WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session
January 29, 2024 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans held his weekly media session on Monday leading into this week's road tilts at Ole Miss and at No. 24 Alabama.
2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 29, 2024
Head Coach Chris Jans
Opening Statement
CJ: "First of all, I want to thank our fans. Three sellouts in a row, The Hump was rocking on Saturday. We had a chance to show the college basketball world what a Saturday in Starkville looks and sounds like, and we appreciate them. Hopefully, we're on the road this week, we'll see some folks in Maroon and White up in Oxford [tomorrow] and in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. It's always nice when you look up and see some fans when you're on the road. With both of those games being within driving distance, we're hopeful that we'll get some good contingents of Bulldogs there."
"I want to update KeShawn Murphy. He's still unavailable, but he's working his way back to being on the team. So, hopefully before the season concludes, he'll be on the floor again. Also, I want to update Andrew Taylor. As you know, Andrew hasn't been with us since December. He's no longer with the team, and he won't be back this season."
Q: Obviously, this is a much different Ole Miss team than the one you guys faced last season, much improved. What have you thought of how they've performed this season to turn their success around with Chris Beard?
CJ: "Yeah, Coach Beard and his staff have walked in there and done what most of us coaches knew he would do once he got hired to that position. He's won everywhere he's been. He's as good a coach as there is in the country. He's building his culture, and it hasn't taken very long. I mean their start has been impressive. They've got a really nice record. They're off to a great start. I've known his teams from the past, and they look very similar to the teams he's had prior to coming to Oxford."
Q: Talk about Ole Miss and their length specifically at the center position and how that can potentially cause problems for your team.
CJ: "Yeah, it's an issue. They play volleyball with the basketball on the backboard most nights with [Jamarion] Sharp and [Moussa] Cisse. Just their presence gives you pause. But I think you've got to be cognizant of it. I don't think you've got to make good decisions. You've got to know where they're at on the floor."
"We should know where they're at by what we're running. We've got to pick our spots. Certainly, we can't play scared. You can't play on your heels. At times, you're going to have to go right at their chins and try to put them in the basket, if you will. But at the same time, they're a huge factor for their defense. They start their offense with all of the alterations and the blocks. I think they're second or third in the country as a team, and I think those two individually are top three or four individually in block percentage. So, it's quite the weapon for them defensively. It's something that you have to gameplan for."
Q: A player we haven't talked about a lot is Shawn Jones Jr. who's played well in spurts. Where do you see his role continuing to develop as we go forward in conference play?
CJ: "With the roster situation that it's in, we need him to play more minutes. We need him to be very productive. We're going to have to probably look at sliding him around a little bit more with the knowledge he has of the system, with his length, etcetera, his ability to guard different positions. He's capable of doing that."
"My thing with Shawn has been since he's arrived has been consistency. At times, he looks like the best player on the court in our practice gym – even in spurts in games with his athletic ability and his ability to finish around the basket. He's an improved shooter. When he takes the right ones for him, he usually knocks them down, but we need him to continue to get better. We need him to continue to work on his consistency on both ends of the floor, and he could be a big help for us as we turn the corner here in conference play."
Q: Jimmy [Bell Jr.] had zero points over the last couple of games. What have you seen from him, and is there anything you guys can do to get him going?
CJ: "I wouldn't say I have the answer putting my finger right on that. He hasn't taken a lot of field goal attempts. Obviously, he went 0-for-4 from the line so there was four points that he left on the table. He's more upset about it than anyone else is. He works at the line. Sometimes, it becomes a mental thing, obviously a confidence thing. We've got to help him get back to a good place that way. We ran an out of bounds play for him right underneath the basket. It was easy for me to say, there's not 6-10 guys all around me in the traffic, etcetera. He kind of fumbled the ball, otherwise, that was a layup for him more than likely. He's been in good spirits, and he's had good practices. I fully expect him to have some big games for us as the season progresses."
Q: Josh Hubbard initially signed with Ole Miss out of high school. Do you think this game will have any extra meaning for him?
CJ: "That's an interesting question. I'm not sure if it'll have extra meaning for him, but I would imagine he probably needs to prepare for what he's walking into. I can't imagine that he'll be treated with a warm embrace, if you will, by their crowd."
"The thing that makes me feel good is he'll handle it. He'll be mentally ready to go. He'll understand what it's going to be like. If I know Josh like I think I do, it'll be motivating for him. He will at least try to rise to occasion. For some kids, I would worry a little bit about them walking into that type of situation and how they would handle it for the first time, but I think Josh will be fine."
Q: I don't think you guys overlapped with Chris Beard's time at Fort Scott and your time at Independence. What's it like being at this level having this SEC rivalry and having two guys that made it through the junior college route to be in this position?
CJ: "Yeah, that's where I met him. When he was at Fort Scott, I went in there to recruit when I was at the University of Idaho, and he was the new head coach at Fort Scott. I had just left Independence. So, we didn't cross paths like you said, but we've kind of had a similar background, if you will. We've got a lot of similar friends. I don't think about that, and I'm sure he doesn't think about that. We're all in prep mode of trying to get ready to play an SEC game. Obviously, it's a rivalry game to boot."
2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – January 29, 2024
Head Coach Chris Jans
Opening Statement
CJ: "First of all, I want to thank our fans. Three sellouts in a row, The Hump was rocking on Saturday. We had a chance to show the college basketball world what a Saturday in Starkville looks and sounds like, and we appreciate them. Hopefully, we're on the road this week, we'll see some folks in Maroon and White up in Oxford [tomorrow] and in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. It's always nice when you look up and see some fans when you're on the road. With both of those games being within driving distance, we're hopeful that we'll get some good contingents of Bulldogs there."
"I want to update KeShawn Murphy. He's still unavailable, but he's working his way back to being on the team. So, hopefully before the season concludes, he'll be on the floor again. Also, I want to update Andrew Taylor. As you know, Andrew hasn't been with us since December. He's no longer with the team, and he won't be back this season."
Q: Obviously, this is a much different Ole Miss team than the one you guys faced last season, much improved. What have you thought of how they've performed this season to turn their success around with Chris Beard?
CJ: "Yeah, Coach Beard and his staff have walked in there and done what most of us coaches knew he would do once he got hired to that position. He's won everywhere he's been. He's as good a coach as there is in the country. He's building his culture, and it hasn't taken very long. I mean their start has been impressive. They've got a really nice record. They're off to a great start. I've known his teams from the past, and they look very similar to the teams he's had prior to coming to Oxford."
Q: Talk about Ole Miss and their length specifically at the center position and how that can potentially cause problems for your team.
CJ: "Yeah, it's an issue. They play volleyball with the basketball on the backboard most nights with [Jamarion] Sharp and [Moussa] Cisse. Just their presence gives you pause. But I think you've got to be cognizant of it. I don't think you've got to make good decisions. You've got to know where they're at on the floor."
"We should know where they're at by what we're running. We've got to pick our spots. Certainly, we can't play scared. You can't play on your heels. At times, you're going to have to go right at their chins and try to put them in the basket, if you will. But at the same time, they're a huge factor for their defense. They start their offense with all of the alterations and the blocks. I think they're second or third in the country as a team, and I think those two individually are top three or four individually in block percentage. So, it's quite the weapon for them defensively. It's something that you have to gameplan for."
Q: A player we haven't talked about a lot is Shawn Jones Jr. who's played well in spurts. Where do you see his role continuing to develop as we go forward in conference play?
CJ: "With the roster situation that it's in, we need him to play more minutes. We need him to be very productive. We're going to have to probably look at sliding him around a little bit more with the knowledge he has of the system, with his length, etcetera, his ability to guard different positions. He's capable of doing that."
"My thing with Shawn has been since he's arrived has been consistency. At times, he looks like the best player on the court in our practice gym – even in spurts in games with his athletic ability and his ability to finish around the basket. He's an improved shooter. When he takes the right ones for him, he usually knocks them down, but we need him to continue to get better. We need him to continue to work on his consistency on both ends of the floor, and he could be a big help for us as we turn the corner here in conference play."
Q: Jimmy [Bell Jr.] had zero points over the last couple of games. What have you seen from him, and is there anything you guys can do to get him going?
CJ: "I wouldn't say I have the answer putting my finger right on that. He hasn't taken a lot of field goal attempts. Obviously, he went 0-for-4 from the line so there was four points that he left on the table. He's more upset about it than anyone else is. He works at the line. Sometimes, it becomes a mental thing, obviously a confidence thing. We've got to help him get back to a good place that way. We ran an out of bounds play for him right underneath the basket. It was easy for me to say, there's not 6-10 guys all around me in the traffic, etcetera. He kind of fumbled the ball, otherwise, that was a layup for him more than likely. He's been in good spirits, and he's had good practices. I fully expect him to have some big games for us as the season progresses."
Q: Josh Hubbard initially signed with Ole Miss out of high school. Do you think this game will have any extra meaning for him?
CJ: "That's an interesting question. I'm not sure if it'll have extra meaning for him, but I would imagine he probably needs to prepare for what he's walking into. I can't imagine that he'll be treated with a warm embrace, if you will, by their crowd."
"The thing that makes me feel good is he'll handle it. He'll be mentally ready to go. He'll understand what it's going to be like. If I know Josh like I think I do, it'll be motivating for him. He will at least try to rise to occasion. For some kids, I would worry a little bit about them walking into that type of situation and how they would handle it for the first time, but I think Josh will be fine."
Q: I don't think you guys overlapped with Chris Beard's time at Fort Scott and your time at Independence. What's it like being at this level having this SEC rivalry and having two guys that made it through the junior college route to be in this position?
CJ: "Yeah, that's where I met him. When he was at Fort Scott, I went in there to recruit when I was at the University of Idaho, and he was the new head coach at Fort Scott. I had just left Independence. So, we didn't cross paths like you said, but we've kind of had a similar background, if you will. We've got a lot of similar friends. I don't think about that, and I'm sure he doesn't think about that. We're all in prep mode of trying to get ready to play an SEC game. Obviously, it's a rivalry game to boot."
Players Mentioned
Josh 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