Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session
January 15, 2024 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans spoke to the media leading into Monday's practice to preview the team's upcoming game at No. 8 Kentucky.
2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 15, 2024
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What are some of your impressions on the Kentucky game and the challenge of playing in Rupp Arena?
CJ: "I've never coached in Rupp Arena. So, I'm looking forward to that opportunity. I've certainly heard a lot about it, watched a lot of games, talked to people about it, etcetera. But most importantly, just trying to get our kids ready to go."
"It'll be a heck of a challenge. At first glance, they're just uber talented. Obviously, got a lot of young guys this year. They're just very, very talented, and they don't play like freshmen. They seem very seasoned already. They're very high-octane on offense. It's very similar to Alabama in terms of their transition baskets, their ability to get downhill, multiple playmakers on the floor at one time. Then, they shoot the ball really, really well. They shoot the ball much better than last year's team. From what I've read and seen, it seems like their coaching staff are really happy about the vibe that they have and the culture that this particular team has. I think they're feeling really good about themselves."
Q: Like you said, Kentucky is a high-octane offense like Alabama. What are the some of the things that you see that the team will need to do differently this game on defense compared to last game?
CJ: "I just hope that we execute the game plan better. I'm not going to give away what we're going to do, but we've got to execute better on that end of the floor [defensively] after watching the tape. It wasn't just the ghost screens; we had some ball screen breakdowns defensively. We've got to shore that up. We're just going to have to be better."
Q: A couple weeks ago you said Trey Fort was doing well in practice and had a better attitude. We saw him play extended minutes against Alabama and hold his own. What's your thoughts on him, and how he's accepted his role in earning more minutes?
CJ: "Yeah, for the record, that was definitely your word [better attitude], not mine. I remember saying that he had a better approach mentally. He had practiced at a higher level. Therefore, we were excited about the prospect in him being able to help us as we got into conference play."
"You saw some of that against Alabama. He jumped up and made a couple shots. He had an opportunity to finish and to convert a dunk situation that didn't happen. But defensively, he's still a work in progress like a lot of our guys are. He's gotten a lot better on that end, and he can light a spark for us. He gives us another scorer on the floor, another guy that can stretch the defense and give us more room to operate around the paint."
Q: You told us on Saturday your confidence level in your team's mental approach to everything, but do you think on Wednesday they could have extra motivation considering how the Alabama game ended?
CJ: "Again, I don't think the outcome will have much bearing, theirs [Kentucky] or ours. I think both teams are going to be ready to go. I think both teams are going to play really, really hard. Most importantly, we've just got to have two good days of practice. We've got to have two really good days of understanding what went wrong in the game, and our staff trying to work together to do some things in practice we can get better at so we can get it on the court on Wednesday. All of that stuff sounds good in theory. But when they throw that ball up, you're not thinking about anything but playing the team that you're playing and trying to get the scout [scouting report] into the game."
Q: With Trey [Fort] coming on now, how do you have the luxury of him and Josh Hubbard mixing, matching, and deciding when you're going to use them and when?
CJ: "Again, every game unfolds as it does. There's a lot of things that factor into rotations, one being foul issues. I don't remember a game all year long where we didn't have someone who was in some sort of foul trouble. That determines a lot of who plays when."
"Then, other factors include who's on the floor for them, what kind of matchups defensively would present by playing certain guys. The flow of the game, who's playing well and who isn't. There's just a lot of factors that go into it. Like I've always said, more options are welcomed by me and the staff."
"They [the players] know how it works. You get minutes. If you're productive, then, you get more [minutes]. It all goes back to that and in practice. We always preach that you play like you practice. We put our words – it means something to us. We play guys that produce daily, and that have a consistent approach daily. At the end of the day, we play guys that we trust, and that will go out there and play the way that we're trying to play."
Q: Shakeel Moore had a really nice game against Alabama. He seems to have come into his own since being moved into the starting role. Where do you see him continuing to fit in alongside Rams [Dashawn Davis], Josh [Hubbard], Trey [Fort] and the other guards?
CJ: "Yeah, it's interesting you bring him up. I was going to wait until today to talk to him one-on-one, but he looked different. He looked different at shootaround [leading into the Alabama game]. His demeanor, his facial expressions and his focus throughout the afternoon."
"Then, when we were getting ready for meetings and talks before we hit the floor for the opening tip, he just had a different look to him in a positive way at the end. I didn't know what it was going to mean come game time. He just seemed ready to go, and I thought he played really, really well on both ends of the floor. He and I are going to talk about that today. I'm going to ask him how he got to that place mentally because that's a place that he needs to find each and every day, each and every outing for him to play at his best. That's a big shot in the arm for us when he's doing everything. Being a dynamic athlete and getting into the paint, creating for himself and others, and getting in transition. He's getting open three's and knocking them down. I thought he played really, really well. Hopefully, he can keep it going."
Q: When minutes fluctuate for those guys when their minutes are up and down, is that something you talk with them about behind the scenes or is it something that just happens to sort itself out?
CJ: "Yeah, every situation is a little bit different. It kind of depends on where we're at with each particular situation. We handle them differently. It's just a feel thing, a vibe thing. More often than not, we'll have unscheduled meetings throughout the day where we'll just try to get together and make sure we're all on the same page. Make sure there's no questions of why."
"We're real blunt with our guys. We don't try to play games with them and sugar code it. They know what the expectations are, and they know that our doors are always open. We encourage them to be up there as much as possible, not just to talk about basketball, but just to be around. Some take advantage of it, and some don't as much as others. When kids aren't playing well, it's not like they need me to tell them that. They know if they're not playing well. Usually, they do something to straighten it out, or do something to make sure they play better next time out. We'll continue to try and to do that."
2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 15, 2024
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What are some of your impressions on the Kentucky game and the challenge of playing in Rupp Arena?
CJ: "I've never coached in Rupp Arena. So, I'm looking forward to that opportunity. I've certainly heard a lot about it, watched a lot of games, talked to people about it, etcetera. But most importantly, just trying to get our kids ready to go."
"It'll be a heck of a challenge. At first glance, they're just uber talented. Obviously, got a lot of young guys this year. They're just very, very talented, and they don't play like freshmen. They seem very seasoned already. They're very high-octane on offense. It's very similar to Alabama in terms of their transition baskets, their ability to get downhill, multiple playmakers on the floor at one time. Then, they shoot the ball really, really well. They shoot the ball much better than last year's team. From what I've read and seen, it seems like their coaching staff are really happy about the vibe that they have and the culture that this particular team has. I think they're feeling really good about themselves."
Q: Like you said, Kentucky is a high-octane offense like Alabama. What are the some of the things that you see that the team will need to do differently this game on defense compared to last game?
CJ: "I just hope that we execute the game plan better. I'm not going to give away what we're going to do, but we've got to execute better on that end of the floor [defensively] after watching the tape. It wasn't just the ghost screens; we had some ball screen breakdowns defensively. We've got to shore that up. We're just going to have to be better."
Q: A couple weeks ago you said Trey Fort was doing well in practice and had a better attitude. We saw him play extended minutes against Alabama and hold his own. What's your thoughts on him, and how he's accepted his role in earning more minutes?
CJ: "Yeah, for the record, that was definitely your word [better attitude], not mine. I remember saying that he had a better approach mentally. He had practiced at a higher level. Therefore, we were excited about the prospect in him being able to help us as we got into conference play."
"You saw some of that against Alabama. He jumped up and made a couple shots. He had an opportunity to finish and to convert a dunk situation that didn't happen. But defensively, he's still a work in progress like a lot of our guys are. He's gotten a lot better on that end, and he can light a spark for us. He gives us another scorer on the floor, another guy that can stretch the defense and give us more room to operate around the paint."
Q: You told us on Saturday your confidence level in your team's mental approach to everything, but do you think on Wednesday they could have extra motivation considering how the Alabama game ended?
CJ: "Again, I don't think the outcome will have much bearing, theirs [Kentucky] or ours. I think both teams are going to be ready to go. I think both teams are going to play really, really hard. Most importantly, we've just got to have two good days of practice. We've got to have two really good days of understanding what went wrong in the game, and our staff trying to work together to do some things in practice we can get better at so we can get it on the court on Wednesday. All of that stuff sounds good in theory. But when they throw that ball up, you're not thinking about anything but playing the team that you're playing and trying to get the scout [scouting report] into the game."
Q: With Trey [Fort] coming on now, how do you have the luxury of him and Josh Hubbard mixing, matching, and deciding when you're going to use them and when?
CJ: "Again, every game unfolds as it does. There's a lot of things that factor into rotations, one being foul issues. I don't remember a game all year long where we didn't have someone who was in some sort of foul trouble. That determines a lot of who plays when."
"Then, other factors include who's on the floor for them, what kind of matchups defensively would present by playing certain guys. The flow of the game, who's playing well and who isn't. There's just a lot of factors that go into it. Like I've always said, more options are welcomed by me and the staff."
"They [the players] know how it works. You get minutes. If you're productive, then, you get more [minutes]. It all goes back to that and in practice. We always preach that you play like you practice. We put our words – it means something to us. We play guys that produce daily, and that have a consistent approach daily. At the end of the day, we play guys that we trust, and that will go out there and play the way that we're trying to play."
Q: Shakeel Moore had a really nice game against Alabama. He seems to have come into his own since being moved into the starting role. Where do you see him continuing to fit in alongside Rams [Dashawn Davis], Josh [Hubbard], Trey [Fort] and the other guards?
CJ: "Yeah, it's interesting you bring him up. I was going to wait until today to talk to him one-on-one, but he looked different. He looked different at shootaround [leading into the Alabama game]. His demeanor, his facial expressions and his focus throughout the afternoon."
"Then, when we were getting ready for meetings and talks before we hit the floor for the opening tip, he just had a different look to him in a positive way at the end. I didn't know what it was going to mean come game time. He just seemed ready to go, and I thought he played really, really well on both ends of the floor. He and I are going to talk about that today. I'm going to ask him how he got to that place mentally because that's a place that he needs to find each and every day, each and every outing for him to play at his best. That's a big shot in the arm for us when he's doing everything. Being a dynamic athlete and getting into the paint, creating for himself and others, and getting in transition. He's getting open three's and knocking them down. I thought he played really, really well. Hopefully, he can keep it going."
Q: When minutes fluctuate for those guys when their minutes are up and down, is that something you talk with them about behind the scenes or is it something that just happens to sort itself out?
CJ: "Yeah, every situation is a little bit different. It kind of depends on where we're at with each particular situation. We handle them differently. It's just a feel thing, a vibe thing. More often than not, we'll have unscheduled meetings throughout the day where we'll just try to get together and make sure we're all on the same page. Make sure there's no questions of why."
"We're real blunt with our guys. We don't try to play games with them and sugar code it. They know what the expectations are, and they know that our doors are always open. We encourage them to be up there as much as possible, not just to talk about basketball, but just to be around. Some take advantage of it, and some don't as much as others. When kids aren't playing well, it's not like they need me to tell them that. They know if they're not playing well. Usually, they do something to straighten it out, or do something to make sure they play better next time out. We'll continue to try and to do that."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballJosh Hubbard - "I'm Back"
Friday, April 17
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans & Players SEC Tournament Postgame vs. Auburn - 3/11/26
Thursday, March 12
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans Media Session - 3/9/26
Monday, March 09
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Josh Hubbard & Ja'Borri McGhee Postgame Press Conference vs. Georgia - 3/7/26
Sunday, March 08