2012_01_17

January 17, 2013 Volume 97 Issue 30

STUDENT PRINTZThe

SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927

www.studentprintz.com

INDEXCalendar ........................ 2News .............................. 3Arts & Entertainment......5Feature ............................6Sports...............................7

FENCE

Page 5

Thursday

54/29Friday

58/31Saturday

63/37Page 3 Page 7

BASKETBALLDJANGO WEATHER

a.m.

A Hattiesburg resident was arrested Tuesday, and one more is on the loose af-ter the University Police De-partment responded to an on-campus theft at Barnes & Noble at Southern Miss.

Ricky Ricardo King, who is not a Southern Miss student, was picked up by UPD after a Barnes & Noble employee re-ported the theft of textbooks, University Police Chief Bob Hopkins said Wednesday af-ternoon.

Hopkins said two suspects allegedly entered the book-store early Tuesday and were spotted stealing textbooks by an employee of the store. After reviewing surveillance footage, police were able to identify two suspects and be-gin their investigation.

Hopkins said police re-ceived another call later Tues-day afternoon alerting them that one of the suspects had returned to the bookstore. When police arrived, King allegedly fled the scene, run-ning through out of the front entrance near the Walker Sci-ence Building. Hopkins said police chased King for ap-proximately one block before arresting him. The textbooks were recovered by police.

The second suspect had not yet been arrested, and King was being held in the Forrest County Jail without bond Wednesday night.

Arrest made in campus

theft

ON CAMPUS

Tyler HillNews Editor

After the fatal shooting of 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last month, the discussion of gun control legislation has once again come up, and the controversy has in-tensified.

President Barack Obama pro-posed a new assault weapons ban on Wednesday, including mandatory background checks for gun buyers. The president expressed outrage over the New-town school massacre in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza used a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle to kill 26 people before taking his own life on Dec. 14. The tragedy then drove Obama to implement the biggest U.S. gun-control ad-vance in decades.

Obama unveiled his plan at the White House at noon Wednesday to an audience made up of rela-tives of the Sandy Hook victims and gun control advocates. He also signed into e� ect 23 execu-tive actions, or orders that don’t require Congressional approval.

Moments after Obama’s ad-dress, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bry-ant released a statement asking Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Speaker of the Mississippi House Philip Gunn to pass legislation block-ing the enforcement of Obama’s executive actions.

“It is the right of citizens to bear arms,” Gunn said. “� e founders of our country recognized the wisdom of that right, and they provided for it in our Constitution and they realized it is the right of every American citizen to protect themselves because law enforce-ment cannot be everywhere.”

But Bryant and Gunn are not the only Mississippians speak-ing out against Obama’s pro-posed legislation.

“I am a tireless supporter of Second Amendment rights and the protection for individuals to keep and bear arms,” Congress-man Steven Palazzo said in a press release Wednesday. “The requests the president made of Congress today fly in the face of those rights and demonstrate an increasingly reckless disregard for the Constitution and con-gressional authority. I will not support such measures.”

However, Obama argues that there is a need for action in gun control legislation, and it should happen quickly.

“We can’t put this o� any lon-ger,” Obama said, vowing to use “whatever weight this o� ce holds”

to make his proposals reality.“Congress must act soon,” he

said.Obama’s plan pushes Con-

gress to revamp an assault weap-ons prohibition that expired in 2004, close loopholes in gun show sales, require background checks before every gun pur-chase, ban magazines that allow more than 10 rounds of ammu-nition and implement a federal gun trafficking law.

The 23 executive actions in-cluded launching a campaign for safe and responsible gun ownership, providing incen-tives for schools to hire school resource officers, clarifying that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors from ask-ing patients about guns in their homes, improving incentives for states to share information with

the federal background check system and reviewing safety standards for gun locks and safes, among others.

Despite the expectation that Congress will oppose a renewed ban on military-style assault weapons, the president feels strongly about the ban.

“Let me be absolutely clear,” Obama said. “I believe the Sec-ond Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. I respect our strong tradition of gun ownership and the rights of hunters and sportsmen...I believe most of them agree that if America worked harder to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be fewer atrocities like the one that occurred in Newtown. That’s what these reforms are designed to do.”

Obama unveils gun control planNATIONAL

Rachel BeechPrintz Writer

U.S. President Barack Obama signs a series of executive orders about his administration’s new gun law proposals in the Eisenhower Executive Offi ce building Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

MCT Campus

Mississippi legislators vow to oppose stricter laws

CalendarPage 2, Student Printz Thursday, January 17, 2013

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Mark Your Planner17 18 19 20 21

All DayNo Classes - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

10 a.m. The Legacy Spring Membership DriveTCC Atrium and Shoemaker Square

11 a.m.SMAC Spring Events TablingShoemaker Square

6:30 p.m.

Gospel Choir RehearsalStout Hall A

9 a.m.RUF Informational TableUnion Lobby

10 a.m. The Legacy Spring Membership DriveTCC Atrium and Shoemaker Square

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11:45 a.m.USM Wesley Foundation Free Lunch ThursdayUSM Wesley Building

6:30 p.m.Gospel Choir RehearsalStout Hall Room A

7 p.m.RUF Large Group Bible StudyStout Hall Room B

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News Student Printz, Page 3Thursday, January 17, 2013

Winter break brought many physical changes to the University of Southern Mississippi’s campus, one of the most noticeable being the start of a fence that will sur-round the perimeter of campus.

The three sections of the fence that have been proposed thus far include from U.S. 49 to the Jazz Lab on Hardy Street, a 4th Street fence extending in front of Cen-tury Park, and a U.S. 49 fence stretching from Hardy Street to Felder Street. The fence is a part of the university’s long-range land-scaping plan.

The fence panel will stand about six feet tall and will be made of ornamental iron materials. There will be decorative posts, and on the Hardy Street section of the fence, there will flowers and up lighting at each post.

Butch Nobles, owner of Hatties-burg-based Nobles Contracting, said the fence is expected to reach completion in about 45 days.

“The fence project hit a couple of delays whenever the rain hit the area, and the brick we ordered to match the Administration Building and Centennial Gateway on campus was delayed,” Nobles said. “Thank-

fully, the brick has arrived, and once the weather clears up, the project will be underway full-force again.”

Many have questioned the pur-pose of the fence and the reason-ing behind erecting a fence of this size and caliber around a campus that already feels small.

Joe Paul, Vice President of Stu-dent Affairs, said the fence is being constructed in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT).

“With the construction of the fence, we hope to funnel pedes-trians to the safest places for them to walk on campus as well as pro-tect those who are walking around campus near the busy roads the fence will be lining,” Paul said.

According to Paul, funding for the fence is not coming from the univer-sity, but from an MDOT grant.

Reactions from students have been mixed, ranging from anger and confusion to happiness and excitement about construction fi-nally beginning on the fence.

Evan Mathis, a sophomore com-munications major, said he has not warmed up to the idea of the fence just yet.

“Southern Miss is known for its open and inviting campus, and I’m worried the fence will close campus off and will take away the warm appeal campus presents to

visitors and the outside commu-nity,” Mathis said.

However, Zach Jones, a senior English major, is excited about the completion of the fence.

“I feel the fence will definitely be very clean and attractive to those viewing campus, so I’m eager to see it when it’s completed,” Jones said. “I’m not sure how much more protection it’ll offer to students,

but I do believe it’ll look great.”As of now, no impacts to the

flow of traffic in and around cam-pus are expected because of the fence’s construction.

Paul asked for students and the Hattiesburg community to keep in mind that the construction of the fence and different facilities on campus will help with the beauty of the campus. Paul reminded stu-

dents, faculty and staff to be pa-tient and willing to work around the construction as changes con-tinue to occur.

“It’s just a messy time of year with the rain and weather and con-struction, but I personally want to assure the campus that when Founder’s Day arrives, Southern Miss will be looking beautiful,” Paul said.

Construction starts on campus fenceON CAMPUS

Carly TynesPrintz Writer

Construction continues on a new fence around campus.Lenore Seal/Printz

Beginning Feb. 1, former As-sociate Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer at Mississippi State Uni-versity Chase Kasper will serve as the new Director of the Office of Technology Development at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“I believe the University of Southern Mississippi has unique opportunities to effectively transi-tion the fruits of its research en-terprise out for the public benefit,”

Kasper said in a press release. “In addition the energy and the spirit of the people at USM has been im-pressive. In combination, I believe this can lead to some exciting op-portunities.”

Kasper will oversee much in his post as director, including tech-nology development policies and procedures, university technology plans, and technology department staff training and development.

Kasper has spent a total of 23

years in the field of technology: 13 in the private sector and 10 in

university settings. He holds bach-elor of business administration and

master of business administration degrees from MSU.

Kasper named director of USM tech department

News Thursday, January 17, 2013Page 4, Student Printz

The original Louisiana sub - the po’boy! Any Po’Boy sandwich on our menu included.

ThrowbackThursday $5

Friday$5 The campus

favorite soup, salad, and pizza bar.

Military Monday $5A tribute to our military! Includes Dome Burger and drink with valid Military ID.

Get your favorite wings! (increments of 6)Flavor choices include BBQ, Lemon Pepper,Buffalo, and Original.

Wild Wednesday $.40

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Attention chicken lovers!Your choice of chicken on a stick, chicken and waffles, or chicken tender basket.

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Friday hours: 11 am - 2 pm

Specials valid 4 pm - Close

Mississippi sees annual flu spikeState

Over the winter break, Missis-sippi saw a spike in cases of the flu. Though most flu seasons see a large spike followed by a steady decline in cases, there is still a chance for a statewide relapse, with much of the nation still deal-ing with widespread outbreaks.

The 2012-2013 season has proven to be different than the last two years, with a large increase of people with flu-like symptoms fairly early in the season, and most years’ cases peaking in late January or February. This sudden increase has caused shortages in flu vaccines in certain areas of the country, according to Health Day and the Los Angeles Times.

Even with a majority of states reporting widespread cases of flu, Mississippi is one of the three states with the virus affecting only specific regions of their borders.

“The South was hit early,” said Thomas Dobbs, state epidemi-ologist and the district health officer for Hattiesburg.

Mississippi started to see a sharp rise in flu cases in late October and early November. Since then, this season has been classified as “severe.”

“The flu season is unpredict-able,” Dobbs said. “There is a lot that goes into it.”

One contributing factor to widespread instances of the flu is a lack of people getting vac-cinated. Currently, about one in three Mississippians have gotten

the shot that protects against that season’s most common versions of the flu, leaving people vulner-able to only the rarer strains.

“It’s not perfect, but it works,” Dobbs said.

Despite national shortages, flu shots are still readily available in Forrest County.

“If you start to feel ill and

think you have the flu, come and see us,” said Ashley Threatt, a health educator and assess-ment officer at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Though it would have been more effective to get the flu shot about four months ago, Thre-att still recommends getting the vaccination because of the likeli-

hood of contracting the virus by being in proximity to someone already infected.

“The university setting is dif-ferent from most places,” Thre-att said. “You aren’t going to sit next to a person at Walmart for a hour and a half.”

In addition to improving the immune system with these vacci-

nations, Threatt suggested taking medicines such as Tamiflu and Mucinex to help deal with this upper respiratory disease. These medicines are available through the USM clinic, as well as test-ing for potential diseases with a starting price of $15.

Chase LadnerPrintz Writer

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Flu vaccinations are still available at the Beedie Smith Health Clinic on campus as well as various locations in the Hattiesburg area. Photo Illustration: Chris Little/Student Printz

Arts & Entertainment Student Printz, Page 5Thursday, January 17, 2013

‘Suit and Tie’: LackingMuSic

After a six-year musical hia-tus, Justin Timberlake hit the studio and is bringing sexy back yet again. His newest single, “Suit and Tie,” dropped Monday, and it has quickly shot up to the number one spot on the iTunes top singles chart. The Timbaland produced track features a verse by rapper Jay-Z. After keeping fans waiting for something new, there was much hype and high expectations surrounding the new single, and, unfortunately, it seems that JT’s latest efforts have fallen a little flat.

Don’t get me wrong, “Suit and Tie” isn’t necessarily a bad song. I won’t immediately flip the chan-nel when it comes on like I did with some of the top charting tracks from this past year, such as “Gangham Style” or anything by LMFAO. I’m just disappointed because I expected much more

from Mr. Timberlake.Lyrically this song just con-

fuses me. The intro sounds like something that could have come straight from a Lonely Island song, and the remainder does not do much to redeem its open-

ing moments. Any time an art-ist refers to himself as “daddy,” I cannot help but get incredibly uncomfortable. His characteris-tic falsetto voice sounds on point throughout, but I wish the lyrics had more substance.

Not only did Justin disap-

point, but I was also let down with Jay-Z’s verse on the track. I know he can kill it; I’ve heard his music. I just felt like his verse was pretty average, considering the past work of this rap veteran.

I have to give props to Timba-land from a production aspect for the song. Per its name, the instrumental portion of the track seemed to embody the classiness of a tuxedo, complete with a horn section. There is a lot of variety to the sound, and it has a cohesive-ness that doesn’t leave listeners feeling confused.

Like I said, it is not a bad song, but it is just not up to par with the standards that the artist has set for himself. It is mediocre, and left me wanting something more. Here is hoping that the next single is better than this one.

‘Django’ causes controversyMovie

“Django Unchained” is caus-ing much controversy and hype among movie critics. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film is full of violence and dark humor. Like Tarantino’s other films, there are several scenes that, for some, are almost too graphic for viewing. The question that is getting tossed around is if violent films, such as most of Tarantino’s work, are to blame for the violence that hap-pens in reality.

In an interview with Channel Four News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Tarantino refused to answer any questions about the relation between film violence and real violence.

“I’ve explained this many times in 20 years, but I just refuse to re-peat myself over and over again because you want me to for you and your show and your ratings,” Tarantino said.

The comedy-drama stars Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio. Foxx plays Django, a freed slave in search of his wife, played by Washing-ton. Django and Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) scour the state of Mis-sissippi in hopes of rescuing her

from the Candie Mansion, a large slave plantation.

Tarantino’s rant did not harm its box office status, however. In fact, it may have brought more attention to the film. The film is being accused of overusing ra-cial slurs and racial abuse and of exalting violence, but Tarantino does an epic job of capturing the torture slaves had to experience.

The story portrayed did not actually happen, though. Taran-

tino was simply attempting to direct the movie how he best saw fit, meaning he depicted slavery on plantations as he thought it would have been. In my opinion, the movie is among the first to come even close to capturing the magnitude of slavery. This is a Tarantino film, after all. What else would you expect except violence and bad language?

Getting away from all of the controversy, the film itself rates

among the best of 2012. Although several parts are funny, I caught myself on the edge of my seat with all of the tension and drama. This film is 165 minutes of pure inten-sity. “Django Unchained” kept me wanting to know more about Django and the kind German man who freed him.

Better actors could not have been cast. It is as if each was spe-cifically groomed for their roles. The film won the Golden Globe

for Best Screenplay, and Waltz won for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I highly suggest you do so.

Caitlin SealePrintz Writer

Courtesy Photo

“Django Unchained” has been nominated for numerous awards, including Golden Globe and Academy.MCT Campus

Arielle EdwardsPrintz Writer

Tarantino’s newest film has gained increasing nationwide attention for its racial themes, graphic violence and use of profanity.

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This was an article of opinion by Caitlin Seale, a writer for the Student Printz. Email questions or comments to [email protected].

This was an article of opinion by Ari-elle Edwards, a writer for the Student Printz. Email questions or comments to [email protected].

Feature Thursday, January 17, 2013Page 6, Student Printz

Student Shout-outs

To see your anonymous comment in � e Student Printz, submit it under the ‘Contact’ tab on

studentprintz.com.

”

“Fresh Food, change the cheese.

Everyone should be at the Em-erson Drive Concert Saturday! Free food and great music fol-lowed by a USM Basketball game! #BeThere #BeatUAB #SMTTT

Dear cartographers of USM, The building JBG build-ing, formally known as the speech and hearing building, is not on any of the maps, update them. Also, I tried getting a pineap-ple from the fresh yesterday, turns out it was a cleverly disguised cut up apple coat-ed in sugar. Well done FFC.

Did Frat Drive turn into a drag strip and no one told me??? Please slow down! If you haven’t noticed there are 2 schools on this road. Dubard and the Chil-dren’s Center. Wee little people are all around. Please slow down.

I wish President Obama had as much enthusiasm for spending control as he does for gun control.

Who’s coming to play in the snow with me?!

I knew you were trouble when you walked in.

If you don’t have Snap Chat you are missing out. Like seriously. It’s the greatest thing ever.

Congratulations to all the Greeks for their great GPAs this semester!!! Greek Life TTT!!!

Pitch Perfect. Clearly the best movie of all time. Aca-awesome. If you disagree you’re aca-awful.

Don’t forget to come out and see Emerson Drive this weekend!! So impressed with Southern Miss getting good entertainment. Take notes, Eaglepalooza direc-tors.

Since we’re talking about movies, everyone should go check out ‘A Haunted House.’ SO FUNNY!!!!

The National Pan-Hellenic Council would also like to commend the following Greeks Scholars for Academic Excellence.

(* Denotes a 4.0 GPA)

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Above a 3.5 GPADonald Holmes II

Above a 3.0 GPARyan Kyle Luethje

Darius Jonte Hobson

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Above a 3.5 GPAJazmyne Elizabeth Butler*

Ebonie Nicole HopkinsTameka Kiana PotterTakara B Calangan

She'aa Brooke McEwenShe'aa Brooke McEwenCandanise Reaonna Walter

Karen Trenice JohnsonKierra La'Rece Garner

Above a 3.0 GPABergandee Nichelle Hibbler

Ella Latrice LatikerLa'Keishanal Shonte' JacksonLa'Keishanal Shonte' Jackson

Chambre P RatliffAshley Alicia Strawder

Keshia Marie DillonJamera Renee' McDonaldChandra Patrice Holmes

Ebony Sheney WillinghamAshley Symone BettsAshley Symone Betts

Monique Denise BroganNikeshia Patrice Green

Alexandria Sinclair HerringtonChristy Leaanna PaceShonice N Musgrove

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Above a 3.5 GPACandace D Pickett

Above a 3.0 GPAMia Chavanghn Reed

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.

Above a 3.5 GPAAshley Nicole Barnes*

JosLynn Yvonne Grant*Carmen Aquita Omeika Moore

Deonica Marcha DavisAllie Rebecca SolomonAllie Rebecca SolomonAnnie Marie Jackson

Miranda A King

Above a 3.0 GPAKendra Renee SmithSaqueta L Simmons

Amanda R LoverEricka Jean StieberEricka Jean Stieber

Josie Pearl MuirheadKaaja Jo'el Holder

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Above a 3.5 GPAWilton Charles Jackson

Broddrick LaDontray RuffinLyeneal Deshun Griffin

Gordon Keith BradyTrent McKenzie JohnsonTrent McKenzie Johnson

Damon Cortez McClatcheyTaylor Joseph Booth

Above a 3.0 GPAMorris Bevily IV

Hilton Tremaine TurnerJoshua Jared Dishmon

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Above a 3.0 GPAGerald Alex West

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Above a 3.5 GPABrodrick Allen Myers *Jeremy Lorenzo EvansWillie James Reece Jr

Above a 3.0 GPALee Andrew BrooksLee Andrew Brooks

JaVon LaDarrius Atterberry

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Above a 3.5 GPA Brandi Ren'a Carter *

Nikita Sherrell McMillian *Jasmine Michelle Naylor *

Denisa Brooks Washington* Akita Kumara SpannAkita Kumara SpannKaneeshia A AbneyJalisa Iesha KeyesKathryn E WinsleyJalisa Marie Strauss

Above a 3.0 GPAJessica L Fielder

Amanda Danielle BrumfieldAmanda Danielle BrumfieldRakaeja Jamese Nickson

Charla Le'Na PaytonLaToya Tiara BracyAlyssia Jerreka Cole

Shaniqua L'oreal DavisDiamond L Forkner

LaRaven Danyale LoveLaRaven Danyale LoveDessrae Z Edison

Aypril Bennay HughesBrandi Nicole McgeeAsha Dianne Staples

Shannia Racia BridgesTanesha Lasha Barnes

The National Pan Hellenic Council would like to commend the Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for their Outstanding Commitment to Serve the Community.

These ladies completed nearly 5000 hours of community service in the Fall of 2012! Good job ladies!

The National Pan-Hellenic Council would like to recognize Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. for their Outstanding Academic Performance.

These organizations have the highest GPAs in the NPHC.

While many students spent winter break at home working or catching up on much-needed rest, a group of University of Southern Mississippi students from the entertainment indus-try department spent a week in Nashville, Tenn. experiencing the music scene, making contacts in the music business and earn-ing class credit.

Despite giving up a week of their break from classes, stu-dents in attendance said they gained hands-on experience that will translate to their fu-ture careers.

For senior entertainment in-dustry (production) major Josh Sullivan, making contacts in Music City was one of the most enjoyable aspects.

“Networking is never a guar-anteed thing, so how much a stu-dent gets out of it is up to them,” Sullivan said. “Everywhere we went, I was shaking hands, in-troducing myself and just trying to make connections.”

To Sullivan, the trip was in-valuable.

“You never know when you’re going to show up in their office several years down the road, and they’ll remember you from that one class trip,” Sullivan said.

The idea for a trek to Nash-ville came from Drew Young, a professor in the entertainment industry department and art-ist in residence. Young had the idea a year ago to create this trip as a sort of domestic study project for the students in his department. Nashville was the perfect destination for the pro-gram because it is a center for the music industry.

“The country music world, and Nashville specifically, has done a really good job of chang-ing, developing and thriving in a constantly changing indus-try,” Young said. “Dr. Campbell [our department chair] was great and really open to the trip; there was an overwhelm-ing amount of support from USM as a whole.”

While on the trip, there was no down time for students, as they rushed from meeting to meeting with industry executives in the area. Young said the goal of the trip was to keep students busy and learning. Students had the

opportunity to schmooze with an agent at the William Morris Endeavor, one of the top talent agencies in the world. Other meetings included time with the Vice President of ASCAP and the largest live sound company in the world, Clair Brothers Au-dio Systems, which provided touring sound equipment for artists such as Paramore and Creed. They also met with Stacy Widelitz, who wrote the song “She’s Like the Wind” with Pat-rick Swayze that was featured in

the film “Dirty Dancing.”“I had a hit list of people that

I knew in the area,” Young said. “I wanted to make sure that there was a local connection from Hat-tiesburg, Mississippi, or Louisi-ana for the students to meet with while they were in Nashville.”

One of those local connec-tions was Hattiesburg native Craig Wiseman, who has writ-ten 20 No. 1 hits.

Paul West, a senior entertain-ment industry (management) major, gained a lot from the trip.

“It opened my eyes to how the industry actually works, because in Nashville you’re surrounded by it,” West said. “You can’t ig-nore it because in that city there is always something going on. It opened my eyes to the fact that I can actually do this, and I can actually be successful.”

Students spend Christmas break studying in Tenn.

STUDENT LIFE

Caitlin SealePrintz Writer

Sports Student Printz, Page 7Thursday, January 17, 2013

� e Southern Miss Athletic De-partment, in partnership with the Southern Miss Activities Council, will provide a free concert featuring the Grammy-nominated country band Emerson Drive on Saturday at

Pride Field before the men’s basket-ball game against UAB.

� e band is known for several hit songs, including top � ve hits “I Should be Sleeping” and “Fall Into Me,” as well as Billboard number one song “Moments.”

� e concert is scheduled from 3 until 4:30 p.m. and will be part of the day-long celebration of Southern

Miss basketball history. A luncheon at Mugshots Grill to honor the 1987 NIT Championship team at 11:30 a.m. as well as a conference bas-ketball game against UAB at 5 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum are also scheduled for Saturday.

Southern Miss Associate Athletic Director of Marketing and Commu-nications Brent Jones expressed his

excitement about the event.“� e Athletic Department in

conjunction with the university is extremely pleased to o� er all of our students, fans, alumni and residents of South Mississippi a great weekend centered on Southern Miss basket-ball,” Jones said.

“It is our hope to have one of the greatest basketball weekends ever

with all of these di� erent events tak-ing place,” Jones said. “� e Athletic Department is most grateful for the partnership of the university and es-pecially the Southern Miss Activities Council, who without their support, time and energy, this wonderful event would not have been possible.”

Emerson Drive coming to campusON CAMPUS

Kyle SmithSports Editor

Upcoming Games:

Southern Miss Box Score:Men’s Basketball

01/16 at SMU W, 74-70

Women’s Basketball01/13 at Memphis L, 63-57

01/17/137 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs. SMUHattiesburg, Miss.

01/19/135 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. UABHattiesburg, Miss.

All Day Track and Field, Cross CountryAuburn IndoorAuburn, Ala.

10 a.m. Women’s Tennis vs. William CareyHattiesburg, Miss.

Southern Miss Sports

01/20/131 p.m. Women’s Basketball at UCFOrlando, Fla.

1 p.m. Women’s Tennis vs. Jackson State Hattiesburg, Miss.

01/21/131 p.m. Men’s Tennis at LSUBaton Rouge, La.

� e NBA o� season was marked by big name acquisitions for mar-quee franchises that have not paid the dividends that were expected.

� e Los Angeles Lakers made the biggest splashes by acquiring the heralded tandem of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. A� er these deals, the Lakers were expected by almost everyone to be in the upper echelon of elite teams in the NBA. � at has not come anywhere close to frui-tion, as the Lakers have sputtered to

a dismal 17-21 record and are cur-rently three games back of the eighth and � nal playo� spot in the Western Conference. � ey are also on their second head coach this season af-ter they � red Mike Brown just � ve games into the season for the likes of Mike D’Antoni.

The Philadelphia 76ers were expected to be amongst the best teams in the Eastern Confer-ence after acquiring all-star cen-ter Andrew Bynum in the same trade that netted the Lakers with Howard. However, Bynum is yet to play a game for the Six-ers after having knee surgery in

Germany in the offseason and re-injuring it while bowling. The 76ers find themselves four games out of the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

� ree teams stick out as the best teams in the league, and none of them made a � ashy addition to their roster. � ose teams are the defending cham-pion Miami Heat, Oklahoma City � under, and Los Angeles Clippers.

� e � under made a � ashy sub-traction when they dealt reigning sixth Man of the Year to the Hous-ton Rockets right before the season. James Harden forced their hand by declining a � under contract o� er in hopes of getting a max contract elsewhere, which he received upon arrival in Houston.

Despite losing Harden, the � un-der raced out the gates to an NBA best 30-8 record. Kevin Durant has led the � under and has some ex-perts believing that he, not LeBron James, is the best player in the NBA. Durant has become the closer for the � under and raises his game to another level when the game is on the line, something James has been criticized for not doing since he en-tered the league.

All is not bad in the world of LeB-ron James, though, as the Heat own the best record in the Eastern Con-ference. He also leads his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

� e biggest surprise of the elite teams in the NBA is the Clippers. � ey have spent the majority of their existence as the other team in LA, but this year they have truly broken out. � ey trail only the � under in the Western Conference by a mere half a game. � e addition of journey-man sixth man Jamaal Crawford has helped elevate the Clippers into elite status, along with the emergence of backup point guard Eric Bledsoe.

� e Lakers are not even the sec-ond best team in the state of Califor-nia. � e perennial bottom dweller Golden State Warriors have shocked the NBA this season, as they own the � � h best record in the West.

� roughout the years, the War-riors have possessed high dra� picks, and those picks have turned around the franchise. Young studs Stephen Curry and Harrison Barnes have helped lead the way, along with veteran David Lee.

It is hard to judge who the real contenders are this season beyond

the likes of the Heat, � under, Clip-pers and Spurs. Teams such as the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls have all been up and down this season.

Of those teams, the Bulls have the best chance to break out and become a legitimate contender. � ey cur-rently sit � � h in the Eastern Con-ference and have done so without former MVP Derrick Rose. Rose is currently rehabbing a torn ACL that he su� ered in the � rst round of last year’s playo� s.

Upon his return, the Bulls should become one of the scarier teams in the league and could contend for a spot in the NBA Finals. As it sits now, it is hard to make an argu-ment for any teams outside the Heat, � under and Clippers.

Of the big name acquisitions this year, Rose returning to the Bulls will have the biggest impact among the contenders. Unless there is some dras-tic change in power in the NBA, it most likely will come down to those four teams to hoist the trophy come May, when the contenders and pretenders will be separated in the playoffs.

It doesn’t always pay big to play bigNATIONAL

Joshua CampbellPrintz Writer

Southern Miss Golden Eagle forward Daveon Boardingham (11) charges to the basket as Southern Methodist Mustangs center Jordan Dickerson (30) defends during the fi rst half at Moody Coliseum Wednesday night. The Eagles beat the Mustangs 74-70. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

US Presswire

The Student Printz Thursday, January 17, 2013Page 8, Student Printz

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