WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session
November 20, 2024 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Head coach Chris Jans hosted his weekly media session leading into Wednesday's practice to preview the team's first true road game at SMU.
2024-25 Mississippi State Men's Basketball
Media Session – November 20, 2024
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What did you learn about the makeup of this group against Utah with the way they were able to battle back facing their first adversity of the year?
CJ: "Glad we won the game, but equally important is we got something in the tank. We've got experience with these guys as a team that we haven't had yet, which is to come from behind by double digits. I said it postgame, and I still feel the same way now is that I didn't know how they would respond. I knew what I wanted them to do, and I knew what all of us, fanbase wise [included], wanted us to do."
"We'll use that. We'll be in a situation like that either in halftime or a media [timeout] huddle where we'll talk about that game. We'll talk about how 'Hey, we've been there and done that.' We've proven to be able to rally around and gain some momentum and flip the script, if you will. So, I think that's invaluable especially early in the season and against a quality opponent, too. We're certainly going to be in some other situations where we're behind and have an experience like that to use. Hopefully, it'll be invaluable for us in the future."
Q: You talked a little about Josh Hubbard with the lack of turnovers so far. What do you see from him when you look at the tape? Is it smart decision-making in your opinion?
CJ: "I can't speak for him. But, from my perspective, the game has slowed down some for him which is a natural progression for kids once they get games under their belt. I mean, he was prepared to play at this level. You can tell that by his production last year, but he definitely had moments where he got sped up. He would make these passes that we would joke around with him, 'You trying to throw the ball to Jerry Rice?' No one's going to catch that ball with that much velocity on it. You can see his maturation that way. I really believe that some of it has to do with the experience, and the game slowing down for kids once they get some game experience under their belt."
"He's just being a better decision-maker. I think the fact that he's in elite shape helps him throughout the game. Just not making mental mistakes that way and not being tired physically or mentally as much. So, therefore, when you feel like that, you're always best when you're fresh. When you feel like that throughout the game, it's got to help you with your decision making."
Q: SMU has some good size in the post, a guy that's 7-2 among others. When you watch them on film, what grabs your attention about them?
CJ: "Well, you brought up the size. That's going to be the first game that we've played thus far that has big time size. Not just who they start, but who they come off the bench with. They've got quality size up and down their roster. We haven't faced that all year long. We don't have that in our practices. So, it'll be different. The court will be shrunk. It'll feel smaller, I think at times, than it normally does for us on the daily and even in our games thus far."
"They've got one of the best young freshmen big men in the country [Samet Yiğitoğlu] that you mentioned. He's got two games under his belt, and I'm sure he'll continue to get better as he gets more comfortable. But you can see the talent in just the way he moves, and he's quite the asset for them."
"Their strength scoring wise is out front. They've got experienced guards out front. They've got three guys that can all go get their own [shot]. They can all be a leading scorer kind of guy for a lot of different teams on any given night. Any one of them could jump up and go get you 25 [points]."
So, we'll have our hands full that way. They can score the basketball from the perimeter. They've got size to shrink the floor which makes them better defensively. It'll be a challenge for us on the backboard, and they've got balance. I think the last guy may be 9.6 [points] if I'm not mistaken, or they have five guys that are averaging double figures. So, I'm sure from their coaching staff's perspective having balance like that is a luxury."
Q: Last year's team had a hard time in those true road games. What's been the message to your team heading into the week? What do you want to see from your team on the road this year?
CJ: "Looking forward to it. Like you mentioned, we weren't quite as good as we wanted to be on the road last year. We were good in the neutral site games, but we weren't good in the old school real road games. It's a source of pride for us, and I think you find out what you're made of when those situations. This will be our first crack at it to see what our mindset is when we don't have people cheering for us. When you're not relying on [the crowd for] that extra boost."
"I don't know what to expect. Again, same thing as I said on the comeback, I know what I want. We'll see how it unfolds, but it's a great test for us. It's time – the schedule is unfolding exactly how we hoped it would in terms of learning and growing early. Then, now testing ourselves against quality competition and having opportunities. When we put these schedules together in the back of our mind, it's always having opportunities to build your resume before the SEC starts. We're right in the middle of a five-game stretch where we have those opportunities."
Q: For KeShawn Murphy to have the game that he did against Utah, how sustainable do you think that is for him moving forward? How can he replicate those types of performances moving forward?
CJ: "Yeah, I'm not saying that we should expect him to average 18 [points] and 14 [rebounds] all year long, but we should expect him to have really good games. If practice is an indicator of how well an individual is going to play on a nightly basis, then we should expect him to have really good games all year long. There certainly will be some ups and downs like there is for most college basketball players, but he's been so consistent with his approach to practice and equally consistent has been his productivity. He's been great. For him to get in the game and reap some rewards for all the work makes me feel good for him."
"He's one of the guys that everyone roots for because he gets along with everybody. Everyone knows how hard he's working. And for us to be good, to be frank, he has to play like that. We're a little shorthanded right now in productivity around the basket. I'm not sure in his mind this is what he thought he would be doing as much as he is in terms of playing the five [center]. Who knows how it'll look in a month or so? But, right now, he's finding a lot of productivity playing that spot for us. He's not complained about it, but he's in a good spot right now."
2024-25 Mississippi State Men's Basketball
Media Session – November 20, 2024
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: What did you learn about the makeup of this group against Utah with the way they were able to battle back facing their first adversity of the year?
CJ: "Glad we won the game, but equally important is we got something in the tank. We've got experience with these guys as a team that we haven't had yet, which is to come from behind by double digits. I said it postgame, and I still feel the same way now is that I didn't know how they would respond. I knew what I wanted them to do, and I knew what all of us, fanbase wise [included], wanted us to do."
"We'll use that. We'll be in a situation like that either in halftime or a media [timeout] huddle where we'll talk about that game. We'll talk about how 'Hey, we've been there and done that.' We've proven to be able to rally around and gain some momentum and flip the script, if you will. So, I think that's invaluable especially early in the season and against a quality opponent, too. We're certainly going to be in some other situations where we're behind and have an experience like that to use. Hopefully, it'll be invaluable for us in the future."
Q: You talked a little about Josh Hubbard with the lack of turnovers so far. What do you see from him when you look at the tape? Is it smart decision-making in your opinion?
CJ: "I can't speak for him. But, from my perspective, the game has slowed down some for him which is a natural progression for kids once they get games under their belt. I mean, he was prepared to play at this level. You can tell that by his production last year, but he definitely had moments where he got sped up. He would make these passes that we would joke around with him, 'You trying to throw the ball to Jerry Rice?' No one's going to catch that ball with that much velocity on it. You can see his maturation that way. I really believe that some of it has to do with the experience, and the game slowing down for kids once they get some game experience under their belt."
"He's just being a better decision-maker. I think the fact that he's in elite shape helps him throughout the game. Just not making mental mistakes that way and not being tired physically or mentally as much. So, therefore, when you feel like that, you're always best when you're fresh. When you feel like that throughout the game, it's got to help you with your decision making."
Q: SMU has some good size in the post, a guy that's 7-2 among others. When you watch them on film, what grabs your attention about them?
CJ: "Well, you brought up the size. That's going to be the first game that we've played thus far that has big time size. Not just who they start, but who they come off the bench with. They've got quality size up and down their roster. We haven't faced that all year long. We don't have that in our practices. So, it'll be different. The court will be shrunk. It'll feel smaller, I think at times, than it normally does for us on the daily and even in our games thus far."
"They've got one of the best young freshmen big men in the country [Samet Yiğitoğlu] that you mentioned. He's got two games under his belt, and I'm sure he'll continue to get better as he gets more comfortable. But you can see the talent in just the way he moves, and he's quite the asset for them."
"Their strength scoring wise is out front. They've got experienced guards out front. They've got three guys that can all go get their own [shot]. They can all be a leading scorer kind of guy for a lot of different teams on any given night. Any one of them could jump up and go get you 25 [points]."
So, we'll have our hands full that way. They can score the basketball from the perimeter. They've got size to shrink the floor which makes them better defensively. It'll be a challenge for us on the backboard, and they've got balance. I think the last guy may be 9.6 [points] if I'm not mistaken, or they have five guys that are averaging double figures. So, I'm sure from their coaching staff's perspective having balance like that is a luxury."
Q: Last year's team had a hard time in those true road games. What's been the message to your team heading into the week? What do you want to see from your team on the road this year?
CJ: "Looking forward to it. Like you mentioned, we weren't quite as good as we wanted to be on the road last year. We were good in the neutral site games, but we weren't good in the old school real road games. It's a source of pride for us, and I think you find out what you're made of when those situations. This will be our first crack at it to see what our mindset is when we don't have people cheering for us. When you're not relying on [the crowd for] that extra boost."
"I don't know what to expect. Again, same thing as I said on the comeback, I know what I want. We'll see how it unfolds, but it's a great test for us. It's time – the schedule is unfolding exactly how we hoped it would in terms of learning and growing early. Then, now testing ourselves against quality competition and having opportunities. When we put these schedules together in the back of our mind, it's always having opportunities to build your resume before the SEC starts. We're right in the middle of a five-game stretch where we have those opportunities."
Q: For KeShawn Murphy to have the game that he did against Utah, how sustainable do you think that is for him moving forward? How can he replicate those types of performances moving forward?
CJ: "Yeah, I'm not saying that we should expect him to average 18 [points] and 14 [rebounds] all year long, but we should expect him to have really good games. If practice is an indicator of how well an individual is going to play on a nightly basis, then we should expect him to have really good games all year long. There certainly will be some ups and downs like there is for most college basketball players, but he's been so consistent with his approach to practice and equally consistent has been his productivity. He's been great. For him to get in the game and reap some rewards for all the work makes me feel good for him."
"He's one of the guys that everyone roots for because he gets along with everybody. Everyone knows how hard he's working. And for us to be good, to be frank, he has to play like that. We're a little shorthanded right now in productivity around the basket. I'm not sure in his mind this is what he thought he would be doing as much as he is in terms of playing the five [center]. Who knows how it'll look in a month or so? But, right now, he's finding a lot of productivity playing that spot for us. He's not complained about it, but he's in a good spot right now."
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Transfer Players Media Session - 7/17/25
Thursday, July 17
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans Media Session - 6/5/25
Thursday, June 05
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Josh Hubbard & Shawn Jones Jr. Media Session - 6/5/25
Thursday, June 05
MEN'S BASKETBALL | NCAA TOURNAMENT | First Round Postgame Press Conference vs. Baylor 03/21/25
Friday, March 21