The Student Printz November 9, 2022 | Volume 108 Issue 11

USM Campus Demands More Answers from Officials

BY ABIGAIL TROTH SM2 STAFF

National attention has been on Southern Miss for a few years now, all of it stemming from one thing: the alleged Mississippi welfare scandal.

It’s a broken record at this point. Brett Favre, Nancy New, John Davis and many others worked with the USM Athletic Foundation to build the Wellness Center on campus. Evidently, this led to $77 million dollars of state welfare funds being embezzled, multiple arrests and a nationwide scandal that involves our own campus.

After months of countless requests for interviews, comments and statements, USM Communica tions finally released a statement on the infamous welfare scandal.

“In 2017, with the approval of the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), the University of Southern Missis sippi Athletic Foundation signed a five-year agreement with the Mississippi Community Educa tion Center (MCEC) for its use of existing athletic facilities and future use of the then to-be-construct ed Wellness Center, for proposed MCEC programming and services to benefit thousands of eligible individuals in south Mississippi.”

The Office of University Commu nications said. “The University and the Athletic Foundation engaged in this agreement in good faith, following thorough due diligence by outside legal counsel, and after multiple assurances from officials at the highest levels of MDHS.

Faculty Senate blindsided by USM statement on Volleyball Gym Welfare Scandal

BY SIMEON GATES SM2 STAFF

Late last week there were new developments in the alleged welfare fraud scandal. USM released a statement announcing their intentions to use campus facil ities “for the benefit of Missis sippi families and individuals.”

The Mississippi Department of Human Services, IHL President Tom Duff and USM’s faculty senate responded, all voicing concerns about the university’s handling of the scandal and plans for restitution.

As previously reported, USM released a statement on Thursday, Nov. 3 respond ing to the welfare scandal. In it, they stated that they were “deeply troubled” by the scandal. The university said that they had done their due diligence in handling the construction of the volleyball stadium.

“Unfortunately, that due diligence did not and could not uncover the alleged fraud by the MDHS grant fiducia ries…,” they said.

The statement also revealed that they planned to propose to the Mississippi Department of Human Services a plan to use campus facilities to help the local community.

MDHS released their own statement that same day, shoot ing down the proposal, calling it a violation of federal law which bars use of welfare funds for con struction projects.

“MDHS cannot accept USM’s

Sean Smith | SM2 Photo Editor

The USM volleyball team plays a recent match at the Wellness Center on the Hattiesburg campus.

The Student Printz is the student-produced newspaper of the Southern Miss Student Media Center (SM2) in the School of Media and Communication at The University of Southern Mississippi. It is published every Wednesday morning and updated online at www.SM2media.com. The newspaper has been printed since 1927, serving the campus and community with news and information. Today, SM2 student journalists and media producers create and share stories with multiple medias on mul tiple platforms using the most modern technology housed in College Hall. SM2 includes Southern Miss Radio, Southern Miss TV, Southern Miss, SM2 Creative, and SM2 Strategic Communication.

Opinions

Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publication manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.

Editorial Policy

The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not represent those of the faculty, staff or administration of The University of Southern Mississippi. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submission must include name, class distinction, major, phone number and email address. Submissions should be emailed to printzeditors@ gmail.com by 5 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Please limit them to 500 words or less. The Student Printz reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space or journalistic ethics.

4th Street Sports Producer

Charlie Luttrell charles.luttrell@usm.edu

SM2

Director Austin Lindsey austin.lindsey@usm.edu

SM2 Sports Reporter Dima Mixon joshua.mixon@usm.edu

Sports

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

unfortunately, that due dil igence did not and could not uncover the alleged fraud by the MDHS grant fiduciaries that was reported nearly two years after the Athletic Foundation signed the agreement with MCEC. Although MCEC shared projec tions of planned programming with the University, its actual utilization of the facilities did not align with those projections.”

University officials revealed that they are “deeply troubled” by the scandal, and that they intend to work diligently with investigators.

However, to many on cam pus, this is not enough. For weeks, USM’s student body has expressed their disgust and an ger at the scandal; most of it di rected towards Favre. Through bold Halloween costumes, pe titions to remove him from the Eagle Walk and vigorous media slander, students at USM have confidently expressed their feel ings towards the situation.

USM’s recent statement was only the cherry on top for the student body.

Many students pointed out how USM failed to address paying the money back. And above all, many students addressed their dissatisfaction with USM’s de layed release and that the uni versity will “refrain from further statements”.

Student Timaria Fondren had her own concerns with the state ment and the scandal.

something else.” Fondren said.

Fondren is one of many stu dents who has expressed dis appointment with USM for the scandal. Fondren expressed her anger with USM for the mishan dling of the welfare funds and that has evidently left USM in a bad public eye.

Many students are still re questing answers and still fer vently condemning USM for their involvement in the scandal.

The student body universally agrees—USM messed up.

Many students saw the re lease of the statement as de layed, and lacking information needed to clarify more of the situation within the scandal.

“I understand wanting to make a place for the women’s volleyball team…but what they did goes against the Southern Miss values I always hear people preaching about. They could’ve gone about it in an honest way. They could’ve raised the money themselves. They could’ve done

“...the sad thing about it is, part of me thinks the punish ment they could receive won’t be nearly as severe as it should be.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

offer to utilize the building constructed with TANF funds in lieu of repayment of the funds, because we believe it to be a continued violation of the law and the purpose of the TANF program to help lift needy fam ilies out of poverty,” the state ment read.

That same day, IHL President Tom Duff spoke to Mississippi Today. He criticized USM for not handling the project more responsibly. He also called for the school to repay the money they received.

“Right’s right, and wrong’s wrong. That’s just the way I look at it,” he told Mississippi Today.

SM2 reached out via email to James Coll, Chief Communica tion Officer at USM’s Office of Communications for a comment on Mississippi Today’s story. He responded with a statement from university President Joe Paul: “I respect and appreciate the position of IHL President Duff. The University will con tinue to follow the guidance of our governing board and co operate with all state and legal entities to resolve this matter within legal constraints.”

The faculty senate called a meeting the following day, November 4, where they dis cussed USM’s statement and the response to the scandal. The senate had drafted their own

statement and shown it to Paul and Dr. Gordon Cannon, the interim provost. Then the uni versity revised that statement and released it on Thursday.

Many members felt USM’s statement was an attempt to avoid responsibility and shift the narrative, and that their voices had been stifled. They also doubted the university’s ability to repay the money, as well as exactly how the univer sity planned to use its facilities to help the community. Overall, they were frustrated with the situation, with the forces that al lowed the fraud to happen, and with the university’s response.

Dr. Max Grivno, history pro fessor at USM, said at the meet ing that they drafted a “mea sured and thoughtful statement.”

“I am dissappointed— not that the university issued a statement, after all that was our goal—I am however disspointed that when we extended them the courtesy of seeing a rough draft of the statement, they essential ly preempted us. Which to my mind had the effect of denying the faculty a voice in this dis cussion. “

Grivno said up until now, there had been no formal state ment from the faculty senate concerning the TANF scandal.

“It struck me that if the ad ministration had wanted to re spond in a way that honored the spirit of shared governance, they could have reached out and said

perhaps we can draft a statement together. Or perhaps they could have released a statement imme diately after ours,” Grivno said at the faculty senate meeting.

Grivno stated at the meeting that it felt like the university at tempted to frame the discussion with the statement.

“That was certainly the im pression that I had in the last paragraph of the university statement which said this is all we are going to say until the in vestigation is finished,” Grivno said at the meeting.

Grivno told SM2 Media that the first concern he had is that the university’s statement con cluded in such a way that it seemed to put an end to the con versation, at least as it concerns making records available to the public.

“The second concern is that the University will not be re leasing all of its documents concerning the scandal,” Grivno said. “The university stated that people could file FOIA requests, but those take time and effort from the people who want to know more about what hap pened.”

An issue that came up again and again but the univer sity has not addressed is wheth er or not to repay the money they received. SM2 Staff has published an editorial on the matter, and the sentiment was echoed by Duff. However, some at the senate meeting had res

ervations about the idea. Even if the university could repay the money, they were unsure if it would actually go to the right place.

Mississippi Today also re leased other information regard ing where the welfare dollars were spent around the school. The news outlet reports that the volleyball gym “wasn’t the only project supported by welfare dollars.”

According to Mississippi Today, the university entered into a similar lease agreement for $200,000 to renovate the Jim and Thomas Duff Athletic Cen ter’s M-Club Room. Mississippi Today states that a forensic audit shows that the welfare depart ment paid USM an additional $840,000 in welfare funds for a “Healthy Choices Program.”

Documents obtained by Mis sissippi Today show that USM entered TANF grant agreements with both MDHS and Nancy New’s nonprofit from 2016-2019 for a program called “Student Development Program” which paid for “specialty performance drinks, pop sockets, and mas sages.”

Additionally, Mississippi Today reported that the au dit questioned $1.2 million in “externships” for students in the School of Psychology that New’s nonprofit paid to USM as well as $231,986 paid from Families First for Mississippi to help fifth graders develop healthy eating habits.

Saving Money as a College Student

Ja’Terrica Wilson SM2 Reporter

Sometimes, it can be difficult to save and manage money while being a college student.

The decisions of exactly what to spend your money on after getting paid while also trying to save can be challeng ing.

“I pay my tuition and my bills and budget the rest of my money to last me until I get paid again,” says Teddrionna Lewis, a junior at the Univer sity of Southern Mississippi.

Lewis is a criminal justice major here at the universi ty and is a manager at Pizza Hut McComb. When she gets her paycheck, she sets aside a certain amount of money after

paying for the most important things.

There are several ways that students can manage their money while balancing the life of being a college student.

Not spending your money on things that you truly do not need is the most important thing to do. This allows some one to have plenty of money to spend on their needs, and not just their wants.

USM senior student Jallyah Bolden, majoring in public re lations and advertising, dealt with spending her money on unimportant things until she realized the power in budget ing.

“I was getting ready to come to school in August, I went to TJ Maxx, and I spent mon ey that I didn’t even need to spend on clothes that I’m not

even currently wearing,” says Bolden.

In most cases, students find themselves purchasing un necessary things when going shopping, especially with their friends.

Additional clothes and shoes are, most of the time, not even worn or taken out of the bag.

Another way to easily man age your money as a college student is to construct and stay consistent with a budget system.

For example, one could write or type out their month ly earnings, bills, gas, food and other needs such as school supplies for each month.

After writing out earnings and what one would be spend ing the money on each month, then they can easily abide by

that system.

They would still have mon ey left over to purchase things that they want after taking care of your needs first.

Learning to do this at a young age now while still in college will help you in the fu ture to be able to budget when someone starts their career.

“Money is not always easy to come by and you do need to have money put up for a rainy day,” says Bolden. “Building budget skills while you are young is very important.”

“Get you a budget system that works better for your lifestyle,” Lewis suggested to students.

While it is important to budget and spend your money wisely, it is just as important to find a method that works best.

‘Guys and Dolls’ runs through Nov. 12

Van Arnold University Communications

The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Com pany at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) presents the “perfect mu sical,” Guys and Dolls, November 10 -12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Man noni Performing Arts Center. This marks the first full-scale musical on the MPAC stage in three years. Tickets are on sale at southernmisstickets.com, 601.266.5418 or 800.844.8425.

“This is wonderful, feel-good way to return to the MPAC stage in glorious fashion,” said direc tor Mike Lopinto. “This cast has really pulled out all the stops for a big evening of singing, danc ing, and comedy that will be the perfect night out.”

Frank Loesser's brassy, im mortal score is brought to life by Dr. Michael Miles, music direc tor, with members of the Sym

phony Orchestra.

Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball roman tic comedy. Gambler Nathan Detroit tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authori ties breathe down his neck. Meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they've been engaged for 14 years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straitlaced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result.

The creative team sought ways to express the excitement of return to the theater. Lopin to’s Hub City Players colleague, Tammy Mansfield, suggested a graphic novel look for costum ing and a light bulb moment sent Lopinto off on a set de sign and lighting mission. This iconic Broadway fable takes on

new life, set in bright colors and pop art flare of a graphic novel.

A pair of giant dice greet the audience as they enter and rep resent life - constantly turning. The vivid but two-dimensional worlds of New York and Havana are juxtaposed with the colorless but full-of-depth world of the mission. Similarly, the costumes, hair and makeup “follow the fold” and enhance this stark dif

ference. How these two worlds collide is at the crux of the plot.

One of the greatest musical comedies of all-time, Guys and Dolls ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950. It received nearly unan imous positive reviews from critics and won a bevy of awards, including Tony Awards, Drama Desks and Oliviers.

The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company will per form “Guys and Dolls” Nov. 10-12.

Courtesy photo

The Connoisseur Series to present Free Events 2022-23

Landy Laird University Communications

The Connoisseur Series of The Uni versity of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Music opens the 2022-23 season by presenting the Joel Frahm Trio, Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Marsh Auditorium.

Frahm represents one of the most innovative voices of jazz tenor saxophone today. His bold, inventive tenor sound has won fans in the U.S. and across the world. This concert is presented free to the public thanks to the generous support of the Mr. and Mrs. James Simrall, Jr. Arts Endow

ment and a grant from Partners for the Arts.

Frahm has worked alongside Betty Carter, Kenny Barron, Freddy Cole, Di anne Schuur, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, Bill Charlap, Brad Mehldau, Matt Wilson, Cyrille Aimee, and many other top artists. He has played as a leader or sideman on more than 100 recordings and has appeared at jazz festivals in the United States, Europe, Israel, Canada and South America.

“Joel Frahm is one of the most significant jazz tenor saxophone players around,” said Larry Panella, director of Jazz Studies at Southern Miss. “He seam

lessly blends the traditions of the music with modern harmonies. His playing concept is engaging and versatile and is reflected in the high regard for his work as a solo artist as well as his work as a sideman.”

The Connoisseurs Series is a pre miere, guest artist event series hosted by the School of Music. Representing each applied area (winds, piano, voice, and percussion) with annual guest artist performances, visting artists for the up coming performance season include Lina Morita, piano and Jay Kacherski, guitar on January 26, 2023; the Akropolis Quintet on January 31; the Lysander Piano Trio on

March 21; and “Magnificent Bird” featur ing Gabriel Kahane on April 21.

“The opportunity to experience these incredible international talents here in our school is a gift for our students and the community,” said Alexander Russakovsky, director of the Connoisseurs Series.

These renowned performers augment the training School of Music students regularly receive by the world-class faculty housed within the school and add to the rich musical offerings presented annually to the Hattiesburg and regional commu nity. The public is invited to enjoy these incredible guest artists for these onenight-only concert events.

Politics Expert, USM aluma to present for University Forum

Landy Laird University Communications

Dr. Frances Lee, professor of poli tics and public affairs at Princeton University and a 1991 University of Southern Mississippi (USM) alumna, will present “Congres sional Policymaking in a Fiercely Competitive Era” Tuesday, Nov.15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Thad Cochran Center Ballroom on the Hatties burg campus for the final Univer sity Forum presentation of the fall 2022 semester. Her presentation, which is free and open to the public, comes just a week after the

midterm elections.

After graduating from USM with honors, Dr. Lee earned her Ph.D. in political science at Vanderbilt University; her research, which focuses on the inner workings of the U.S. Congress - including its successes and shortcomings – has earned her wide acclaim. The New York Times’ renowned pol itics analyst Ezra Klein once said that Lee’s scholarship “genuinely change[d] my understanding of how American politics works.”

In her 2016 book Insecure Major ities: Congress and the Perpetual

Campaign, Dr. Lee details how Congress is least effective when the parties are well balanced. She is also the author of Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship in the U.S. Senate, along with articles in the Amer ican Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Sci ence, Perspectives on Politics, and Legislative Studies Quarterly. “Dr. Lee is one of the nation’s leading experts on Congress and she has studied whether our government works best when one party controls both the Congress

and the Presidency, or if it works best when the various branches of government are held by different parties,” said Dr. Andrew Haley, director of University Forum. “I invite members of the campus and local communities to join us for a glimpse into the future of Amer ican politics through Dr. Lee’s presentation; her insights will surprise you.”

University Forum is presented by the USM Honors College. For more information about Univer sity Forum, visit usm.edu/forum #universityforum.

The Pride Honors Veterans

SM2 Staff

On Saturday, at the football game, the Pride of Mississip pi did a tribute for veterans at halftime.

Veterans Day is coming up and Southern Miss showed their

appreciation. “For the halftime show, we allowed the military to come on the field,” said Shayla Price, Athletic Marketing Team Intern. “First it was the army, and then we led the Navy and then the Marines. We presented recogni

tion to all of them.”

AfterwaRds, many people went up to them and showed their respect, thanking them for serving our country. Also, the Veterans were giving them ad vice, and so on.

“Everybody went on about

their day and congratulated them”, said Shayla Price.

“Overall, it was a saturated day, but the vets felt loved, and were happy that the University of Southern Mississippi recognized them and their works.”

USM Art Department hosts Open House

SM2 Staff

The University of South ern Mississippi’s Art and Design department wel comed all to view their annual Open House event this past Friday.

The event informed any in coming or prospective students

of all emphasis that the depart ment has to offer, such as paint ing and drawing, sculpture and ceramics, and graphic Design. While allowing any current USM students to highlight their work and answer any other questions that may arise. The event was held in the George Hurst’s Gal lery of Art and Design and is still

open for public viewing.

“Get lost with us in the world of Art + Design and find the future you have been dreaming of! Attend our Open House to learn more about our Art BA and each of our emphasis areas that are at the heart of our program, including Painting and Draw ing, Sculpture and Ceramics,

and Graphic Design. Meet with faculty and students and ask any questions you might have about becoming a Golden Eagle.”

For further information about USM’s Art and Design program, please contact Caterina Ventura at Caterina.Ventura@usm.edu.

Trouble follows Disney’s new disability policy

Shannon Barbin SM2 Reporter

The University of South ern Mississippi’s Center for Ethics and Health Humanities, located in the Gonzales Auditorium, held a panel discussion regarding to the disability accommodations in relation to Disney this past Mon day.

Prior to 2013, Disney would accommodate guest with dis abilities that aligned with the Americans with Disability Act by giving the guest and their family members disability access service cards. This allowed the guests to bypass the lines for the theme parks’ rides. However, Disney changed that whenever social media reports showed that people were hiring guest with disabilities to accompany them on their trip to Disney to bypass the lines.

“The Walt Disney Company

(responsible for management of The Walt Disney World Resort and The Disneyland Resort) had a procedure (prior to 2013) for allowing disabled individuals priority access to its theme park rides. (Reduced waiting time.),” said Dr. Sam Bruton with the of fice of Research Integrity. “How ever, Disney discontinued the policy because customers abused and overused the procedure. The plaintiffs in the two lead lawsuits against Disney are individuals with moderate or severe au tism. They seek shortened wait times to relieve the significant distress they experience while waiting in long lines.”

According to the nationalautis massociation.org website, Autism is a bio-neurological developmen tal disability. Autism impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction, communication skills and cog nitive function. Individuals with

autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal commu nication, social interactions and leisure or play activities. Individ uals with autism often suffer from numerous co-morbid medical conditions which may include al lergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, persistent viral infec tions, feeding disorders, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders and other illnesses.

Those who are affected by these lawsuits are potentially both disabled and non-disabled Disney visitors. The biggest issue is the disabilities are being overlook. It is impossible at this point to know the outcome of the situa tion. However, if the plaintiffs are successful, compensation will be granted as well as possible chang es to Disney’s disability polices.

The panel featured Dr. Leslie Francis, Dr. Kevin Mintz and Dr. Adam Cureton all of which are disability scholars. They were

accompanied by Andy Dogali, a lawyer representing some of the plaintiffs suing Disney.

“USM’s Center for Ethics and Health Humanities is sponsoring this event as part of our yearlong focus on disabilities and disability accommodations. The Disney case is an interesting focal point for discussion insofar as it poses novel issues about disabil ities accommodations,” said Dr. Bruton.

The takeaway from this is to be mindful that disabilities come in different forms and that ac commodations need to follow in accordance with the Americans with Disability Act.

“We can all learn that disabil ities can take various forms, and appropriate accommodations must be responsive to the daily challenges disabled individuals face in their life activities, includ ing activities that many of us take for granted,” said Dr. Bruton.

Fall Repertory Dance Concert’s USM debut

Shannon Barbin SM2 Reporter

The University of Southern Mississippi hosted its first Fall Rep ertory Dance Concert between Nov. 3-5. The concert was held in the Theatre and Dance Build ing in Studio 115.

The concert was produced by USM senior choreography majors with the help of their instructors.

“I have learned so many dif ferent ways and tools to chore graph dances and work with other people, and even teaching even though I’m not a dance ed major, you still get to learn that and experience that and they are just preparing you for the real world,” said senior dance performance and choreographer major Francie Davis.

Students have spent numer ous hours of dedicating their energy and time into this con cert, pouring out their passion

for dance. The concert was an opportunity for the dancers to showcase their hard work and to exhibit their dedication. The dancers utilized unique choreograph to produce a sto ry-telling atmosphere as well as providing emotion in every move.

“Performing is definitely my favorite part. I just get so excited and so joyful when I get to perform,” said Davis. “I feel so energized and just like I’m living in my purpose and doing what I am supposed to do.”

For several of the students performing in the Fall Reperto ry Dance Concert, this will be their last semester performing at USM.

“This dance concert is hon estly one of the more important ones to me because it is my sec ond to last one. So I am in the next dance concert as well, but I graduate in December; so this kind of one of my last times

that I get to be in my favorite place in the world,” said senior dance performance and chore ography major Natalie Davis.

The Dance Program at USM will be hosting its second dance concert in the Theater and Dance building located at 229-247 Ross Blvd Novem

ber 17 through November 19. Audience can purchase their tickets through Southern Miss Ticket Office. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $10 for faculty/staff, seniors, and military and $6 for students. For more information contact Lauren Soutullo @ Lau ren.Soutullo@usm.edu.

USM students showcase their work and talents at the Fall Repertory Dance Concert.

Photo/Shannon Barbin

USM Basketball looks to make turnaround with new, but familiar faces

Austin Lindsey 4th Street Sports Director

Heading into his fourth year under the helm of the Golden Eagles, Head Coach Jay Ladner looks to change the tide after three consecutive losing seasons. Com ing off of one of the worst records in program history with a 7-26 finish last season (only behind the 0-24 1971-72 season), the future of the program under Ladner’s lead ership was put into question.

But Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain an nounced in a statement that the program would continue with Lad ner as the leader of the program. Ladner addressed the question and gave gratitude for the agreement to continue, but moved his focus toward on turning the program around.

“Addressing the elephant in the room, it’s time to win some ball games. I want to make sure ev erybody understands that, and we understand that, and I more than anybody, “ Ladner said.

Since regaining his job secu rity for another year, Ladner has changed his coaching staff signifi cantly by adding Assistant Coaches Juan Cardona and Nick Williams, and promoting Former Graduate Assistant Isaish Carson to assistant coach.

There are a few key returners for a team with only seven familiar faces, including forward Dean dre Pinckney, Denijay Harris and guard Mo Arnold.

Pinckney looks to take an even more prominent role in his third year as one of the longest-tenured athletes in Ladner’s program. Last season, Pinckney proved to be a valuable asset for the Golden Ea gles, averaging 8.9 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game in 24 minutes per game.

After his season ended early due to a hand injury, guard Mo Arnold returns for his second year with the Golden Eagles set to get more play time in a role along with Ole Miss transfer Austin Crowley.

Following Arnold’s 12-point performance on five-of-seven shooting in its exhibition match

versus Delta State, Ladner praised Arnold’s growth

“He’s one of the most improved players I have ever coached. He’s solid as a rock. His scoring has changed- he’s worked at it since the time we got done with the season last year. He’s lived in the gym and played with a lot of confidence. I think the world of him, and he’s very consistent,” Ladner said.

Previous to last season, Ladner and the squad had another huge talent turnover with nine newcom ers.

Graduate Student 6-foot-9 Chil ean Forward Felipe Haase from Mercer University is headlining this talent turnover by bringing veteran leadership to the team. Haase started his career at South Carolina before transferring to Mercer after his sophomore sea son.

In his time at Mercer, Haase collected numerous accolades in the 2021-22 NABC All-District Second Team, 2021-22 All-South ern Conference Second Team, and 2020-21 All-Southern Conference Tournament Season Honors.

Last season Haase led the Bears in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. The forward also stretches the floor for the Golden Eagles after shooting 40.6% percent from the perimeter, leading the confer ence.

“The second he walks on the court, he makes everyone better. Everybody loves him because he is about everyone else; in the end, he’ll think about himself. Him making it about everybody else, everybody else will know when his time is.”Assistant Coach Juan Car dona said on the 4th Street Sports Show.

The addition of Haase will assist with three-point shooting, an area where the Golden Eagles struggled mightily behind the arc, with only 31% shooting as a team last season.

In the team’s exhibition versus Delta State, the squad shot 11for-29 at 37% from the three and started hot in the first half shooting 46%. Haase contributed two threes on two-of-three shooting from the perimeter.

“To win games at a high level,

you have to be able to shoot the three. If you are not able to shoot the three, it’s hard to win games. Shooting the three opens up the floor for driving lanes and is a huge help,” junior Guard Mo Arnold said.

Another player who can imme diately impact the Golden Eagles is Austin Crowley. He led the Rebels in assists on the season with 77 for the year and averaged 4.8 points per game all while coming off the bench.

Since the beginning of fall practice, players and coaches have spoken highly of the team’s chem istry this upcoming season. A vital component of this may be because six guys have ties to the Miami Me tropolis area, helping to strengthen the chemistry.

“We’ve been working all sea son. It’s a whole different feel now; everybody cares. It’s a brotherhood now,” Arnold said.

This connection is partly due to Cardona’s roots as the head coach of Miami Christain School, where Felipe Haase and guard Nefta li Alverez played for him before reuniting at Mercer University. In addition, graduate student Nico Aguirre, a Chilean native, has connections to Haase as they each play on the Chilean National Team alongside guard Marcello Perez.

Transferring from FIU, junior 6-foot-8 Forward Victor Hart also shares the Miami connection with Pinckney.

“Alverez was a part of my senior class,” Pinckney said. “I played against him in all-star games in

high school. I scrimmaged against him. I’ve seen Felipe a couple of times years before. Marcello was down in Miami at Barry Universi ty. I knew him because my former JUCO teammates were at Barry as well, and so I talked to those guys. We have pretty much a connection, with all of us being from Miami.”

This established connection is evident on the court as Ladner expressed the drive the team brings every day and committed to being an “extra pass team”, something that relies on being on the same page.

“We’re at our best when that ball is moving. They can really pass the basketball. We are an extra pass team, and we are going to pass it to get a better shot. It often happened in the game there,” Ladner said after the exhibition match versus Delta State.

“We have very unselfish guys. Nobody is selfish on the team. Our problem last year was that we were too individualistic, focusing on individual goals instead of team goals. Our culture now is we focus on the team goals, and all the indi viduals will fall into place,” Arnold said.

Ladner states he expects to press on the defensive end, being more disruptive for the opponent with a larger rotation and praising the team’s strength and conditioning.

“I’m excited to do things right, bring people to the gym, and get the fans involved. I can’t wait and prove those who picked us to be last in the conference wrong, “ Haase said.

Photo/Charlie Luttrell

Head Coach Jay Ladner looks to improve the program’s record in his fourth season with the Golden Eagles.

Georgia State’s run game dismantles Southern Miss 42-14

DIMA MIXON SM2 SPORTS REPORTER

HATTIESBURG, MS

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Southern Miss will have to wait anoth er week to reach the acclaimed state of bowl eligibility after a 42-14 drubbing by Georgia State. From the opening play, it seemed Georgia State was in con trol, and they never faltered from that control.

“I thought they dominated us in all three phases," Southern Miss Head Coach Will Hall said. "We are at a point in our program, in year two, we aren't good enough to win when we don't play well. I've talked about that a lot this season. We just aren't good enough to play with teams who are good when we don't play well."

Southern Miss knew that Geor gia State could run the football, and Hall even said Tuesday that stop ping the run was a must for South ern Miss to compete in the game. It was clear from the start of the contest that the Panthers had their way on the ground.

After an opening drive turn over on downs for Georgia State and a three-and-out for Southern Miss, Georgia State ran a 15-play drive with 13 of those plays being runs and went 80 yards. Darren Grainger found Jamari Thrash for a six-yard touchdown pass to put the Panthers up 7-0.

“I thought they were extremely physical and got after us. They ran the ball down our face, and then they really stuffed us. I thought they dominated the line of scrim mage [and] that's a new feeling for us. We have not had that feeling this year," Hall said.

Southern Miss forced Georgia State to punt on the next drive, but Natrone Brooks fumbled the punt, and the Panthers got the ball in plus territory.

"The turnover early in the kick ing game really hurt us, because it would have gotten us off the field defensively," Hall said.

They capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown, something that Southern Miss opponents have failed to do this season. Tucker Gregg rushed right up the middle

four plays later for a Georgia State touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.

From then on, it felt as if South ern Miss would need a miracle to get back in the game. All season they haven't had to play far from behind, and the offense has not shown to be the type geared up to score a lot of points and get into shootouts.

On Georgia State's next posses sion, they went six plays, 63-yards for another Panthers touchdown. Marcus Carroll found the endzone on a six-yard carry to make the score 21-0.

Toward the end of the second quarter, Hall elected to put in quarterback Jake Lange to replace starting quarterback Zach Wilcke. Lange came in and threw an inter ception and Georgia State turned the turnover into points.

A few plays later, Carroll found the endzone for an 18-yard touch down run his second of the day to push the score to 28-0 at halftime.

Georgia State held a 310-76 yard advantage in the first half, including 225 rushing yards. That came as a shocker with the way the defense has played this season.

"Yes, yes, yes," Hall said when asked if he was "surprised" that Georgia State was able to gash the run defense as they did. "Credit to them-they did a phenomenal job…we knew their quarterback would be a problem and he was."

Southern Miss tried to mount a comeback in the second half with a nine-play, 80-yard drive led by none other than quarterback Trey Lowe. Lowe found Cole Caval lo for a seven-yard touchdown pass. "We call it a swipe read, but it's basically just high low. They bracketed [Jason Brownlee], Cole star stepped him, and so I just put it in a location where he could catch it," Lowe said.

After the touchdown drive, Georgia State fumbled the ball on their ensuing possession. Southern Miss capitalized and scored another touchdown from a 43-yard run by Frank Gore Jr. The score closed the lead to 28-14, and Southern Miss had the momentum.

The Panthers answered, however. On the next offensive play for Geor gia State, Darren Grainger read the linebacker perfectly on the zone read and galloped down the field for 60-yards and into the redzone.

Georgia State scored to push the lead back to 21, and that iced the game.

"We were beating ourselves. We were shooting our gaps wrong, not executing our job, and not tackling. We have to come back Monday and get better and put it behind us," linebacker Daylen Gill said.

Gill had his season high in tack les with 12.

Georgia State was able to put it in the endzone one final time before the game ended. They fin ished the day with 388 yards on the ground and 521 yards in total.

"I felt like we got too comfort able. I'm glad it happened. Now I feel like we are going to work for real now. We got three more [games] left to try and make a bowl game. I feel like we can win out if you ask me," Gill said.

There was discussion of whether this team could handle the success, and today they did not. But like Gill said, there is three games left and three opportunities remaining to make a push for bowl game.

Southern Miss falls to 5-4 on the season and takes on Coastal Car olina next week in Conway, South Carolina.

Southern Miss receiver Tiaquelin Mims runs after a catch against Georgia State.

Photo by Sean Smith | SM2 Photo Editor