WATCH: Coach Jans Postgame Presser - Memphis

STARKVILLE - Head coach Chris Jans met with the media following State's 71-66 victory over Memphis.

2025-26 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Postgame Quotes
Mississippi State vs. Memphis – December 20, 2025

Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: How much confidence do you think it gives the team to be able to come up with the plays down the stretch over the last couple of games?
CJ: "We've had a lot of them. I said that before the season, and obviously, been saying it since, that I'd anticipate us being in these situations a lot. We didn't do great on the first handful or two or three that we had. We came out in the wrong end. Then, we learned and grew with this group. We're making better decisions and understanding how valuable these possessions are as the clock dissipates before the final buzzer."

"So, it wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing game, but it's hard to play against that group with their length and their athleticism. This afternoon, they really switched up the presses, and we gave them confidence. We started turning it over too much. So, they went all in pressing us the majority of the game, and we had a mixed bag of results. We've got to get better at that."

Q: How pleased were you to see Shawn Jones Jr. produce at the end of the game?
CJ: "Yeah, we subbed him in there with four or five minutes left. Maybe, it was maybe 3 or 4 minutes. He was primarily the guy that was throwing the inbound passes. There's a lot of pressure on that guy, and we want to keep [Jayden] Epps and [Josh] Hubbard with the possibility of getting fouled there down the stretch."

"Shawn did a good job. That's not what he does all the time, but with the lineup we had in and where we were at in the game, we felt that we needed to have him be the trigger guy. He's been around and understands the value of all the possessions and the pass-and-catch part of the game when it gets down like that. Then, he just kept us organized. We switched defenses a couple times, and he was communicating with his teammates and making sure we were all on the same page."

Q: How was your team able to come out on the other side as the stronger team with all the starting and stopping down the stretch? Jayden had a big block for you down the stretch.
CJ: "I'm a little nervous that [Jayden] Epps is going to think he's a shot blocker now [laughter]. He had one in the first half or second half that they called a foul, which I didn't think it was. I'm sure the ref was surprised looking at him and going that I've had you before. That's not your game."

"I love how he's playing. I know that's not what you asked me about, but he's so bought in and locked into our program and being the best version of himself. His productivity for us for the last four or five games has been off the chart on both ends. He wasn't known as the defender, but he's really improved on that end of the floor. I'm happy for him, and I'm proud of him. He wants to win. Everybody wants to play, and everybody wants to get their minutes. Everybody wants to produce, but he's bought into what we're doing. He's bought into winning and doing whatever he needs to do."

"Then, at the end of the game, it felt more like last year when we had all the reviews. Certainly, that's not the case for most of the games this year, which is nice… They give us more time to talk to them. I mean, to be honest with you at that point, you run out of things to talk about other than my assistants getting in my ear and all having something else they want me to talk about with the team, but that's just the way it goes sometimes."

Q: Do you think that was one of Achor Achor's best performances in the last month or so?
CJ "Yeah, I think so. Proud of the fact that he stuck with it. He's not playing at the level that he anticipated, nor that he wants to, and us either. But, he hasn't pouted. He hasn't hung his head, and he kept working. He's been in and out of the starting lineup all year long. Even though his stat line didn't jump out at you in the last game – on the video, he did some really good things from a defensive perspective. From tipping balls on the offensive glass, they don't show up on the stat sheet. Hopefully this is something that's going into the break that he can feel good about and then come back, and just be even better."

Q: How well do you think Josh Hubbard handled the pressure from Memphis?
CJ: "Yeah, they obviously had his name in red, circled, and he's used to that. He's done that for two plus years now. Someone asked me on the radio, was it the length of the athletes? He plays in the SEC. He's been through all that. He understands what it's like to play against that now."

"It reminded me of the Utah game a little bit, because he struggled offensively in that game. Then, he made two big baskets down the stretch, and it was very similar. We still went to him, he's our guy. He jumped up and made that three. A Josh Hubbard special there, right in front of the bench."

"Then, I don't know if he made them all down the stretch. He missed one, I know, but he made seven out of eight from the line. We stuck with him, and he stuck with it. In terms of any problems early, I mean, they just were throwing everything at him. They weren't letting him breathe. They were trapping him. They're long, and they're athletic. The court looks different than when you handle the ball, and you've got athletes that are trapping you like that."

Q: What did you see from your post players?
CJ: "Yeah, I mean, it's a fine line. We don't throw the ball in the post, obviously, as much as we've done in the past. When Quincy [Ballard] gets it with two feet in the paint, he's encouraged to get his balance if he doesn't have it, and turn and throw a right or left hook because he's got great touch. We have a difficult time sometimes of working out the timing of getting him the ball where we think he needs it to be as productive as he needs to be."

"Then, Jamar [Jamarion Davis-Fleming], right now, we haven't thrown the ball much to him back to the basket. Both those guys, their worth and what they bring to the table has nothing to do with how many baskets they're scoring with Jamar being able to have multiple different ball screen defenses. And Quincy, being a rim protector when it's really, really rolling, and his motors going. They're both doing exactly what we asked them to do."

Mississippi State University Athletics

WATCH: Coach Jans Postgame Presser - Memphis

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