Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session
October 31, 2022 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Officially one week away from the 2022-23 season opener, Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans had an opportunity to meet with the media leading into Monday's practice at Humphrey Coliseum.
2022-23 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
October 31, 2022 – Media Session
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What do you know about your first opponent in Texas A&M Corpus Christi?
CJ: "I know they'll be very well coached and well prepared. I've got a great relationship with their head coach, Steve Lutz, and he comes from a great coaching pedigree. He's done a wonderful job since he's arrived at Corpus Christi."
"I know they're excited about their program. They're coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance, and they've got all five starters back. It's not the smartest game to host as your first one out of the shoot, but that's the way the cookie crumbled. They'll be really good on the defensive end. They'll play man-to-man. They'll play tough, hard-nosed old school defense. They're certainly well versed on offense as well. I haven't gotten too deep into them yet, that will start this week. I know my staff has got a pre-scout ready, and I'm anxious to open up the laptop."
Q: Do you have a good idea of your set rotation, or is that something that will play out in November as your team plays a couple of games?
CJ: "Like we talked about last week, I like to wait as long as I can. Even throughout the year, we'll the play top ten against each other [in practice]. At least, we have in the past and plan to a lot in the season. We'll see how it unfolds this year, but I prefer to have them go against their counterpart or the best ten players just to continue to get better throughout the season."
"At this point, I've got a pretty good idea of at least three or possibly four [starters]. I'm kind of up in the air about another spot. You'll have to wait until Monday to see who that is. I don't want to give up any information."
"In terms of rotations, that's still up in the air. We've still got a lot of guys that are fighting and scrambling for minutes. We're real blunt in practice and in video. They know there's competition, and they know they're being evaluated every single day. That ups the ante for us in practice. We've got a full week to try and iron it out. It will just unfold the way it does. I can't predict who's going to get better and who's going to produce when the lights come on. Some people cower when it's their time, and some people rise up to the occasion. We'll have to see who gets the most out of their minutes, and then they'll get more."
Q: What's an area you would like to see your team improve on still?
CJ: "When we're fresh and we feel good, we play pretty hard, and we defend pretty well. We're still not as good as where I want to be in terms of rebounding the ball both offensively or defensively. We have too big of a drop off right now with how hard we play from when we're fresh and first get into the scrimmage, game or practice compared to when they get a little bit winded or distracted. Certainly, there will be a drop off. It's human nature; I don't care how athletic you are. We've got to figure out a way for all of us to play at a peak performance if you will when we're a little tired or sub into the practice or scrimmage."
"There's no time to get warmed up, if you will, they have to be ready to go from the jump. That's probably where we're at right now; just being more consistent with our effort and our attention to detail on the defensive end. Certainly, our rebounding is something that we've always prided ourselves on. Right now, I don't think we're rebounding at the level we should."
Q: How has the team meshed and come together from a chemistry standpoint so far from your point of view?
CJ: "It's always interesting to watch that unfold. Each and every season, they have a different personality for our team. Certainly, when you're new, you're more curious to see how that develops, or doesn't, in the worst case scenario. It's pretty good. They like each other from where I sit, [though] I can't speak for them."
"I think I've said this prior in a different interview or press conference that one of my litmus tests is always to see when practice is complete if they hang around either on the practice court, the Hump, the locker room or the training room just to be with one another. If guys are heading out the door as soon as the buzzer sounds or we break, that's probably not a great sign. Obviously, some guys have to rush to a tutor, class, or what have you, but I thought earlier in the season they were showing signs of that comradery that everyone seeks. They were hanging out, talking with one another, just laughing and joking about practice or giving each other a hard time about whoever won that day. There's been quite a bit of that, and it's all been good natured; I like the vibe that we've given off."
"There were a couple instances when I watched the scrimmage tape where some of the guys weren't as engaged when they weren't in the game. That will be addressed individually today, talking about how important it is to be a good teammate. I always tell them, if you're on the court, you don't want 10 guys sitting laid back with their legs crossed watching you play and not giving you support. You know how good that feels when you're out there, and the teammates you're grinding with every day are giving you their support on the bench, even when they would rather be out there. We need some talks with a couple guys about that, but I think that will change quickly. We'll see, a lot of things will unfold when we start playing these games."
Q: Will you have butterflies walking out of the tunnel for the first time?
CJ: "I don't know if I'll have butterflies or not. I hope I do; it's a fun type of feeling. You do it for long enough that you don't get them very often anymore. I know that I'll be excited, and I'll be anxious just like you guys are and hopefully our fan base is to see who you are and how we're going to play. Again, how I'll feel, you'll have to ask me about a week from tonight around nine o'clock."
2022-23 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
October 31, 2022 – Media Session
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What do you know about your first opponent in Texas A&M Corpus Christi?
CJ: "I know they'll be very well coached and well prepared. I've got a great relationship with their head coach, Steve Lutz, and he comes from a great coaching pedigree. He's done a wonderful job since he's arrived at Corpus Christi."
"I know they're excited about their program. They're coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance, and they've got all five starters back. It's not the smartest game to host as your first one out of the shoot, but that's the way the cookie crumbled. They'll be really good on the defensive end. They'll play man-to-man. They'll play tough, hard-nosed old school defense. They're certainly well versed on offense as well. I haven't gotten too deep into them yet, that will start this week. I know my staff has got a pre-scout ready, and I'm anxious to open up the laptop."
Q: Do you have a good idea of your set rotation, or is that something that will play out in November as your team plays a couple of games?
CJ: "Like we talked about last week, I like to wait as long as I can. Even throughout the year, we'll the play top ten against each other [in practice]. At least, we have in the past and plan to a lot in the season. We'll see how it unfolds this year, but I prefer to have them go against their counterpart or the best ten players just to continue to get better throughout the season."
"At this point, I've got a pretty good idea of at least three or possibly four [starters]. I'm kind of up in the air about another spot. You'll have to wait until Monday to see who that is. I don't want to give up any information."
"In terms of rotations, that's still up in the air. We've still got a lot of guys that are fighting and scrambling for minutes. We're real blunt in practice and in video. They know there's competition, and they know they're being evaluated every single day. That ups the ante for us in practice. We've got a full week to try and iron it out. It will just unfold the way it does. I can't predict who's going to get better and who's going to produce when the lights come on. Some people cower when it's their time, and some people rise up to the occasion. We'll have to see who gets the most out of their minutes, and then they'll get more."
Q: What's an area you would like to see your team improve on still?
CJ: "When we're fresh and we feel good, we play pretty hard, and we defend pretty well. We're still not as good as where I want to be in terms of rebounding the ball both offensively or defensively. We have too big of a drop off right now with how hard we play from when we're fresh and first get into the scrimmage, game or practice compared to when they get a little bit winded or distracted. Certainly, there will be a drop off. It's human nature; I don't care how athletic you are. We've got to figure out a way for all of us to play at a peak performance if you will when we're a little tired or sub into the practice or scrimmage."
"There's no time to get warmed up, if you will, they have to be ready to go from the jump. That's probably where we're at right now; just being more consistent with our effort and our attention to detail on the defensive end. Certainly, our rebounding is something that we've always prided ourselves on. Right now, I don't think we're rebounding at the level we should."
Q: How has the team meshed and come together from a chemistry standpoint so far from your point of view?
CJ: "It's always interesting to watch that unfold. Each and every season, they have a different personality for our team. Certainly, when you're new, you're more curious to see how that develops, or doesn't, in the worst case scenario. It's pretty good. They like each other from where I sit, [though] I can't speak for them."
"I think I've said this prior in a different interview or press conference that one of my litmus tests is always to see when practice is complete if they hang around either on the practice court, the Hump, the locker room or the training room just to be with one another. If guys are heading out the door as soon as the buzzer sounds or we break, that's probably not a great sign. Obviously, some guys have to rush to a tutor, class, or what have you, but I thought earlier in the season they were showing signs of that comradery that everyone seeks. They were hanging out, talking with one another, just laughing and joking about practice or giving each other a hard time about whoever won that day. There's been quite a bit of that, and it's all been good natured; I like the vibe that we've given off."
"There were a couple instances when I watched the scrimmage tape where some of the guys weren't as engaged when they weren't in the game. That will be addressed individually today, talking about how important it is to be a good teammate. I always tell them, if you're on the court, you don't want 10 guys sitting laid back with their legs crossed watching you play and not giving you support. You know how good that feels when you're out there, and the teammates you're grinding with every day are giving you their support on the bench, even when they would rather be out there. We need some talks with a couple guys about that, but I think that will change quickly. We'll see, a lot of things will unfold when we start playing these games."
Q: Will you have butterflies walking out of the tunnel for the first time?
CJ: "I don't know if I'll have butterflies or not. I hope I do; it's a fun type of feeling. You do it for long enough that you don't get them very often anymore. I know that I'll be excited, and I'll be anxious just like you guys are and hopefully our fan base is to see who you are and how we're going to play. Again, how I'll feel, you'll have to ask me about a week from tonight around nine o'clock."
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