By Courtney Smith 

The AP Top 25 poll in college basketball was released on Monday, giving fans a chance to see whether or not their favorite teams ranked in the top 25 or had vanished from the list.

Five teams were ranked in the top 25 from the American Athletic Conference: Louisville (11), Cincinnati (15), SMU (18), Connecticut (19) and Memphis (20).

The Tigers (22-7, 11-5 AAC) should be done celebrating their win over defending national champion Louisville Cardinals (24-5, 13-3 AAC), from Saturday. Now, the Tigers have another task on their hands as they are out to get revenge on the Cincinnati Bearcats (24-5, 13-3 AAC).

"As I told our guys after the Houston game, we can't have a hangover from that game going into Louisville, same thing from Louisville game going into Cincinnati," Pastner said. "We can't have a hangover meaning we now got to focus on Cincinnati."

In the last meeting between these two teams, the Bearcats had their way with the Tigers by not allowing them to get the easy transition points that the Tigers are so used to getting.

Senior forward Justin Jackson was effective for the Bearcats on both ends of the court. He added 13 points, eight rebounds, seven rebounds, and two assists to lift his team to an 69-53 victory in front of Tiger Nation.

The Bearcats' star player Sean Kilpatrick added 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting (45.4 percent) from the field.

"I think they're (Cincinnati) one of the very best defensive teams in the country," Pastner stated to the media.

By Cormac Parker 

“God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way,” sang Breyanna Tillman, a student at the University of Memphis. 

Students gathered in the University Center River Room for the annual Black History closing ceremony on Friday, Feb. 28, at 1 p.m. with close to 75 students in attendance. 

A slight twist occurred when the main speaker, County Commissioner Henri Brooks, was running late due to unforeseen circumstances.

Approaching the stand out of breath, Brooks did not waste time reviewing the prominent history makers of the Civil Rights Movement. Instead, her approach was more thought-provoking. 

“The Civil Rights Movement was led by young people who stepped up to the plate,” Brooks said. “They fought for you to have a seat at the table. Now what are you going to do with it?”

By Kylcye Bolden

Memphis East High School has long been known for its outstanding athletic programs.  Almost two years go, the linebacker coach of the football team, Charles Smith, approached his administrators with an opportunity to provide the students with an option to participate in a different sport — wrestling.

Though the idea was well receive by administrators, it was too late in the year for the school to start a new wrestling program.  Administrators from Memphis East contacted Kingsbury High School about the possibility to form a co-opt team.  The schools agreed to allow Smith and his wrestlers to participate with the established Kingsbury program.

With Kingsbury, Memphis East was moderately successful. 

“Initially, I thought it would be good for my football players to wrestle,” Smith said.  “I ended up getting a lot of interest from the kids around the school.”  

The school was represented by Jimtarius Hampton at the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Individual State Tournament for the 2012-2013 season.  This year the team ventured off on their own, grateful of the opportunity the head coach of the Kingsbury team, Ronnie Landau afforded them. 

“Coach Landau is a great guy,” Smith said.  “I learned a lot from Coach Landau.”

Prior to their time with Kingsbury, Smith had no previous experience coaching wrestling.  He wrestled at Fort Lauderdale High School for two years; qualifying each year and placing third his senior year at the Florida state tournament in 1993.  Establishing a new program nearly 20 years later, Smith eagerly anticipated the opportunity to implement his coaching philosophy and style with the Memphis East team.

With several programs throughout the Mid-South shutting down, the establishment of new programs garner a lot of attention. 

By L. Taylor Smith

Despite dreary weather, more than 100 runners turned out to the 16th annual Relic Run 5K at the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa Saturday morning.

The C.H. Nash Museum is part of the University of Memphis and sits on the grounds of a Native American temple mound complex that dates back to the 15th century, according to Director Robert Connolly.

“We primarily interpret the Native American prehistory of the area,” Connolly said. “Most people think of it as being a Native American area primarily, but there was also a plantation at the bottom of the areas around the site as well as sharecroppers farming the area during the 1930s.”

By Akilah Speaks

The National Association of Black Journalists sponsored a panel discussion titled “The N-Word in Sports and Hip Hop: Fair or Foul" for students at the University of Memphis on Thursday night in the UC Bluff Room.

Otis Sanford, the panel moderator and a journalism professor, strived to raise awareness of how the use of the N-word continues to spread throughout generations and what affects it has on black people.

An expert panel, comprised of Ron Tillery, Memphis Grizzlies beat writer, Knowledge Nick, local rapper, Martin Ifedi, U of M football player, and Tatianna Ingram, an active student, to elaborate on their perspectives of the N-word in black culture and to talk about personal experiences within society.

Sanford decided that the best place to have this discussion was among the faculty and students at the U of M because of the diversity on campus. It was a way for all cultures to come together and discuss a word that has been linked to hate and racism throughout history.

“I was very pleased with the outcome,” Sanford said , “and with the N-word being a topical issue, this was a great place to have this discussion. This campus is so diverse and the conversation was good and productive.”

The N-word has been a trending topic within the news, an issue in pro sports, and hip hop culture. In his article, “N-word is wrong for anyone,” written for The Commercial Appeal, he discussed the issues in pro sports, which have sparked feuds in the locker room and even coaches who have penalized players for the usage of the word.

Tillery explained a discussion that Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins had with “only” his black players. In his article “Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins puts focus on life, not just basketball,” he talked about the lecture Hollins had with his players about their use of the N-word and how he felt it was used recklessly on and off the court.

By Kirstin "Kirby" Cheers

Jacqueline Christion, head bowed-chin to chest and arms folded, watched footage of a familiar scene on Wednesday. She had seen this footage before. In fact, she was one of the features in this particular film.  

It was on a day in October of 1961. She along with 12 other black children started their first day of elementary school—at an all-white school.  

"It was exciting, but I was nervous and scared," Christion recounts on the film. 

Christion lifted her head to the screen as she heard the voice of a friend, Sharon Malone, "Once that door closed and our parents walked out of that school, it was us."  

"The Memphis 13" premiered in the Beale Room of the University of Memphis' University Center to a crowd of more than 30 students and 30 university professors and personnel. The documentary accounted the experiences of 13 African American 5-year-olds who were the first to integrate Memphis City Schools. The group was divided and sent to four inner-city elementary schools: Rozelle, Bruce, Gordon and Springdale.  

"That was a part of our childhood that we just wanted to shut out of our lives for the rest of our lives," Malone said on the panel that afternoon. 

By Darnesha Cotton

A crowd gathered at the 7 p.m. in the University Center Theatre Tuesday on the University of Memphis campus as actor, author and activist Lou Gossett Jr. spoke on the importance of education, unity and getting back to cultural roots.

“Although Mr. Gossett is still working in films, with an emphasis on faith-based stories, he is primarily dedicating ‘the last quadrant’ of his life to an all-out conscious offensive against racism, violence, ignorance and social apathy,” said Tori Thompson, a 20-year-old journalism student and host of the event, as she introduced Gossett.
 
The theatre was filled with students, faculty, and community members of all ages. The crowd of approximately 100 welcomed Gossett with a standing ovation.

Gossett was featured as the second celebrity guest speaker for the 2014 Black History Month celebration.  Honored with his own event, Gossett chose to title his speech, “The Education before the Education.”

“Here, lately, I don’t think too many people are teaching you. The manners that you learn at home that you take out into the world with you so that you are able to be teachable,” he said.

By Akilah Speaks

WUMR The Jazz Lover is a non-commercial radio station located on the University of Memphis campus. The station, which has been operating since 1979, is the only jazz outlet in the Mid-South that plays jazz tracks, spotlights community events and broadcasts sports.

Malvin Massey, music director and former jazz musician, is the station's general manager and has been with the station for more than 25 years.  In a recent interview, he shared his love for jazz music, the changes in radio and how his job title has benefited him over the years.  

Known as Le Pilot, Massey is a pioneer in the jazz world and a great mentor to upcoming personalities.

“I love having the opportunity to listen to all the new music first and having a good reputation in the music industry with record promoters and different labels," Massey said. "I stay fresh in the jazz world by keeping up with music. It’s a reassuring job and a great gig.”

His passion for jazz music has earned him a reputation in the music industry, and he has been fortunate to interview some of the greatest legends. For many years, he has worked in the radio business gaining the knowledge of broadcasting, meeting famous musicians and working alongside promoters and other radio executives.

By L. Taylor Smith

The Eckles-Madison Family Cemetery on Carnes Avenue does not look like much of a threat during the winter with trees bare and vines limp from the cold. But the Normal Station neighborhood knows it’s only a matter of time before the flora emerge out of hibernation and take back the lot.

Come spring break, however, college students from Florida will spend the week clearing the lot.

TK Buchanan, community safety liaison for the University of Memphis, said the property, which is just off Echles Street, has been a problem for more than 100 years, especially during the summer when plants grow over the gravestones and into nearby properties.

“Literally, no one has ever taken care of it,” Buchanan said.

 The cemetery was created just before the area was redeveloped for housing in the early 1900s, and approximately 14 members of the Eckles and Madison families are buried on the property.

Although Memphis city workers, local residents and Boy Scout troops would occasionally try to rehabilitate the lot, it was never enough.

“Basically what they do is remove the litter or dumping and leave,” Buchanan said. “There’s nothing else that they can do without heavy equipment, a plan and some resources.”