FYI: We’re moving

Here’s the link to the Ole Miss blog at our new website. Beginning today I’ll be posting on nems360.com. Bookmark the link and stay with us. Thanks.

— PA

HOOPS: Malcolm White leaving

The starting center on a guard-heavy team, Malcolm White, is leaving for what he termed personal reasons in the news release.

I don’t know more than that at this point, but I do know Malcolm is a hard kid to read — really high with the highs and low with the lows. This may have come as a bit of a surprise to the coaching staff. Malcolm showed some nice flashes on offense, but he struggled to hold the ball in traffic. And on a team that already had lots of guards who could score facing the basket, Malcolm’s style just wasn’t one that allowed him to post up with his back to the basket, make a move and score, the way Dwayne Curtis did so effectively before him.

That’s a style that would benefit this team going forward. I’m sure the staff is beating the bushes for a big man right now, but typically the best candidates are signed by now.

Guards already were the strength of this team, and that will apparently be even more pronounced next season. White was not overly consistent, but he was effective at times and now takes 27 games of low-post starting experience from the team.

This will no doubt require signee Reginald Buckner to grow up in a hurry next fall.

The returning experienced post players will be sophomore Murphy Holloway, senior DeAundre Cranston and sophomore Kevin Cantinol.

— PA

FOOTBALL: Peria Jerry

Ole Miss defensive tackle Peria Jerry goes through the cone drill for NFL scouts at the school's indoor practice facility Thursday morning.

Special thanks to Brandon Speck of the Monroe Journal for this photo. Jerry went through all the drills while slowed a bit with a slight hamstring pull.

— PA

FOOTBALL: Pro Day at Ole Miss

We’re sitting here at Pro Day in the IPF, which has lasted longer than anticipated.

Draft-eligible players have gone through about a half dozen tests for strength, speed and agility.

Some of us were timing players with cell phones, but we were asked not to publish times. Those times may be available later at NFL.com we were told.

A total of 45 scouts were on hand to represent every NFL team.

The first drill was the bench press where each player pressed 225 pounds as often as he could. The top three were Tony Fein at 29, Peria Jerry at 28 and Michael Oher at 25. Those figures are unofficial.

You can tell the scouts know Peria.

Jermey Parnell is also working out and has had a good day it appears. He’s been working in preparation for this day in Dallas, I was told.

Wide receiver Mike Wallace posted some excellent times at the NFL combine in February and has chosen not to work out today. He stands on those times. He’s walked around the IPF today in sweats with his Ipod.

Among the other Ole Miss players working out for scouts are Jamarca Sanford, Ashlee Palmer, Dustin Mouzon, Jason Cook and Maurice Miller.

— PA

FOOTBALL: Nutt’s comments

From the press conference. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt …
On Greg Hardy after offseason foot surgery: “He’s been doing great with his rehab. He’s made all the 5:30 meetings and just being a great teammate. He can’t run, but he’s got the cast off, and he’s in the walking boot. He’s doing everything the doctors ask him to do.”
On Melvin Harris, the 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman WR who faces surgery: “I can’t stand it that he won’t be out there. He will have the same surgery as Hardy, and he’ll miss the spring. He did so much for us on the scout team, and you could see him learning and getting better each week.”
On replacing Jason Cook at fullback: “Derrick Davis is a guy, just watch him, he changed his body, put on 16-18 pounds. He gives us that quickness we need back there, that tailback playing fullback. If he can be physical, he can really help Andy (Hartmann, currently first team). Andy is that big, tough guy. He did an excellent job of blocking in the Cotton Bowl, and we’re excited to have him.”
On redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Stanley: “I’m very anxious to watch him after seeing him for one year on the scout team, to see him now under the live bullets when the heat’s on against the first team defense, which he’ll see a lot. I want to see how he handles that, how he does when it’s third and six or third and seven. He’s competing for a job now. I think you’ll be real impressed with his fundamentals.

— PA

FOOTBALL: Early depth chart notes

Some new names appearing on a 2-deep for the first time. 2nd team OL – LG Brandon Green, a juco transfer last season, RG Mark Jean-Louis, a juco transfer two years ago with little experience, LT Alex Washington, RT Logan Clair, a mid-year juco transfer.

Other depth chart notes. Brandon Bolden begins spring ahead of Cordera Eason at tailback. Dexter McCluster, who was either starting or playing a great deal at tailback at the end of last season, is listed No. 1 at flanker ahead of Lionel Breaux. Andy Hartmann is listed No. 1 at fullback ahead of Derrick Davis.

On defense, Greg Hardy is listed third at end. He’ll miss the spring anyway, recovering from offseason foot surgery. Marshay Green and Cassius Vaughn are listed No. 1 at the cornerbacks with sophomore Marcus Temple backing up Vaughn and junior Jeremy McGee behind Green. Remember, Ohio State transfer James Scott has been dismissed.

Some promising redshirt freshmen to watch are Gerald Rivers, listed No. 2 at one end behind Kentrell Lockett, Lekenwic Haynes, No. 2 behind Allen Walker at strong linebacker and Jason Jones, No. 2 behind Jonahthan Cornell at middle linebacker. These three guys were head-turners in practice last year as true freshmen.

Other redshirt freshmen to watch are safeties Derrick Herman (SS) and Jared Mitchell (FS) both listed second team.

— PA

BASEBALL: Tonight’s game postponed

This from Ole Miss media relations.

— PA

Due to inclement weather in the Hattiesburg area, the baseball game between No. 11 Ole Miss (15-6) and Southern Miss (13-9) scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night has been postponed.

Inclement weather conditions that are not expected to clear by this evening forced the postponement of the contest between the two teams.

The game has been rescheduled for April 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Hattiesburg at Pete Taylor Park.

Ole Miss will continue play this weekend when the Rebels travel to Baton Rouge, La., to take on the second-ranked LSU Tigers in a three-game series beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday night.

*** UM athletics media relations

HOOPS: Down to Kentucky

It doesn’t bode well for the SEC, unhappy with the fact that only three of its teams reached with the NCAA tournament, that its NIT entries are down to one team with a shot to reach Madison Square Garden.

Kentucky, an NIT 4 seed, plays at Notre Dame tonight for the right to advance to New York.

Florida and Auburn, both NIT 1 seeds, lost on their home floors in the go game last night.

I did think two of the SEC’s NCAA entries, MSU and LSU, got jobbed in the seeding a little bit, but the lack of sustained NIT runs from Florida and Auburn doesn’t cry out injustice over the NCAA situation.

— PA

FOOTBALL: Spring practice

Press conference at 2. I’ll post some notes in the afternoon.

— PA

BASEBALL: St. Louis 15, Ole Miss 11

And it wasn’t even the Cardinals. Pitching problems carry over to mid-week. Next up is Southern Miss in Hattiesburg tonight on the way to Baton Rouge for the SEC series this weekend.

— PA