Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session
November 16, 2022 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Mississippi State heads into another three-game stretch over a seven-day span as the Bulldogs square off with South Dakota at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday.
Head coach Chris Jans had the opportunity to meet with the media leading into Tuesday's practice.
Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Can you talk about this new signing class that was finalized last week?
CJ: "We're pleased with our class. Find me a head coach on signing day that stands in front of a mic and sounds disappointed … You don't sign those young men unless you feel good about who they are as people, their talent or their upside – all of what goes into the evaluation process. We feel good about it. Obviously, we feel like all four of them have a chance to make an impact. For most of them, hopefully, sooner rather than later."
"Specifically, Gai Chol is the biggest guy out of the group. He just oozes upside. You know a young person that will come in and have a lot to learn. There's always a transition for all the guys that are going to division one [basketball] for the first time, especially right out of high school. We believe that he's going to be a really good player, it's just a matter of when. What a nice young man. He's excited, we're excited and it's all really good."
"Adrian Myers is the other high school player that we signed. We really feel like we got a steal with him. He's a little under the radar if you will and not a national name. We feel like his size and position combines with his ability to shoot the basketball. He's got a beautiful stroke. He's got it with range, and he's bouncy. You combine all those things, and he just oozes upside. He's a very confident young man as well.
We signed two junior college players. Trey Fort is at Howard junior college and has already played Division One. He's a little bit older, and that's always good with experience. It comes with an understanding of what it takes to play at this level. We love the guy he's playing for right now. He's a good coach that will help him get better as the season progresses. His athleticism and his shot making ability jump off the page at you. He comes from a great family as well."
"Jaquon Scott is someone that we've known for a long, long time. It's been a marathon of a recruiting process for him, but we're finally going to get to coach him. We've watched him from afar for quite some time. He's kind of a combo forward that can do a bit of everything. He can shoot it from outside, he can score around the basket and he's got a nice mid-range foot fake game. He's worked on his body, it's changed over time, and I think he'll rebound for us as well. We're certainly not done, but it's a pretty good start."
Q: Can you talk about South Dakota, A.J. Plitzuweit, and what they bring to the table?
CJ: "They've got an all-name team to start. The first three guys off the stat sheet, [Plitzuweit, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Tasos Kamateros] are all tongue-twisters for me. They've got a first-year coach [Eric Peterson], and I know he's excited to be there. He's been there as an assistant, and he's trying to put a stamp on the program. They've got some guys who have been around."
"You mentioned the first young man, and he had a pretty catastrophic injury a couple of years ago that really set him back. He's just now playing basketball for I think it's been 14-to-16 months, something like that. He looks good. He's got a brace on, but he's still obviously a very good player. He can do a little bit of everything, but the thing that sticks with him is his ability to shoot the ball. He's off to an incredible start and is 10-for-13 from three to start the year. I know it's a small sample, but it gives you an idea of what he's capable of."
"Then, they've got the other guard that's with him, Perrott-Hunt. He's a bigger guard that can score inside and out, good midrange. They've got a big kid around the basket, [Kamateros], that can do everything. He can score under the basket, back you down with his right hand or left hand. He can back you down, and he can shoot the three. When you've got a five man who can shoot the three and can stretch the defense, which is becoming more common in today's game, it gives your defense some more problems."
"They can really shoot the ball overall if you look at their percentages from the field, from three and from the free-throw line. They're all really, really good. They're able to hold their own on the backboards as well. It'll be a different kind of team. It will be a different team than we've played thus far with a different style and with different kind of players which I love. The more things we can get thrown at us in the early season, the better prepared we'll be for when SEC play opens up."
Q: Your team has been in a lot of difference scenarios during the first three games of the season. What you have learned about your in a short amount of time?
CJ: "It's much different like you said. You can learn a lot about your team each and every day. But once you go up against someone in a different color jersey and it's meaningful in terms of the left or the right column, you know the W or the L, there's obviously a lot riding on each and every game."
"I felt really good after the Akron game because I didn't think we played great especially after the first 15 or 17 minutes of the opener. I made mention of it in here if it was because of more of the jitters or the over excitement of playing the first game of the year. We settled down in the second half, but again I thought we played better against Akron."
"Then, I thought we played better against [Arkansas] Pine Bluff as well. I felt we caught them at the right time. We played three games in seven days, and they played four games in seven days. All but one of theirs was away from home. They also had a much harder travel schedule than we had …"
"The things that disappointed me the most after watching the tape was our defensive rebounding isn't where it should be. We place a lot of emphases on that every day. Where we're at in terms of our percentage is just not up to snuff. It's not what I'm used to. It's not what we've been preaching. That will be a major focus for us the next couple of days [in practice]. It's getting the habit and the discipline of checking out each and every time. Having that gang mentality of all five guys on the court being ball getters and chasing the ball down regardless of where it's at."
"The one that's been consistent for us on the negative side is valuing the ball and the decisions we're making with the basketball. We're turning the ball over way too much, and we're not getting a shot on goal each and every time down the court. That's got to change as well."
Q: Tolu Smith was named SEC Player of the Week to start the season. What was your reaction to him winning the award after the season's first week?
CJ: "I'm happy for him. He's a hard worker. He puts a lot of extra time into the game. He spends a lot of time in the training room keeping his body right. With his history, he understands that he needs to do that. You love when people who really pour their heart and soul into their craft get rewarded for it. Certainly, he's got much bigger individual goals and team goals than winning the player of the week honor. But it's still a nice little feather in the cap for him."
Q: What's a mid-major program like South Dakota's mentality coming into Thursday's game?
CJ: "I've been in those locker rooms the majority of my life. It's something we have talked about a ton prior to the Akron game in practice. Heck, we talked about it before we entered the court in Philadelphia. I keep trying to get those kids to understand what it's like to be on the other team in these types of games. It's the best way for them to get recognized nationally in the fall. Most of the attention isn't on the majority mid-level basketball programs regardless of how good they are unless it's local or regional coverage. In order to get that kind of exposure on a national level, you have to be power five teams. They're normally in their barn or if you're lucky you get them out of neutral site court."
"So, we will continue to talk about it whenever we play these types of programs until I feel really good that they are respecting their opponent each and every time and understanding the hunger that is coming out of their locker room. But at this point in the season with us being so new, you would think that we would be as hungry as well and understanding of how meaningful all of these games are if you are trying to be a team that is talked about as the NCAA tournament come February and March."
Q: What analytics do you and your staff use on a daily basis?
CJ: "I use Ken Pom daily with our team and with our opponents. It's the first thing I look at before I look at their old school data stats or season box score. That's what it's all about – it's all about percentages. These stats that people say, rebounding margin, that means nothing to me. It's what rebounds are available to our team and what kind of percentage are we getting. That's all that matters. The old school data when it comes to rebounding to me is debunked. It just doesn't make any sense at all because it's all about how many possessions there are and how many rebounds are available. We talk about it in our meeting room too. I give them an update post game, and when we meet to review the film of where we stood in the categories that are important to us."
"We're in the middle of pack when it comes to analytics. We don't live and die by them. We don't base every shot we take on them, but it's definitely in our room and in our program. I still think the game needs to be instinctual, and you don't want them [the players] overthinking. You want them to keep playing."
Head coach Chris Jans had the opportunity to meet with the media leading into Tuesday's practice.
Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Can you talk about this new signing class that was finalized last week?
CJ: "We're pleased with our class. Find me a head coach on signing day that stands in front of a mic and sounds disappointed … You don't sign those young men unless you feel good about who they are as people, their talent or their upside – all of what goes into the evaluation process. We feel good about it. Obviously, we feel like all four of them have a chance to make an impact. For most of them, hopefully, sooner rather than later."
"Specifically, Gai Chol is the biggest guy out of the group. He just oozes upside. You know a young person that will come in and have a lot to learn. There's always a transition for all the guys that are going to division one [basketball] for the first time, especially right out of high school. We believe that he's going to be a really good player, it's just a matter of when. What a nice young man. He's excited, we're excited and it's all really good."
"Adrian Myers is the other high school player that we signed. We really feel like we got a steal with him. He's a little under the radar if you will and not a national name. We feel like his size and position combines with his ability to shoot the basketball. He's got a beautiful stroke. He's got it with range, and he's bouncy. You combine all those things, and he just oozes upside. He's a very confident young man as well.
We signed two junior college players. Trey Fort is at Howard junior college and has already played Division One. He's a little bit older, and that's always good with experience. It comes with an understanding of what it takes to play at this level. We love the guy he's playing for right now. He's a good coach that will help him get better as the season progresses. His athleticism and his shot making ability jump off the page at you. He comes from a great family as well."
"Jaquon Scott is someone that we've known for a long, long time. It's been a marathon of a recruiting process for him, but we're finally going to get to coach him. We've watched him from afar for quite some time. He's kind of a combo forward that can do a bit of everything. He can shoot it from outside, he can score around the basket and he's got a nice mid-range foot fake game. He's worked on his body, it's changed over time, and I think he'll rebound for us as well. We're certainly not done, but it's a pretty good start."
Q: Can you talk about South Dakota, A.J. Plitzuweit, and what they bring to the table?
CJ: "They've got an all-name team to start. The first three guys off the stat sheet, [Plitzuweit, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Tasos Kamateros] are all tongue-twisters for me. They've got a first-year coach [Eric Peterson], and I know he's excited to be there. He's been there as an assistant, and he's trying to put a stamp on the program. They've got some guys who have been around."
"You mentioned the first young man, and he had a pretty catastrophic injury a couple of years ago that really set him back. He's just now playing basketball for I think it's been 14-to-16 months, something like that. He looks good. He's got a brace on, but he's still obviously a very good player. He can do a little bit of everything, but the thing that sticks with him is his ability to shoot the ball. He's off to an incredible start and is 10-for-13 from three to start the year. I know it's a small sample, but it gives you an idea of what he's capable of."
"Then, they've got the other guard that's with him, Perrott-Hunt. He's a bigger guard that can score inside and out, good midrange. They've got a big kid around the basket, [Kamateros], that can do everything. He can score under the basket, back you down with his right hand or left hand. He can back you down, and he can shoot the three. When you've got a five man who can shoot the three and can stretch the defense, which is becoming more common in today's game, it gives your defense some more problems."
"They can really shoot the ball overall if you look at their percentages from the field, from three and from the free-throw line. They're all really, really good. They're able to hold their own on the backboards as well. It'll be a different kind of team. It will be a different team than we've played thus far with a different style and with different kind of players which I love. The more things we can get thrown at us in the early season, the better prepared we'll be for when SEC play opens up."
Q: Your team has been in a lot of difference scenarios during the first three games of the season. What you have learned about your in a short amount of time?
CJ: "It's much different like you said. You can learn a lot about your team each and every day. But once you go up against someone in a different color jersey and it's meaningful in terms of the left or the right column, you know the W or the L, there's obviously a lot riding on each and every game."
"I felt really good after the Akron game because I didn't think we played great especially after the first 15 or 17 minutes of the opener. I made mention of it in here if it was because of more of the jitters or the over excitement of playing the first game of the year. We settled down in the second half, but again I thought we played better against Akron."
"Then, I thought we played better against [Arkansas] Pine Bluff as well. I felt we caught them at the right time. We played three games in seven days, and they played four games in seven days. All but one of theirs was away from home. They also had a much harder travel schedule than we had …"
"The things that disappointed me the most after watching the tape was our defensive rebounding isn't where it should be. We place a lot of emphases on that every day. Where we're at in terms of our percentage is just not up to snuff. It's not what I'm used to. It's not what we've been preaching. That will be a major focus for us the next couple of days [in practice]. It's getting the habit and the discipline of checking out each and every time. Having that gang mentality of all five guys on the court being ball getters and chasing the ball down regardless of where it's at."
"The one that's been consistent for us on the negative side is valuing the ball and the decisions we're making with the basketball. We're turning the ball over way too much, and we're not getting a shot on goal each and every time down the court. That's got to change as well."
Q: Tolu Smith was named SEC Player of the Week to start the season. What was your reaction to him winning the award after the season's first week?
CJ: "I'm happy for him. He's a hard worker. He puts a lot of extra time into the game. He spends a lot of time in the training room keeping his body right. With his history, he understands that he needs to do that. You love when people who really pour their heart and soul into their craft get rewarded for it. Certainly, he's got much bigger individual goals and team goals than winning the player of the week honor. But it's still a nice little feather in the cap for him."
Q: What's a mid-major program like South Dakota's mentality coming into Thursday's game?
CJ: "I've been in those locker rooms the majority of my life. It's something we have talked about a ton prior to the Akron game in practice. Heck, we talked about it before we entered the court in Philadelphia. I keep trying to get those kids to understand what it's like to be on the other team in these types of games. It's the best way for them to get recognized nationally in the fall. Most of the attention isn't on the majority mid-level basketball programs regardless of how good they are unless it's local or regional coverage. In order to get that kind of exposure on a national level, you have to be power five teams. They're normally in their barn or if you're lucky you get them out of neutral site court."
"So, we will continue to talk about it whenever we play these types of programs until I feel really good that they are respecting their opponent each and every time and understanding the hunger that is coming out of their locker room. But at this point in the season with us being so new, you would think that we would be as hungry as well and understanding of how meaningful all of these games are if you are trying to be a team that is talked about as the NCAA tournament come February and March."
Q: What analytics do you and your staff use on a daily basis?
CJ: "I use Ken Pom daily with our team and with our opponents. It's the first thing I look at before I look at their old school data stats or season box score. That's what it's all about – it's all about percentages. These stats that people say, rebounding margin, that means nothing to me. It's what rebounds are available to our team and what kind of percentage are we getting. That's all that matters. The old school data when it comes to rebounding to me is debunked. It just doesn't make any sense at all because it's all about how many possessions there are and how many rebounds are available. We talk about it in our meeting room too. I give them an update post game, and when we meet to review the film of where we stood in the categories that are important to us."
"We're in the middle of pack when it comes to analytics. We don't live and die by them. We don't base every shot we take on them, but it's definitely in our room and in our program. I still think the game needs to be instinctual, and you don't want them [the players] overthinking. You want them to keep playing."
Players Mentioned
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Monday, March 09
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Josh Hubbard & Ja'Borri McGhee Postgame Press Conference vs. Georgia - 3/7/26
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