Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Watch: Coach Jans Media Session
January 05, 2023 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Head coach Chris Jans had the opportunity to meet with the media on Thursday leading into Saturday's matchup with Ole Miss.
2022-23 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 5, 2023
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What were your thoughts on Kimani Hamilton's performance against Tennessee in his first extensive SEC minutes?
CJ: "That was a bright spot for us. Individually, Kimani certainly looked the part out there and played like he belonged. Certainly, that wasn't part of the plan, to be in a situation where we could give him and MJ [Martavious] Russell minutes in a SEC game. As it's played out, we've had other games where we were in the lead like that and were able to play those guys and give them valuable minutes early. This was not the ideal situation. But to answer your question, I thought he had way more positive plays than he did negative."
Q: How would you assess your team's response in the locker room to these first two SEC losses?
CJ: "I think that would be more of a fair question after a couple of days. We played Tuesday on the road [at Tennessee] and got back really late. We had travel and weather-related issues [getting back late]. So, we didn't really do anything Wednesday other than rehab. Guys voluntarily did some things, but as a team we didn't really do anything on the floor. I would have a better feel after being with them for a couple of days heading into the Saturday afternoon contest."
Q: This is your first game with Ole Miss, what have you been told about the rivalry from fans, players and administration?
CJ: "Beat Ole Miss. Other from that, not much. I haven't asked a lot of questions."
Q: How do you handle rivalries as a coach? Do you temper them or embrace them?
CJ: "I've been coaching for 31 years. So, as you can imagine, I've been in a lot of different rivalries across the country. It's one of those situations where I don't think you have to say that much [to players] about who we're playing. Everyone in the area knows. Certainly, quote unquote, 'Business as usual' is what you'd like to say, but we all know how important this game is for each fanbase and for the State of Mississippi in general. You want to win those games. You want people to be excited and to feel good about beating their rival. Obviously, our opponent is feeling the same way. We're both in a situation where we're starving for a win. So, I'd imagine the intensity of the game will be as high as it can get."
Q: How important would a good crowd be on Saturday, and what would your message be to the fans wanting to attend?
CJ: "I'm still learning the historical perspective of this rivalry. I'm knee deep in it and excited to be a part. I can't wait to experience it. I haven't checked personally on where we're at in terms of ticket sales, I've got a lot of other things to worry about right now, but I can imagine it's pretty good. From what I've been told, historically, these games are one of the highest populated basketball games of the season.
"Saturday afternoon, 1 o'clock, CBS Sports and both teams are starving for a win. I'm very hopeful that our fanbase will continue to support these young men and to continue to appreciate their work and how they've been competing on the floor. I know everyone's disappointed with our last few games. Nobody is more disappointed than our locker room. These kids are upset, and they aren't happy. Certainly, we're not happy either [as a coaching staff]. Not just in the results, but more importantly for me, our quality of play hasn't been up to snuff and to the standard of expectation we have. Saturday is a great opportunity to try and fix some things."
Q: What do you know about Ole Miss from film, and what's your relationship like with Kermit Davis?
CJ: "I've known Kermit for a long, long time. Obviously, he's been in it [the coaching profession] for a long time, longer than me. I have a ton of respect for him and his body of work. He's got a great reputation for being a heck of a ball coach. I know his dad was the coach here, and I've had the chance to meet Coach Davis. I really enjoyed the conversation that I had with him."
"I know they're going to be very well prepared from watching the film. We're definitely knee deep in the film part of the process. They're going to play a lot of guys. He's shuffling guys in and out. They're very athletic, they really get after you and they're very scout specific. They're going to know you inside-and-out. They're going to take away your crutches, or at least attempt to take away your crutches. They're going to fight you for every loose ball and every rebound. They're going to play you extremely hard. We understand that. That's going to be par for the course I think in almost every game we play this year. I would imagine when these two programs get together, again this will be my first foray into that, it's going to even a little more intensified."
2022-23 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 5, 2023
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What were your thoughts on Kimani Hamilton's performance against Tennessee in his first extensive SEC minutes?
CJ: "That was a bright spot for us. Individually, Kimani certainly looked the part out there and played like he belonged. Certainly, that wasn't part of the plan, to be in a situation where we could give him and MJ [Martavious] Russell minutes in a SEC game. As it's played out, we've had other games where we were in the lead like that and were able to play those guys and give them valuable minutes early. This was not the ideal situation. But to answer your question, I thought he had way more positive plays than he did negative."
Q: How would you assess your team's response in the locker room to these first two SEC losses?
CJ: "I think that would be more of a fair question after a couple of days. We played Tuesday on the road [at Tennessee] and got back really late. We had travel and weather-related issues [getting back late]. So, we didn't really do anything Wednesday other than rehab. Guys voluntarily did some things, but as a team we didn't really do anything on the floor. I would have a better feel after being with them for a couple of days heading into the Saturday afternoon contest."
Q: This is your first game with Ole Miss, what have you been told about the rivalry from fans, players and administration?
CJ: "Beat Ole Miss. Other from that, not much. I haven't asked a lot of questions."
Q: How do you handle rivalries as a coach? Do you temper them or embrace them?
CJ: "I've been coaching for 31 years. So, as you can imagine, I've been in a lot of different rivalries across the country. It's one of those situations where I don't think you have to say that much [to players] about who we're playing. Everyone in the area knows. Certainly, quote unquote, 'Business as usual' is what you'd like to say, but we all know how important this game is for each fanbase and for the State of Mississippi in general. You want to win those games. You want people to be excited and to feel good about beating their rival. Obviously, our opponent is feeling the same way. We're both in a situation where we're starving for a win. So, I'd imagine the intensity of the game will be as high as it can get."
Q: How important would a good crowd be on Saturday, and what would your message be to the fans wanting to attend?
CJ: "I'm still learning the historical perspective of this rivalry. I'm knee deep in it and excited to be a part. I can't wait to experience it. I haven't checked personally on where we're at in terms of ticket sales, I've got a lot of other things to worry about right now, but I can imagine it's pretty good. From what I've been told, historically, these games are one of the highest populated basketball games of the season.
"Saturday afternoon, 1 o'clock, CBS Sports and both teams are starving for a win. I'm very hopeful that our fanbase will continue to support these young men and to continue to appreciate their work and how they've been competing on the floor. I know everyone's disappointed with our last few games. Nobody is more disappointed than our locker room. These kids are upset, and they aren't happy. Certainly, we're not happy either [as a coaching staff]. Not just in the results, but more importantly for me, our quality of play hasn't been up to snuff and to the standard of expectation we have. Saturday is a great opportunity to try and fix some things."
Q: What do you know about Ole Miss from film, and what's your relationship like with Kermit Davis?
CJ: "I've known Kermit for a long, long time. Obviously, he's been in it [the coaching profession] for a long time, longer than me. I have a ton of respect for him and his body of work. He's got a great reputation for being a heck of a ball coach. I know his dad was the coach here, and I've had the chance to meet Coach Davis. I really enjoyed the conversation that I had with him."
"I know they're going to be very well prepared from watching the film. We're definitely knee deep in the film part of the process. They're going to play a lot of guys. He's shuffling guys in and out. They're very athletic, they really get after you and they're very scout specific. They're going to know you inside-and-out. They're going to take away your crutches, or at least attempt to take away your crutches. They're going to fight you for every loose ball and every rebound. They're going to play you extremely hard. We understand that. That's going to be par for the course I think in almost every game we play this year. I would imagine when these two programs get together, again this will be my first foray into that, it's going to even a little more intensified."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballMEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans & Players SEC Tournament Postgame vs. Auburn - 3/11/26
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Monday, March 09
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Sunday, March 08
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans Postgame Press Conference vs. Georgia - 3/7/26
Saturday, March 07