WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

STARKVILLE - Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans met with the media leading into Tuesday's practice to preview Saturday's SEC opener at South Carolina.

2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 2, 2024

Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Going back and watching the film from Sunday's game, what's different with Tolu Smith III's game this year compared to last year?
CJ: "I'd say it's too early to tell if it's going to be that much different. I know he's a tireless worker, and he's constantly trying to add to his game and improve his range. One game is too small of a sample size like you said. He's just so comfortable out there because of his experience. I thought he showed pretty good patience for the most part to wait for the space to be cleared for him to go to work or make the appropriate pass. He had the one pass that he threw it to the other team. Other than that, I thought he was real comfortable out there. We'll see if he can continue to build on that and like you said show some expansion of his game moving forward."

Q: After the experience of how your team started SEC play last year, what did you and the returning guys learn from that about the importance of starting off on the right foot?
CJ: "Play better. It always comes back to how you play in all areas of the game. Everyone looks at their schedule and says, 'Oh, we got it tough out the shoot, or ours is hard in the middle.' At the end of the day, you've got to play. This year is no different. We're focused on South Carolina and on the road."

"Certainly, we understand the first four or five games, and they all look pretty menacing from where I sit. In terms of what we've learned, everybody is good. There's so much riding on each and every game, and the way I like at it is what wonderful opportunities for our team. Particularly, this year's team, to have chances at big wins. They're all over the place if you look up and down the schedule. Again, my perspective is to look at it as that. It's a challenge obviously, but what great opportunities that we have before us."

Q: What kind of challenges will South Carolina present for you on Saturday?
CJ: "Maybe on the outside world. I don't think they've exceeded their own expectations. From being around Lamont [Paris] and listening to him at the [SEC] media day and even since then. They've got the one loss is all they've had on the road against Clemson, which I assume is a rivalry game for them. Otherwise, they have an unblemished record. They're a really good basketball team. They've added some key pieces their team through the portal, and it seems like they're meshing very well."

"The thing that jumps out to me right away is just how well and how many guys can shoot the three. They have five guys on the floor, for the most part, that all shoot the three, and they shoot it pretty proficiently. So, that's going to spread you out. Then, they've got the guards out front with the transfer [Ta'Lon] Cooper from Minnesota and the returner Meechie Johnson who's leading them in scoring. I think they have four guys in double figures. So, they've got balance that way. They're a veteran group. They've got older guys, which you see a lot more with the portal, etcetera. They're playing well, and it's going to be a challenge."

Q: We saw a little bit last year. Do you see any difference in Shakeel Moore's game when he starts compared to when he comes off the bench?
CJ: "This year, maybe. Again, it's a pretty small sample size. He's played in 11 games this year … I don't necessarily think there's probably a big difference that way, but we just talked about him before I came down here. I believe that he's got more in the tank. I think he needs to help us more in a lot of facets of the game. He's such a dynamic athlete and player."

"I feel like sometimes he's got this 'playing personality' that we need to change a little bit. He embodies our team a little bit that sometimes I think we compete harder in practice than we do in the games. I don't understand that when they get to go against someone with a different color jersey on rather than their teammates. We harped on that a lot after the game against Bethune-Cookman, and Shak [Moore] was one of those guys I thought has a higher level to compete that he's capable of on both ends of the floor for that matter. I think he's a key for us moving forward. I think he's got more to offer our team on a daily basis and a nightly basis when we play. Hopefully, we can get him going."

Q: What's your opinion of the league as we head into the conference schedule?
CJ: "Yeah, it's about what I expected. On paper, I didn't think that maybe they were going to be as top-heavy like last year. Certainly, we've got some really good teams this year. I thought that the teams that maybe weren't in the top three or four from last year had closed the cap a little bit, and more of them have moved up the chain, if you will. That's been the case, I mean, there's just a lot of depth."

"There are a lot of teams that have put themselves in a good position heading into SEC play. Even though I'm sitting here talking about the opportunities that are ahead of us, I think everyone is probably feeling that way and thinking 'Wow, there are so many teams that have good numbers, good analytics, good NET's, etcetera.' Almost every single night, you're going to have an opportunity to add to your resume, if you will. Certainly, you got to go one at a time like we all will, and that's all we'll talk about. At the same time, there's going to be a ton of opportunities for everybody all year long."

Q: Is their extra motivation for the team to go out on the road after the Georgia Tech loss on the road from earlier this season?
CJ: "Yeah, we haven't talked about that yet. Yesterday was a day off. Here shortly we'll reconvene, get together, watch some video and obviously have practice at some point this afternoon. I don't think we will talk about that too much other than what it takes to win on the road. We've always prided ourselves on being a team that can win away from home, and especially in true road environments. Hopefully, this team will be no different with the experience that we have and guys that have played as much college basketball as they have on this particular team. Hopefully, they'll understand how hard it is, but at the same time, how important it is to win games on the road."

Mississippi State University Athletics

WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

Players Mentioned

Shakeel Moore

Tolu Smith III

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