Local Sports

Former MSU player Mitchell dead at 72

Leland Mitchell, a former Mississippi State basketball star who played in the renowned MSU-Loyola game in 1963, died Saturday, July 6 at the age of 72.

Mitchell died at his home in Starkville.

Officials with Welch Funeral Home in Starkville said services were held on July 11.

The 6-foot-4 Mitchell starred at guard on the MSU team that won the Southeastern Conference championship and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. State law prohibited the all-white Bulldogs from traveling to East Lansing, Mich., to face an integrated Loyola University of Chicago team, but MSU coach Babe McCarthy sneaked the team out of town to play the game. […]

Local Sports

Henderson imperfect poster boy for upstart Rebels

The talkative and brash Marshall Henderson is the face of Mississippi’s basketball program.

Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s not so good.

His play and antics have led to plenty of attention for the No. 16 Rebels (17-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), who face No. 8 Florida (17-2, 7-0) in Gainesville on Saturday in a matchup of the SEC’s two top-ranked teams.

Henderson has been so good during his first two months in the SEC that the 6-foot-2 junior has brought a rare spotlight to a program that hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2002. He leads the conference in scoring at 19.3 points per game; he’s averaging more than 21 in SEC contests. […]

Local Sports

Mississippi State hires 2 defensive assistants

Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen has hired two defensive assistant coaches.

The school announced that David Turner will be in charge of the defensive line while two-time Super Bowl winner Deshea Townsend will lead the cornerbacks.

Turner returns to Mississippi State, where he coached the defensive line from 2007-09. He has spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Kentucky and has more 13 years of experience in the Southeastern Conference. […]

Local Sports

Wallace leads Mississippi over Auburn 41-20

It was hard to tell whether Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze was more excited or relieved. But he took a moment to confirm the results on the scoreboard before heading to the locker room.

Ole Miss snapped a 16-game Southeastern Conference losing streak Saturday with a 41-20 win over Auburn. […]

National Sports

Mississippi searching for SEC-caliber players

There aren’t many safe starting jobs at Mississippi’s preseason camp.

First-year coach Hugh Freeze certainly appreciates the competition. He’s just not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.

The Ole Miss football roster is in various stages of disarray after two disastrous seasons. Freeze is confident he can rebuild the team’s depth after a few years of recruiting thanks to his connections around the region, but that’s not going to help this season. […]