Ole Miss Basketball's Sebastian Saiz prepares for 2017 NBA Draft; Pro Career

Sebastian Saiz may never again suit up in a Rebel uniform, but his playing days are far from over. The former Ole Miss forward is now getting ready for the 2017 NBA Draft, and hopes that playing his natural position, power forward, impresses scouts enough to make him one of the 60 names called on draft night.

In fact, one NBA scout even told Saiz that he could be playing a bit of Small Forward at the next level. A large change for a guy that had to play as an undersized center for the majority of his college career.

Ole Miss' Sebastian Saiz (11) defends Tennessee's Lew Evans (21)
in January's matchup. (Bruce Newman/Oxford Eagle) 

Saiz leaves Ole Miss with plenty of hardware, as well as fanfare. The 2017 Howell Trophy winner finished his Rebel career with 1273 points, 1008 rebounds, and 128 blocks. His performance in the 2016-17 season earned him first team all-SEC honors, and his rebounding numbers rivaled those of Anthony Davis and Shaquille O'Neal.

.@sebassaiz closes his record-breaking season with some impressive company. One of the best to ever wear a Rebel uniform! #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/6v1wEsqLWv

— Ole Miss Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 22, 2017

Saiz also participated in the 2017 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an event for seniors that are borderline NBA prospects that is attended by both NBA and European scouts. Saiz impressed in Portsmouth, averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds en route to a Portsmouth Invitational Championship, as well as a PIT All-Tournament team selection.

Portsmouth Invitation Tournament Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KWr3eKUP30

— sebastian saiz (@sebassaiz) April 16, 2017

Despite a lack of elite athleticism, Saiz has length. In fact, he has the third longest wingspan of all 2017 NBA draft prospects. This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that's watched Ole Miss basketball over the past four years.

The analyst calling the Auburn/Ole Miss game has mentioned Sebastian Saiz length literally 15 times. #SEC

— Tony Patelis (@CollegeHoopNews) January 8, 2017

All that being said, Saiz may have to wait until the NBA Summer League to prove his worth at the game's highest level. DraftExpress currently has him as the 65th ranked Senior, and is absent from the overall prospect list. Whether or not Saiz' name is called on draft night remains a mystery, but one thing is certain: Sebastian Saiz has plenty of basketball left to play.

Noxubee County Non-Profit Hosts Annual Gala on EggBowl Weekend

Distinguished Men Of Color Award Recipients.
Photo by Leah Gibson.

Many people in Mississippi spend their Thanksgiving relaxing and waiting to watch the infamous Egg Bowl rivalry football game between Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi, but for Noxubee County natives the Thanksgiving break weekend is wrapped up with a celebration of Distinguished Men of Color.

On Saturday, November 28, 2015 the non-profit organization of Distinguished Men of Color honored twenty-five men of color who graduated from the Noxubee County School District. The mission of the organization is to empower young males of Noxubee County in order for them to become productive citizens and positive role models. Honorees in attendance ranged from scientists and IT specialists to entrepreneurs and directors.

This was the second year for the annual gala, which serves as the organization's only fundraiser to provide scholarships given to young men from the county. Men of Color President Mable Jamison and many other community leaders all agree that this organization highlights the good of “The County” and proves the potential that they know their students have.

For more photos from the night, click here.

Be sure to watch footage and interviews from the night, HERE!

Ole Miss Rebel Black Bear still awaiting acceptance from some fans

The Ole Miss Rebel Black Bear has completed his first season cheering on the Rebel football team from the sidelines. He had some notable moments during the season such as his "Nutt" costume for the game versus Arkansas, the wearing of a box over his head during the homecoming game against Louisiana Tech or his failure to be seen during the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State.

While Rebel's antics this season might not endear him to some older fans, Michael Thompson, the senior associate athletics director for marketing and communications, says that the bear's main goal is to get more kids involved in and bigger fans of Ole Miss. The Rebel Kids Club allowed members to hang out with Rebel before the homecoming game and participate in the Walk of Champions with the football team.
"Rebel is at the Rebel Fanfare before the games and the kids want to line up and have pictures taken with him," Thompson said.
Older fans are skeptical of the bear and think that the black bear should be there as a symbol of the university geared towards the students, not the children of alumni.
"Are we trying to be like Penn State and recruit 10 year-olds now?" one fan asked.
For more on the Rebel the Black Bear's first season on the sidelines, click here.

Ole Miss Campus Recreation Encourages Students To Stay Fit Over Holidays

The Turner Center, a recreational facility at the University of Mississippi is hosting a Holiday Weight Challenge sponsored by Healthworks and Campus Recreation. The challenge is open to all students, faculty and members of the Turner Center. The overall goal of the challenge is for you to maintain your current weight throughout the holiday season.

The first sets of weigh-ins were on Nov. 15-18 and final weigh-ins will be on Jan. 3- 6. Prizes will be given for those who complete the challenge over the longest period of time and to the best of their ability.

“This event will give students an incentive to make smart eating decisions and workout over the holiday breaks from school,” said Jenn Hall, Turner Center Fitness Grad Assistant.

Try not to be one of the average Americans who gains up to seven pounds this holiday season. Be sure to use portion control and remain active throughout the holidays. By doing this you will have a healthier and happier holiday season through the New Year!

To learn more information about the challenge, click here.

Holloway Returns To Ole Miss

Following the 2009-2010 Ole Miss basketball season, Murphy Holloway left the program to take care of some family issues that needed to be dealt with back at his home in South Carolina. After paying his own way and sitting out last years basketball season at South Carolina, Holloway decided that the issues at hand had been dealt with and with that decided to transfer back to Ole Miss. After arriving back in Oxford, Ole Miss requested that the one year residency required for transfer students be waived. The Ole Miss basketball program was notified in October that the NCAA had reviewed the request and had accepted their request, declaring Holloway eligible to play immediately for the Rebels. Through the first six games of the season Holloway looks to have not missed a beat on the court. Holloway is leading the team in rebounds per game while being third on the team in points per game. For more information click here.

Ole Miss School of Law completion delayed, but soon to be finalized.

At the University of Mississippi, law students will finally pack their books at the end of the year to move into a new building. The UM School of Law will begin to enjoy the new facilities in January 2011. In April 2009, a press release was issued with images suggesting the facilities would be ready at the beginning of the 2010 academic year. However, a very rainy year delayed construction and pushed the completion date to January 2011.
For more on this story, click here.

There is one possible catch come January: Parking.

There are approximately 200 parking spaces categorized as commuter spaces next to the new facility. Law students could possibly struggle to get to their classes on time due to this issue. The Dean of the Ole Miss School of Law, Richard Gershon, said he would observe the parking situation and determine if the parking spaces would need to be exclusively for law students.

Ole Miss Parade of Beauties 2010: A Closer Look Behind the Scenes

Parade of Beauties is an annual beauty pageant at the University of Mississippi, which is sponored by the Student Programming Board. This year, the pageant was held on campus at the Gertrude Ford Center on November 17, 2010 at 7:30 PM. The contestants were sponsored by different fraternities, sororities, and organizations on campus, as well as family and friends. This year, 81 girls were entered into the pageant. Each of the girls were competing to win, so they had to properly prepare to look their best for the night. Let's take a closer look behind the scenes at the intense preparation process of one of this year's contestants.

All 81 contestants were judged based on an interview held the day of the pageant (10%) and their evening wear the night of the competetion (90%). After each contestant had been introduced and had walked the stage once, the group was narrowed down to the Top 25. After the girls remaining walked the stage one last time, the judges narrowed it down to the Top 10 and Most Beautiful.

Elizabeth Blossom (left) was selected as one of the Top 10 Beauties in the pageant. Crystal Ausburn, Most Beautiful 2009, handed down her crown to the new winner of the pageant, Caroline Conerly, Most Beautiful 2010.

Black Friday 2010 in Oxford, MS

The holiday season is here! We can tell not from the decorations,not from the food, but from the sales. Whether it is shopping in stores or online, Shoppers can find a good bargain everywhere. Many people have begun their shopping online while others await for the monday AFTER Black Friday also known as Cyber Monday.There are a few days until Black Friday 2010 and many shoppers and store owners are preparing. Even in the small town of Oxford, MS boutiques are loading stocks and getting discounts ready. Artesha Dunning has the story Watch Below.

2010 Ole Miss Choral Festival

The Ole Miss Choral Program hosted it's annual Choral Festival this past Saturday, November 13, in the Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

High School and Junior High Choirs from all over Mississippi participated.

Lillian Askins has more on this story below.

Click the play button to watch!

Going Green at Ole Miss

The Office of Campus Sustainability at The University of Mississippi concentrates on increasing environmental awareness on campus. They hosted Green Week in April, with several booths set up outside the student union where students could learn more about "Going Green" in Oxford. While most students are gone for the summer, the Sustainability Office is working on their plans for the fall. They will be launching efforts such as a new Daily Mississippian recycling program and a Green Graduate program. They plan to sell the recycled newspaper and use the profits to create a scholarship for Ole Miss students. Other ongoing efforts include Cell Phones for Soldiers, where profits from recycled mobile phones buy calling cards for deployed military personnel, and the Green Grove game day recycling effort. The Sustainability office works closely with Students for a Green Campus and the Associated Student Body to develop and maintain their programs.

Sunday Alcohol Sales in Oxford, MS

Oxford, Mississippi is known for it's nightlife and Ole Miss is ranked as one of the top party schools in the country every year... all this despite only 6 days of alcohol sales per week. With the hope of extending their sales reach, the Oxford Restaurant Association is proposing an elimination of the ban on Sunday alcohol sales. The Oxford Board of Aldermen will ultimately make the decision, but many local businesses will be impacted by the effects. While bar and restaurant owners have spearheaded this proposal, liquor stores and local beer distributors will likely have to implement changes if the proposal is passed. The board will receive a final copy of the proposal on Tuesday and vote on the issue at their meeting on Wednesday.

How to Deal with the End of STRESS-mester

The last days of classes are always stressful. Burned out through the semester, Ole Miss students need to stay tuned up before the final exams. The University Counseling Center is well-aware what students are dealing with and offers its professional help.

On the last week of classes the center carries out the stress reduction campaign “Pet-a-Puppy.” The Counseling Center invites students to caress puppies, to get a massage, to blow bubbles, and to get some tips on anxiety busting and good test taking strategies. Besides, the center also organizes prize drawings. The event will be held Monday - Friday, from 11.am to 1 p.m.

Where the pepperoni pizza will have you jumpin' for joy, man!

Recently, the Ole Miss Dining Services seem to have come under scrutiny again over rising food prices at the Ole Miss student union food court and other eateries on campus. Though some students may gripe, the university claims that the price increases are necessary.

Every year the food services here at Ole Miss hold a survey to compare their prices to competition around town and after seeing some of the results this year, I was very surprised.

The reason I was so surprised is because the prices of the items available on campus weren't astronomically higher than the prices at places like BP and Shell. The price of a box of Cheerios on campus is $5.79, while the price at Shell was over$6. Soft drinks and milk were priced at $1.39 on campus, which is the same price available at BP. Ole Miss Dining Services has even joined in on the "$5 phenomenon", making meal combos available in the food court for as low as $5.

"We can't be compared to places such as Wal-Mart because we are convenient stores." said Laine Poole, the Ole Miss Dining Services marketing manager. "We do not increase prices just because we have a captured audience."

Convinced that the university diabolically sought to exploit me for as much money as possible during my tenure here in Oxford, I was pleased to see that maybe they weren't the lying pirates I had made them out to be. Some items in the food court do still have higher prices compared to competitors, but can you really put a price on convenience?

The food court has served me well over the four years I have spent meandering around Ole Miss. It was home to the only Chick-fil-a in town until earlier this year! Located in the heart of campus, the food court offers convenience unparalleled for students living in the dorm or studying for hours on campus.

Oxford University Transit, the cheap public chauffer system.

Oxford Mississippi is one of those towns whose population tends to swell at specific times during the year, being a college town. Oxford decided to start a public bus system to help with busy streets, but on the busiest of days(during a football game) the buses get rerouted to avoid going onto campus. In most big cities, public buses are a fairly common sight. Oxford is one of the towns that is just on the edge in average size of being able to support a public bus system.







To find out the bus times and destinations, check the Oxford University Transit website. University of Mississippi students are one of the selection of riders that can ride for free. This helps those who live in the dorms and are often low on cash. Students can catch the bus at the University of Mississippi Student Union and get off at Wal-Mart to do some shopping.





After the first of the year, OUT will have a few more destinations. This will help more people ride who currently don't because of no stops in a reasonable place for them to get on. So if you need to head out and are considering saving gas while doing it, or just want to go on a reasonably cheap tour of part of town, look for bus stop nearest you.

ASB rejects proposal to make accommodations for visually impaired students

Recently the Associated Student Body (ASB) at the University of Mississippi rejected a bill to make accommodations within the ASB available to students with disabilities. The bill, authored by journalism senator Courtney Powell, requested that the ASB offer its code and constitution along with the senate rules in both large-print and audio format for visually impaired students. According to Powell, she submitted the piece of legislation in an effort to ensure that all students, regardless of disability, have equal opportunity to participate in student government.


When the legislation was presented to the floor at a regular Tuesday night meeting, many questions were raised about the cost and practicality of providing such formats. There are 25 students who currently qualify for the accommodations. "Who are we as the governing student body to say we dont want to make these accommodations for them?" said Powell. "They should feel as involved in their student government as any other student." However, Powell said she somewhat taken aback by some of the criticism of the bill, particularly by one fellow senator who asked, "Can we not just provide them with reading glasses?".

Currently there are three copies of the ASB code and constitution available in the J.D. Williams Library, the law library as well as the ASB office. Powell says she will pay for the large-print and audio formats out of her own pocket to ensure that all students, able bodied or not, have an opportunity to participate in student government.