OXFORD — The Ole Miss men’s basketball team begins a new era at 8 tonight (ESPNU) when it plays host to Alabama in the first game in the $96.5 million Pavilion at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss (10-3, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) is looking to bounce back from a loss to Kentucky on Saturday, while Alabama (9-3, 0-0) is coming off a victory against Norfolk State on Saturday.
The opening of the Pavilion at Ole Miss is the centerpiece of the Forward Together campaign. The Pavilion is more than 225,000 square feet and has a capacity of 9,500 fans. It includes a number of amenities, including a private student concourse, courtside and baseline seating for students, three premium club areas for fans, and more than 1,700 premium seats all within an intimate seating bowl. The Pavilion features the largest center hung video display in college basketball at approximately 2,400 square feet of LED space.
n SEC announces women’s legends: At Birmingham, Alabama, the Southeastern Conference 2016 Class of Women’s Legends showcases former student-athletes, coaches, and administrators from all 14 SEC member institutions.
The class will be honored at the 2016 SEC Women’s Basketball tournament on March 2-6 in Jacksonville, Florida. Each legend will be honored during half-time of their teams first game of the tournament, all 14 individuals will also be honored as a group, as well as participate in an autograph session during the tournament.
Former softball player Chelsea Bramlett-Malone will represent Mississippi State, while former tennis player Paloma Collantes-Hansen will represent Ole Miss and former gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson will represent Alabama.
n Former Ole Miss football offensive coordinator Parker dies: At Oxford, Jimmy Dale “Red” Parker, 84, who served four years (1988-91) as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Billy Brewer’s Ole Miss staff, passed away Monday, after a long battle with heart disease.
Parker, who coached 62 years and won 322 games at the high school and collegiate football levels, joined Brewer’s staff in December of 1987 after serving the previous six years as head football coach at Delta State.
During his four years with Ole Miss, Parker helped lead the Rebels to a pair of bowl games — the 1989 Liberty Bowl and the 1991 Gator Bowl. The 1989 squad finished 8-4, while the 1990 team went 9-3.
Track and Field
n Alabama men, Ole Miss women ranked: The Alabama men’s track and field team will open the indoor season ranked fifth, while the Ole Miss women’s track and field team are ranked No. 25 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason rankings announced Wednesday.
The ranking is the highest in Alabama history.
n In related news, Ole Miss sophomore thrower Raven Saunders and Alabama junior long jumper Quanesha Burks were named Wednesday to the preseason watch list for the Bowerman Award.
Similar to football’s Heisman Trophy, the Bowerman Award is given annually to the top male and female athlete in college track & field. Six of the 10 women on the watch list compete for Southeastern Conference schools.
n MacMillan named volunteer assistant baseball coach at Ole Miss: At Oxford, Marc MacMillan, a four-year letterman for the Ole Miss baseball team during the 1990s, has been named volunteer assistant coach, coach Mike Bianco announced Wednesday. MacMillan moves into the new position after serving as the team’s director of operations over the past two seasons.
Preps
n Starkville Academy (boys) 65, Hebron Christian 56: Ade Amusa had 22 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and four steals Tuesday to lead the Volunteers past the Eagles.
Carter Roach had 15 points and five steals, Codie Futral had 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Luke Templeton had nine points. Starkville Academy outscored Hebron Christian 22-12 in the fourth quarter.
n In the girls game, Bonner Hughes had 19 points and four steals to lead Starkville Academy to a 45-36 victory.
Sydney Passons had 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven steals, and Adrienne Futral, Sarah Pellum, and Maris Moorehead had six rebounds.
n Pickens Academy 47, Restoration Academy 7: Olivia Lewis had 10 points and Abigail Colvin had 10 points and five rebounds Tuesday to lead the Lady Pirates.
Noah Vail had six points and Will Jones added five in the Pickens Academy boys team’s 68-25 loss to Restoration Academy.
Soccer
n Caledonia (girls) 2, Columbus 1: Anna Caroline Parish and Lizzie Truelock had goals Tuesday to lead the Lady Confederates.
Kelsey Wade added an assist for Caledonia. Brooklyn Moore had four saves and Maggie Norton made three for the Lady Confederates.
n In the boys game, Beau Nichols had two goals to lead Caledonia to a 4-0 victory against Columbus. Garrett Parish had a goal and an assist, Quaid Phillips had a goal, and Daniel Longmire had an assist. Eli Hemphill made three saves for the shutout for the Confederates (7-3-2).
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