WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

STARKVILLE - Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans met with the media before Monday's practice to preview Tuesday's regular season home finale and Senior Night matchup with South Carolina.

2022-23 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
February 27, 2023 – Media Session

Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Coach you've had your share of Senior Night's in your career. You've got a pretty big group of seniors that are going to be honored tomorrow night. What's that moment going to be like?
CJ: "Senior Night's are interesting. It's a great way to celebrate families, players and their accomplishments. That's the awesome part of it. I'm looking forward to being a small part of it. Like you said, it's not as if I've been with any of these players that we're celebrating tomorrow night for very long, but I'm looking forward to it."

"At the same time, I've seen a lot of crazy stuff happen on Senior Night with emotions running wild and focus being off. So, as the head coach, I'm certainly going to talk about that and make sure we are all are on the same page in terms of what's most important about tomorrow night."

"For me, celebrating these kids that will eventually be done playing here – I'd much rather do it when the season is complete, and we don't have to play a game following the reading of their accomplishments, and the pictures with their families. Obviously, that's a big part of it. I understand, and I get that. At the same time, there's a lot of basketball yet to be played. We just got to make sure that we move on after the festivities."

Q: Tolu Smith is one of the guys who is going to be recognized. Everyone knows what he does on the court. Off the court, how important was it for you as a first-year coach to get him back and have him throughout the season?"
CJ: "I remember back when he basically committed to us, and I felt at that point that we were going to have a chance. We had an anchor if you will to our basketball team. We had someone that has been there done that in this league. Especially for our staff and our style, I knew he would fit it like a perfect glove because of the mantra of trying to play inside-out if we have the right personnel. So, we felt really good once he made that decision. I think it helped with some other guys returning as well. Hopefully it's going to work out the way we all want it to."

Q: Your team has won seven of your last nine games. Over that stretch, where have you seen your team improve? What are you hoping that they improve on in these last few games?
CJ: "I think our offense has gotten better. We're still having troubles shooting the basketball, especially from three, but I think that if you look at us like we're just a little better offensively in terms of playing to our strengths. Our point totals have gone up a little bit over time. I just think that we've settled in. Certainly, can get better, but we've settled into a better rhythm."

"We go through stretches where we struggle for minutes at a time like most teams do each and every game, we're no different. Certainly, our offense is created from our defense. When we're doing that, that's when we're really clicking. When we get those runouts and easy buckets creating from our defense, it really helps our offensive look and numbers as well."

"But, I think down the stretch the seven of nine, it hasn't so much been that our defense has gotten incredibly better or our rebounding has gotten incredibly better. I think that out shot selection continues to improve. There's still three or four a game where its just not the right time. It's not a bad shot, they're open … That's a hard concept for young people to understand that. Coach, I'm open, and I can make this shot. We all get that, but it's about time, score and understanding the big picture."

Q: The TCU game is the one that everyone looks at as the breakthrough. After that, you went on the road at South Carolina. How much did that experience of getting that first SEC road win also elevate this teams play going forward?
CJ: "I remember we were struggling obviously then in the win column, and we needed to get a road win. We needed to get one under our belt knowing we had a bunch more. We needed to get that confidence. At the end of the day, that's the thing that you want so bad for your players and for your team is confidence. Confidence in themselves, confidence in the system and confidence in their teammates. That's the area that for me, if I could grant a wish to all my guys at this point in the season, that would be it. Not to question anything that they're doing and not to raise eyebrows at what's going on behind them with their teammates on the floor at practice, etcetera. Because if you have that confidence with your shot and with your playmaking ability, you've just elevating your game. It goes back to the question is I think you have to earn that confidence by winning on the road and showing each other, you can do it. I think that helped us have opportunities later in the conference season to get more of the road wins."

WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

Players Mentioned

Tolu Smith III

Mississippi State University Athletics