanging fruit. And it stinks."
 
Brandon Presley could be hope for Democrats under right circumstances
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Mississippi Democrats -- and by extension the national Democratic Party -- could face a dilemma in 2018. They will have to decide whether to try to run a legitimate, adequately funded candidate in Mississippi for the office of United States senator. Conventional wisdom is that incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Tupelo will be difficult for a Democrat to defeat in a general election in reliably red Mississippi.But there is also a belief that Wicker could face at least some electorate peril in a Republican primary against a populist leaning, anti establishment candidate, such as state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville."


SPORTS
 
Victoria Vivians is officially Queen Victoria
Human development and family science major Victoria Vivians of Forest will reign this week as 2017 Homecoming Queen at Mississippi State University. Vivians was chosen in campus-wide elections. Along with eight class maids, she will be presented formally during halftime Saturday of the MSU vs. University of Kentucky football game in Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville. Vivians, who set new state high school basketball records in scoring while wearing the red and blue of Scott Central, and is now a starter for MSU, is known to her hometown fans as "Queen Victoria." After this weekend she will carry the title officially at Mississippi State.
 
3 preseason questions for Mississippi State men's basketball
It's year three for Mississippi State under Ben Howland. In the longtime head coach's previous stops -- Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA -- that has meant improvement, wins and other good things for programs. Will that trend continue for the Bulldogs? Mississippi State returned enough key players to conceivably improve from its 16-16 record from last year, despite Mario Kegler's transfer and I.J. Ready's graduation. Still, the Bulldogs -- who will play an exhibition game in Starkville at 1 p.m. Sunday against Nebraska -- were picked to finish No. 12 in the preseason SEC media poll. Here are three questions for this preseason.
 
3 preseason questions for Mississippi State women's basketball
After setting several school records and advancing to the national championship game for the first time in program history last season, Mississippi State already accomplished another new feat before this season has started. The selection of Victoria Vivians and Morgan William Monday marked the first time Mississippi State has placed two players on the preseason All-SEC first team in the same year. Expectations have continued to soar under coach Vic Schaefer. The Bulldogs were picked No. 2 in the preseason poll behind defending national champion South Carolina. MSU opens its season Nov. 10 in Starkville against Virginia. Here are three questions for this preseason.
 
Bulldogs host Nebraska in special Sunday exhibition
The NCAA granted Mississippi State's men's basketball team a waiver to play a second exhibition game to help benefit Hurricane Irma victims. The Bulldogs will host Nebraska in a free exhibition Sunday at 1 p.m. with monetary donations being collected at the door. "I so appreciate Nebraska, coach (Tim) Miles and their administration for their incredible willingness to support this effort, as well as our staff here at Mississippi State," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "It's going to be a fun day for two Power 5 teams to play an exhibition game and get a head start on the season."
 
Huskers, Mississippi State to play hurricane relief game
The Nebraska and Mississippi State men's basketball programs are squeezing in an exhibition game, and they're doing it for a great cause. The schools announced Wednesday that they will meet in a 1 p.m. charity exhibition game Sunday in Starkville, Mississippi. Admission to the game is free, but the American Red Cross will be collecting monetary donations to benefit Hurricane Irma relief efforts. Irma had a crippling effect on Puerto Rico in September. Nebraska and Mississippi State sought and received a waiver from the NCAA to play an extra exhibition game with the sole purpose to benefit hurricane victims. "I so appreciated Nebraska and Coach (Tim) Miles for their incredible willingness to support this effort," MSU coach Ben Howland said in a release. "It's going to be a fun day for two Power Five teams to play an exhibition game and get a head start on the season."
 
Steady, sturdy QB Stephen Johnson keeps improving for Kentucky
Players dipped chicken tenders in sauce, took pictures and made fun of each other's golf swings. A few fun hours at TopGolf Jacksonville was part of the week leading up to the TaxSlayer Bowl last December. Kentucky's players mingled, but for the most part, they mostly seemed to hang out with players in their own position groups. In small gathering areas behind each tee, wide receivers messed with each other, defensive backs cracked jokes and offensive linemen huddled up. One of the few exceptions to the position-centered clusters was Stephen Johnson. The Cats quarterback mingled effortlessly among the groups that day, moving from tee to tee, talking with everyone from freshmen to seniors, from walk-ons to stars. Johnson was everywhere. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior-college transfer has a way about him.
 
SEC navigating through FBI basketball probe
SEC men's basketball is on an upward trend. For the first time since 1986, three teams in the league, including Florida, reached the Elite Eight last March. South Carolina made the Final Four for the first time in school history. As many as four SEC teams could be voted to the preseason AP Top 25 later this month. More than half of the 14 coaches in the league feel their teams have a legitimate shot to reach the NCAA Tournament. Yet on Wednesday afternoon at the Omni Hotel Ballroom at SEC basketball media day in Nashville, more talk centered around the FBI than Kenpom ratings and zone defenses. One SEC program, Auburn, was directly involved in the FBI sting that resulted in federal bribery charges being leveled against 10 people from six different basketball programs involving alleged payoffs of student-athletes. Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person was fired after being arrested on six counts of fraud and bribery.
 
Bruce Pearl: Still no timetable to find out results of investigation into Auburn's program
Under normal circumstances, Bruce Pearl said he would have plenty of comments ready for reporters regarding the FBI's investigation into college basketball. For Auburn, these are not normal circumstances. "Because we have something that's ongoing right now, I just can't offer my thoughts or opinions," the Tigers' men's basketball coach said Wednesday at SEC Men's Basketball Media Day. "I hope you can understand that." Pearl's associate head coach at Auburn over his first three seasons with the program, Chuck Person, is one of the people at the center of the investigation that was jointly conducted by the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office. Person was arrested and charged with six counts of federal corruption on Sept. 26 and remains suspended without pay.
 
Rick Pitino on trustees: 'They're not the U. of Louisville''
Former Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino took aim at board members at the University of Louisville in his first interview since the school fired him. Pitino, speaking with ESPN's Jay Bilas in a taped interview that aired late Wednesday night, said the university he knows is not represented by trustees that he believed moved prematurely against him. He referred to the school's board of trustees, though it was the University of Louisville Athletic Association that unanimously voted to fire Pitino on Monday. "To me, this board of trustees, locking me out of my office, telling me I'm dismissed before facts came out. Let it develop," Pitino said. "They're not the University of Louisville. They're a board hired by the governor to deal with the president situation a while ago. They're not the University of Louisville that I know. ... The University of Louisville didn't treat me that way. This board of trustees did -- and a couple of them. I shouldn't put them all in one lump sum."



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