Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session
February 12, 2024 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Head coach Chris Jans met with the media leading into Monday's practice to reflect on the team's 2-0 week and look ahead to Saturday's home matchup with Arkansas.
2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
February 12, 2024 – Media Session
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: For the second game in a row, Rams [Dashawn Davis] did a good job of being aggressive on offense. What are your thoughts on his past week, and how the offense flows when he's on point?
CJ: "Yeah, I think he's best when he's playing on-ball defense. It starts there in my opinion with him. When he's revved up and he's out front, and he's getting into that ball dictating and how that possession and how catch is going to go, it's something we talk a lot about with our team but especially him. He's different that way. He's so physical on the ball. He's quick, and he's strong. He's got very, very good hands. When he's doing that, I feel like his overall game falls into place. He's more aggressive on offense when he plays like that on defense. That's what we've been seeing the last couple games that he's playing the way that we feel like he needs to play for this particular team."
"When he's been coming off the bench and giving us a spark on both ends of the floor, we're more physical when he's on the court. Now with the injury situation [to D.J. Jeffries], we play the three guards – him, Shak [Shakeel Moore] and Hubb [Josh Hubbard] together a little bit. That lineup obviously isn't as lengthy as some other lineups, but it gives us a different look. We really like it on both ends of the floor as long as they're rebounding. We need those guys to have a rebounding hat on when they're out there together. But we like where Rams is at, and hopefully he'll continue to play well."
Q: Shak [Shakeel Moore] was pretty confident the other night. On his last three pointer, I don't know if you saw it live or not, what were your thoughts on him releasing that shot and turning around to look at the bench before it went in the net?
CJ: "Yeah, I didn't see it at the time, which I'm glad for both of us that I didn't. But I did see it on the computer. I called my wife and I go, 'Hey, you've got to see this. You've got to see this.' She didn't know about it either. That's about as confident as you can get when you make that kind of move. That ball better go through the net if you do something like that."
"But I've been saying it for weeks now, I love where he's at. I love his mental approach to practice. He's been very consistent. His focus has been better, really high level. And then, now his shot, I made the comment postgame that I was telling a coach that I hope that Shak gets his shooting and his practice into the game because he'd been shooting it so well in our practices. He rarely missed leading up to the game. Then, fortunately, it did for him that particular evening. Sometimes, it doesn't. Some will have a great couple days [of practice]. Then, for whatever reason, it doesn't click during the game. For Shak, it did. Hopefully, that confidence will stay there for a while."
Q: It looked like Tolu [Smith III], Cam [Cameron Matthews], and even yourself had a reaction when Gai [Chol] got a bucket there at the end of the game. What's it like seeing guys react and being happy for Gai like that?
CJ: "Tolu is playing with a lot of joy right now. If you really watch him, he's smiling a lot out there. He's been more vocal with our players in practice and in the huddles on gamedays, and rightfully so. He should be. This is his last go around, and he's trying to soak it all up. He wants to win as much or more than anybody that we have in the locker room. You can just sense it, you can hear it and you can see it. He's enjoying it. He's not putting all this undo pressure on himself or our team. He's doing it in the right vein."
"Then, when a guy like Gai Chol who he has to go against every single day has a moment like that, for him to lead the cheers is pretty cool. So, yeah, it was a fun moment for all of us."
Q: Tolu has talked a lot the past couple years about wanting to have a legacy at Mississippi State. How much does an impact on a younger player like Gai play into that and help define how he's remembered here when his career is done?
CJ: "I remember in the fall talking to Gai and talking to our coaches. He's going against Jimmy Bell [Jr.] and Tolu Smith [III] every day. What a baptism into college basketball for a young kid to come in straight out of high school. That's who you're going up against for June, July, August, September and for a whole year. I told our staff when Gai writes his book, this is going to be a big chapter of how he was baptized into college basketball and who he had to go against. But for his growth, who knows where his career is going to go, but we've got big plans for him. We're big believers in Gai and his future."
"I really believe that this year has probably let him grow more than he normally would because of who he's playing with and against in practice. Not just because of their size and their ability, but even the type of guys they are. They treat him with great respect, even though they're going at him every day, and it's competitive. They're so willing to talk to him, to help him and to be there for him. It's not like they're looking down on him or anything like that. It's been really cool to watch it unfold since this season began."
Q: Adrian [Myers] has hit a couple three's in some SEC games. How has his development been going this year, and where he's at now compared to when he first got here?
CJ: "Yeah, I just grabbed him last week in practice and told him. I said, 'Hey man, I know you're not getting the minutes that you want, and I'm glad that you want the minutes, keep working. But you're getting better.' You're getting better, and our whole team notices it."
"He's gotten more run in practice when we go 5-on-5 because of the injuries. Now, he's on the floor all the time. So, he's in front of us all the time. Where before, when we had both D.J. [Jeffries] and Trey [Fort], he would get in but not nearly as much because of the obvious. So, because of that, I think he's trying to show everybody, 'Hey, I can play too. I've been working.' Behind the scenes, on his body, and he's doing extra with Dom [strength coach Dominick Walker] which we decided a long time ago. We wanted him to have kind of a different plan because of not getting the game minutes. We felt like he could ramp it up in the weight room and try to change his body. Get a little bit quicker, faster, stronger and all those things that they work on."
"He's an offensive threat. Everyone that's watched us play our practice knows that he can really score the ball. It's everything else that he's trying to learn and pick up, but he's got a bright future."
Q: KeShawn [Murphy] returned last week. How do you think he's played in the past two games?
CJ: "Yeah, it was great timing for our team with D.J. [Jeffries] going down, and KeShawn making his return. We had a lot of talks about what we were going to do rotational wise if he wasn't ready to go and what that would mean for us. So, he couldn't have picked a better time for us to come back. And then, to do it so well. He scored the ball, which is no secret that this team has struggled at times on that end of the floor. To have another scoring option, especially with that kind of size and skillset and ability to play multiple positions really helps this basketball team."
"Certainly, that confidence what we just talked about, his is very high. KeShawn has a lot of confidence in his ability. He can score the ball, and he can pass the ball. He understands how to play offense. His defensive performance was much better against Missouri than it was against Georgia. We're just happy to have him back."
Q: What about this Arkansas team? They've got some size and physicality for sure. What do you see in them that will challenge you guys on Saturday?
CJ: "I'm not too deep with them yet, but I've certainly seen them play in scouting other SEC opponents. I know they're not having the season that they want in terms of wins and losses, but I know there's not going to be any give up with their staff. They're going to be ready to go. They've got a lot of talent. Their roster is back to close to being at full strength. They just had a nice win Saturday. I don't even know who they play Wednesday, but we've just got to be ready to go when Saturday at 1 p.m. hits."
2023-24 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
February 12, 2024 – Media Session
Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: For the second game in a row, Rams [Dashawn Davis] did a good job of being aggressive on offense. What are your thoughts on his past week, and how the offense flows when he's on point?
CJ: "Yeah, I think he's best when he's playing on-ball defense. It starts there in my opinion with him. When he's revved up and he's out front, and he's getting into that ball dictating and how that possession and how catch is going to go, it's something we talk a lot about with our team but especially him. He's different that way. He's so physical on the ball. He's quick, and he's strong. He's got very, very good hands. When he's doing that, I feel like his overall game falls into place. He's more aggressive on offense when he plays like that on defense. That's what we've been seeing the last couple games that he's playing the way that we feel like he needs to play for this particular team."
"When he's been coming off the bench and giving us a spark on both ends of the floor, we're more physical when he's on the court. Now with the injury situation [to D.J. Jeffries], we play the three guards – him, Shak [Shakeel Moore] and Hubb [Josh Hubbard] together a little bit. That lineup obviously isn't as lengthy as some other lineups, but it gives us a different look. We really like it on both ends of the floor as long as they're rebounding. We need those guys to have a rebounding hat on when they're out there together. But we like where Rams is at, and hopefully he'll continue to play well."
Q: Shak [Shakeel Moore] was pretty confident the other night. On his last three pointer, I don't know if you saw it live or not, what were your thoughts on him releasing that shot and turning around to look at the bench before it went in the net?
CJ: "Yeah, I didn't see it at the time, which I'm glad for both of us that I didn't. But I did see it on the computer. I called my wife and I go, 'Hey, you've got to see this. You've got to see this.' She didn't know about it either. That's about as confident as you can get when you make that kind of move. That ball better go through the net if you do something like that."
"But I've been saying it for weeks now, I love where he's at. I love his mental approach to practice. He's been very consistent. His focus has been better, really high level. And then, now his shot, I made the comment postgame that I was telling a coach that I hope that Shak gets his shooting and his practice into the game because he'd been shooting it so well in our practices. He rarely missed leading up to the game. Then, fortunately, it did for him that particular evening. Sometimes, it doesn't. Some will have a great couple days [of practice]. Then, for whatever reason, it doesn't click during the game. For Shak, it did. Hopefully, that confidence will stay there for a while."
Q: It looked like Tolu [Smith III], Cam [Cameron Matthews], and even yourself had a reaction when Gai [Chol] got a bucket there at the end of the game. What's it like seeing guys react and being happy for Gai like that?
CJ: "Tolu is playing with a lot of joy right now. If you really watch him, he's smiling a lot out there. He's been more vocal with our players in practice and in the huddles on gamedays, and rightfully so. He should be. This is his last go around, and he's trying to soak it all up. He wants to win as much or more than anybody that we have in the locker room. You can just sense it, you can hear it and you can see it. He's enjoying it. He's not putting all this undo pressure on himself or our team. He's doing it in the right vein."
"Then, when a guy like Gai Chol who he has to go against every single day has a moment like that, for him to lead the cheers is pretty cool. So, yeah, it was a fun moment for all of us."
Q: Tolu has talked a lot the past couple years about wanting to have a legacy at Mississippi State. How much does an impact on a younger player like Gai play into that and help define how he's remembered here when his career is done?
CJ: "I remember in the fall talking to Gai and talking to our coaches. He's going against Jimmy Bell [Jr.] and Tolu Smith [III] every day. What a baptism into college basketball for a young kid to come in straight out of high school. That's who you're going up against for June, July, August, September and for a whole year. I told our staff when Gai writes his book, this is going to be a big chapter of how he was baptized into college basketball and who he had to go against. But for his growth, who knows where his career is going to go, but we've got big plans for him. We're big believers in Gai and his future."
"I really believe that this year has probably let him grow more than he normally would because of who he's playing with and against in practice. Not just because of their size and their ability, but even the type of guys they are. They treat him with great respect, even though they're going at him every day, and it's competitive. They're so willing to talk to him, to help him and to be there for him. It's not like they're looking down on him or anything like that. It's been really cool to watch it unfold since this season began."
Q: Adrian [Myers] has hit a couple three's in some SEC games. How has his development been going this year, and where he's at now compared to when he first got here?
CJ: "Yeah, I just grabbed him last week in practice and told him. I said, 'Hey man, I know you're not getting the minutes that you want, and I'm glad that you want the minutes, keep working. But you're getting better.' You're getting better, and our whole team notices it."
"He's gotten more run in practice when we go 5-on-5 because of the injuries. Now, he's on the floor all the time. So, he's in front of us all the time. Where before, when we had both D.J. [Jeffries] and Trey [Fort], he would get in but not nearly as much because of the obvious. So, because of that, I think he's trying to show everybody, 'Hey, I can play too. I've been working.' Behind the scenes, on his body, and he's doing extra with Dom [strength coach Dominick Walker] which we decided a long time ago. We wanted him to have kind of a different plan because of not getting the game minutes. We felt like he could ramp it up in the weight room and try to change his body. Get a little bit quicker, faster, stronger and all those things that they work on."
"He's an offensive threat. Everyone that's watched us play our practice knows that he can really score the ball. It's everything else that he's trying to learn and pick up, but he's got a bright future."
Q: KeShawn [Murphy] returned last week. How do you think he's played in the past two games?
CJ: "Yeah, it was great timing for our team with D.J. [Jeffries] going down, and KeShawn making his return. We had a lot of talks about what we were going to do rotational wise if he wasn't ready to go and what that would mean for us. So, he couldn't have picked a better time for us to come back. And then, to do it so well. He scored the ball, which is no secret that this team has struggled at times on that end of the floor. To have another scoring option, especially with that kind of size and skillset and ability to play multiple positions really helps this basketball team."
"Certainly, that confidence what we just talked about, his is very high. KeShawn has a lot of confidence in his ability. He can score the ball, and he can pass the ball. He understands how to play offense. His defensive performance was much better against Missouri than it was against Georgia. We're just happy to have him back."
Q: What about this Arkansas team? They've got some size and physicality for sure. What do you see in them that will challenge you guys on Saturday?
CJ: "I'm not too deep with them yet, but I've certainly seen them play in scouting other SEC opponents. I know they're not having the season that they want in terms of wins and losses, but I know there's not going to be any give up with their staff. They're going to be ready to go. They've got a lot of talent. Their roster is back to close to being at full strength. They just had a nice win Saturday. I don't even know who they play Wednesday, but we've just got to be ready to go when Saturday at 1 p.m. hits."
Players Mentioned
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