WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

STARKVILLE - Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans met with the media ahead of Monday's practice to preview Wednesday's road matchup with Florida.

2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 22, 2024

Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: When you watch the film, what differences do you see between this Florida team and last year's Florida team? What are your thoughts on Riley Kugel specifically going from his freshman to his sophomore season?
CJ: "There are some similarities in terms of their guard play. They had excellent guard play last year, and they do again this year. In my opinion, they've got more weapons out front than they had last year. They've got a glutton of guards. They just have a bunch of guys that are big, strong, powerful, downhill guys. You mentioned Riley Kugel, obviously. He had an unbelievable freshman year. High expectations, I'm not in their team rooms or practices, so I have no idea about any of that kind of stuff. All I know is he's capable of going off for 30 [points] any given night."

"The thing that's changed for them, in my opinion, is just their size. Obviously, [Colin] Castleton went down last year late so he wasn't available when we played them in the SEC Tournament which hurt them. But I just feel like they've got more size this year. They've got four guys that they rotate in at the four and the five. They're one of the top three or four teams in the country in offensive rebounding. They receive like 41 percent of their offensive rebounding with putbacks. I think that's the biggest difference in them just the quality of depth they have at the rim with the rebounding, the rim protection and the bodies along with the guards that can really space the floor and play off one another."

Q: It's been a struggle in true road games this season. Have there been any specific things that you've discussed in team meetings or with players of what it's like to play in those types of environments?
CJ: "Yeah, that's a good point. We haven't been able to get a true road win by the metrics. But I believe in this team, and we talk a lot about what's required to win on the road. If you want to be considered a high-level team or a tough team, you've got to go into tough environments, stay together and figure out a way to play well enough to win. We talk about what everybody talks about with sticking together. Hanging together through the adversity and through the runs. Staying focused at the task at hand and not getting caught up with the crowd, and it becoming too distracting."

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity. We're coming off a win. Hopefully, we'll have two good days of practice, and it's going to be a tall task. They're very, very good like I talked about earlier, and I'm sure they'll be ready too."

Q: How has Gai Chol adjusted to his new role, and how valuable were those minutes at the beginning of the season?
CJ: "Yeah, Gai continues to work. On Friday, he had one of the better practices he's had in a while. He had a flurry there where he dominated. He was scoring, he was blocking shots and he was running the floor. His teammates – it was Maroon versus Gray in practice. His team was doing well, and his teammates were excited for him. It was good to see."

"Certainly, he understands where it's at. How valuable those minutes will be for him, I think will be more determined next year. But I know he's capable. I know he wants more. I know he's trying to prepare himself every day for anything that comes his way. Who knows how the season will unfold, but what I love about him is that he's a worker. He's a great person. He's got the right approach every single day, and he's in a good spot."

Q: How was the win on Saturday after a couple of losses in a row?
CJ: "Yeah, it was a must win. You know, you don't want to say that to your team. You don't want them to play scared, if you will, or have any tightness at all. I didn't tell them that. But in our staff talks, that's kind of where we were at for a lot of different reasons. Pretty obvious for anyone that follows college basketball how important it was to defend our home court on Saturday and make sure we won the game, and we did. Certainly, we would've liked to play a little bit better, especially on the offensive end in the second half. The margin of victory could've been more if we knocked our free throws down and scored better at the rim which has become a bit of an issue for us that we've got to sure up."

Q: It's easy to forget that Tolu Smith [III] is still trying to work back to full strength. How do you judge when it's time to give him a few minutes or drag him off the court to rest?
CJ: "We try to do that in practice. We try to make sure we're subbing him enough. At the same time, we've got to get him in better shape too. So, it's a fine line between how much he goes every day. Certainly, as you all know and everybody that's been around this program knows, he wants to be out there for every single rep whether if it's in practice or in a game. He's in a good spot. Only he knows how he feels. I just saw him walking through the gym over here. He's working on his game, everyone knows he's a tireless worker."

"I didn't even realize it until this morning, I'm sure I did at the game the other day, but it lost on me. He didn't have a rebound in the first half. We just talked out there about what kind of monster line he could've had if he would've rebounded a few in the first half and made some of his bunnies. He was still 9-for-12, but I still feel like he left some food on the table that way. He promised me that it wasn't going to happen anymore. So, we'll see [laughter]."

"But, sometimes, it's like we expect him to make every shot. These guys are trying to defend him, and they're really physical with him. They're putting their bodies on him. Everyone knows he's at the top of the scouting list, and they're all trying to push him away from the basket. It's pretty physical down there. He's certainly got the body to handle it. But like you said, he's still coming back from a pretty serious injury. Hopefully, he'll feel like he's all the way back here shortly."

Q: What have you seen from Jaquan Scott, and what does he need to do to get more minutes?
CJ: "Jaquan has been inconsistent, but he's a live body. He's physical. He fits the way we want to play, and he knows what he needs to do. He's just got to be a little more consistent in practice with being on the same page of what we're trying to do all the time, know the coverages we're in and all that goes into getting yourself on the floor."

"He'll have opportunities, he'll have more opportunities. He's just got to be ready for them, take advantage of them and prove to all of us that he can be consistent with his play and with his productivity. That's all that he needs to do to get more minutes."

Mississippi State University Athletics

WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

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