The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee • 11

SECTION THE JACKSON SUN THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010 UT Men's Hoops Community Sports Local fans of Alabama and Texas weigh in on their thoughts of tonight's BCS championship game between the Crimson Tide and the Longhorns. 3B taMMhp Unlc nirL i in a win over UNC-Charlotte. 2B Log onto jacksonsun.com to sign up for our text messaging service for scores and breaking sports news sent to your phone. mnmm jk wmmmmmmm jffmmsh. 0) If NO.

7 SYRACUSE 74, MEMPHIS 57 Brandon CLUIJ. Tigers fall behind in second half Memphis' Pierre tries to control the ball as Syracuse's Arinze Onuaku (21) defends during the first half. KEVIN RIVOLI The Associated Press I By JOHN KEKIS The Associated Press SYRACUSE, N.Y. Wes Johnson had 19 points, Kris Joseph added 15 in the second half, and No. 7 Syracuse beat Memphis 74-57 on Wednesday night.

It was the final nonconfer-ence game of the season for Syracuse (14-1), which was coming off an 82-72 home loss to Pittsburgh. The first-ever game in the Carrier Dome for Memphis (10-4) was one the Tigers would like to forget. Roburt Sallie led Memphis with 17 points but fouled out in the closing minutes, Wesley Witherspoon had 12, and Elliot Williams finished with a season-low 10. Williams, averaging nearly 20 points, had only one basket in the decisive second half, and his missed dunk helped spur the Orange. Trailing by three points early in the second half, Williams missed a wide-open slam and Syracuse scored nine of the next 10 points to pull away.

Andy Rautins had 11 points and seven assists, and Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku each had 10 points for Syracuse, which limited Memphis to 2-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc in the second half after getting burned for seven 3s in the first. Tied 32-all at halftime, Rautins and Brandon Triche both hit 3s and Johnson had a one-handed dunk after Jackson corralled the second of two missed free throws by Onuaku to give Syracuse a 40-35 lead with 16:38 left. A reverse layup by Williams and a follow by Witherspoon brought Memphis within a point. Johnson's layup gave the Orange a three-point lead, but when Rautins threw the ball away on Syracuse's next possession, Williams sailed down court alone, ready to cut the lead back to one. Syracuse coach Jim Boe-heim, irate at the turnover, ripped off his sports jacket in disgust, threw it down and turned away toward the bench.

He missed the turning point of the game. Williams, who began the game with a resounding two-handed slam dunk, hit the back of the rim as he tried Please see TIGERS, 3B WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LAMBUTH FOOTBALL Source: Dickerson to be new head coach By MATT VINES mvinesljacksonsun.com Lambuth defensive backs coach Ron Dickerson Sr. will be promoted to the school's vacant head coaching position, according to a source with knowledge of the coaching search. Dickerson said he interviewed for the job Tuesday, but he didn't disclose details about his visit. "Everybody will hear what happens sx fJ 'v y- If TKlpt A K.

if '-fh s1 Iff --Ji' Jf Players kept in line at North Side North Side boys basketball coach Tony Brown was in the middle of an interview outside of his office Tuesday night following his Indians' win over Humboldt when he turned his attention to one of his players who was on his way out of the gym. The player was dressed the way North Side basketball players dress on game day in formal attire for a high school basketball player with business or church clothes complete with neck tie. But there was a problem with his appearance. "Hey, put your shirt tail in," Brown said to the young player. He then turned and said his shirt tail being out might not have mattered too much if it were not for the jacket the player was wearing.

"If they're wearing our colors, then they need to look respectable," Brown said while watching the player correct his appearance. Making sure the athletes represent the school correctly seems to be a hall-mark of Indians coaches this school year. It was back in the fall when a North Side football player was flagged for complaining too much to the referees about a call that caused the other team to score a touchdown. After the flag was thrown, the player continued to run his mouth to the point that his own teammates were telling him to shut up and go to the sidelines. But he didn't make it to the sidelines.

Head coach Tab Vowell met him halfway and promptly sent him to the locker room with almost an entire half remaining in the game. Based on those two small incidents, North Side coaches show they care about the perception of their programs and their school, and they're also running tight ships in which their players will conform to the rules or not participate. In the wake of the events in recent months in Knox-ville concerning arrests of players on the UT football and men's basketball teams, it's good to see high school coaches trying to do more than win games. They're also trying to mold their players into respectable members of society upon their graduation. Brown and Vowell are not having to deal with armed robberies, weapons and drug charges, but they're not cutting their players any slack before they get to that point.

Lane Kiffin and Bruce Pearl haven't really cut much slack either in the wake of the incidents, but both coaches may want to take notes to prevent episodes like the arrests from happening in the future. Brandon Shields is the sports editor of The Jackson Sun. Contact him at 425-9751 or at bjshieldsjacksonsun.com. I Brown on Friday, Dickerson said in a phone conversation. Lambuth will formally introduce its next coach Friday at 2 p.m.

in the Wisdom Parlor in Varnell-Jones Hall on campus. Athletic Director Ken Brown declined to comment on his next head coach, but said he interviewed two candidates, both of whom were already on staff. Outgoing coach Hugh Freeze said Monday that he recom Dickerson i 1 4 1 I a mended Dickerson and defensive coordinator Tom Allen to be the next coach. "I had a lot of resumes and phone calls and talked to a wide variety of people during the process," Brown said. "The success of our program meant that a lot of people were interested.

"But I officially interviewed two candidates, and (Lambuth president Bill Seymour) interviewed one of those." Freeze left Jackson on Tuesday to start his new job as the San Jose State offensive coordinator. Dickerson coached the Eagles' defensive backs for one season. He was the first-ever African-American head coach at the Division I level when he took over Temple in 1993, coaching until 1997. Dickerson won only eight games in five seasons at Temple, but the Owls' three Big East Conference wins in 1997 was a program record in Temple's 14 seasons in the conference. He also coached two seasons at Alabama State, winning a combined seven games.

Allen has three seasons of head coaching experience, compiling a 25-12 record at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Intf. Allen served as Lambuth's defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, helping the Eagles reduce their points allowed per game from 30 in 2008 to 18 in 2009. Both Allen and Dickerson helped produce a much-improved Lambuth defense that contributed to the Eagles' 12-1 season, including its first playoff win in a decade. Matt Vines, 425-9634 KATIE BRAKEThe Jackson Sun Union's Zeinab Chan takes the ball around a College of Science and Arts player and up to the hoop during one of the Lady Bulldogs' games at Oman Arena last season. Chan important piece in offensive transition gladly demonstrated Tuesday outside of the locker room.

"We call her 'Barbie Campbell said. Campbell said Chan's speed has helped Union's offense transition into the post-Josephine Owino era in which the Lady Bulldogs don't Please see CHAN, 3B player, she can't be that Hudson remembers. "But we did a full-court drill, and we have never seen anybody that fast. "We were absolutely amazed. She even gets her head going a little bit." Chan's bobbing head can be seen racing down the floor, blowing her bangs straight in the air something that coach Mark Campbell By MATT VINES mvinesljacksonsun.com Zeinab Chan didn't take long to impress her Union teammates when she arrived as a freshman in 2007.

The 6-foot-4 forward said she was fast, but point guard Kayla Hudson said she didn't take her speed seriously. "We thought, 'She was a post Poll Question Report a score College writer: Matt Vines, 425-9634, mvinesljacksonsun.com Community: David Thomas, 425-9637, dgthomasjacksonsun.com Index Scoreboard UT Basketball 2B Community NAIA Women 3B NCAA Football 3B Contact us Editor: Brandon Shields Toll free: (800) 372-3922 Fax: 425-9639 bjshieldsjacksonsun.com High School writer: Matthew Borenstein, 425-9636, mborenstein jacksonsun.com. View his Reporterback Blog at Jacksonsun.com. Coaches or scorekeepers are urged to call in results immediately after each game. Games should be reported by 10 p.m.

to 425-9635 or (800) 269-0488. Where will Tennessee Vols safety Eric Berry be selected in the 2010 NFL Draft? Vote now at jacksonsun.com.