WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session
February 20, 2025 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Mississippi State men's basketball head coach Chris Jans held his weekly media session on Thursday.
2024-25 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – February 20, 2025
Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Chris Beard said after the Ole Miss game that Shawn Jones Jr. was the difference maker in that game. What do you feel like he does to help your team that doesn't show up in the box score every night?
CJ: "Well, every game we keep track of checks. So, it's evaluated postgame, and they have opportunities to check someone when the ball is shot on the defensive end. I don't have it in front of me, but I would venture to say that he's in the top 2 or 3 percentage of checkouts. Some have more opportunities than others, but he's so reliable that way. He doesn't necessarily rebound the ball at the highest level, but what he does do is he makes darn sure that someone on the other team isn't getting the basketball."
"Defensively, I think he's been better over the last two games than he was all season long. He's always had the ability to use his length and his motor to disrupt the other team, whether that be on the ball or even in the passing lanes. I think he's made a conservative effort to be better in terms of not giving up angles when guarding the basketball and just being more square on the ball. It's showing up."
"I've always said this about Shawn is, in most games not all but most, he just somehow finds a way to end up on the floor at the end of the game. He's earned a lot of trust from our staff because we know what we're getting. He understands time and score. He was very visibly upset with himself when he missed a couple of three's in the [Texas] A&M game. I remember some of our guys really coming to his side in one of the later huddles just encouraging him. I didn't encourage him one-on-one, but I talked to the team about not letting a missed shot or turnover affect their mindset. What we were trying to do was obviously to win the basketball game at that point. When he took the corner three away from our bench, I think there was a little over two minutes left, it was pretty close to us saying, 'We need to milk this out' especially with the lead that we had. I don't know if it got caught on camera or not, but I had a little bit of a dumbfounded look on my face when he shot that ball. I was so happy for him when it went through the net. It gave him a little bounce in his step, and I think the bench was really happy for him too."
Q: Can you explain how your team has taken a step back defensively, but still manages to get steals at a very high rate?
CJ: "Well, I talked to radio before the game like I always do and even told the TV broadcasters at the shootaround. What I told them was that I think we're a better defensive team than our numbers say. Now, I know the numbers and the record is who you are, I get all of that. But, just from my perspective and my experience, that doesn't mean you can't get great stops when you need them. That doesn't mean that you don't have faith and confidence in what we're doing on that end of the court just because our efficiency per some sort of calculation says this is what we rank. That's kind of what I was trying to explain to them is that I've gained a lot of confidence in these guys because they've kept working at it. Our staff has done a tremendous job of tweaking small things here or there to try and sure up some deficiencies that we've shown."
"One thing that we don't ever talk about, and I don't talk about with the team is our steal percentage is very, very high. But, at the same time, an area of concern for us going into the season because of our lack of size was protecting the rim. Our block percentage has got to be higher than it's ever been. We don't maybe have some girth that we've had in the past, but we've got multiple guys that have learned how to use the shield technique with not being able to take charges. I think that it has really paid off for us. Then, how we defend with the early help in the rotation, etcetera, getting those steals and having guys that protect the rim a little bit better than they have in the past, it's helped us. Our two-point field goal percentage defensively has been really good. The one that's being maligned, and rightfully so, is our three-point percentage. We'll see, but I believe that as the season progresses, that will come back to help us."
Q: We've spoken about Cameron Matthews versatility, but have you ever had another player who plays defense in the post and then takes the ball up at point guard the next possession?
CJ: "Fortunately, I have. I love those players. I've had a couple guys like that, and they're just fun to coach. They've got a Swiss Army Knife type of skillset. I don't ever get tired of talking about Cam. The thing about Cam that I love the most is that his number one priority are his teammates, this program and winning. Certainly, he doesn't like it when he misses a free throw, or he doesn't like it when he has a silly turnover, nobody does. But, he doesn't seem to let it affect him much. He stays pretty locked in."
"Having faith and trust in someone on the floor that is basically an extension of you. You know that he's talking to his guys, you know he's trying to keep their minds right and keep them organized, even while the ball is in play. He knows our system inside and out, offensively and defensively. He can play any position that we have. Normally, that's reserved for a point guard, but leadership and organization can come from anybody. He's earned tons of respect from his teammates because of his competitive spirit, his stature and how he plays with that fire and passion. Don't get me wrong, some of you have seen it, we've had our moments and that's okay. When you play for a coach that coaches the way that we do, you're going to have that. That's always out of want to and respect. I don't want to think about it, but it's not going to be as much fun when he's not around."
Q: Oklahoma has been struggling recently, but they were ranked inside the top 15 at one point this season. What are your early impressions of their team?
CJ: "They were 13-0 going into the SEC. Like you said, for whatever reason, they haven't won as many games obviously as they would've liked. But from the film, you wouldn't know it. If you just watch the film and not look at their record, you'd think they're right in the middle of it all."
They play really, really hard, and they've got really good players. They've got a freshman guart in [Jeremiah] Fears who will be in the conversation for freshman of the year in the SEC. Then, the [Jalon] Moore kid, they've got a nice duo going with different sizes and different positions. They shoot the heck out of the basketball. They shoot the ball very well from three, which obviously like I just said has been an issue for us."
"Then, I think they're number one if I'm not mistaken in free throw percentage in our league. So, defending them and not fouling them will be a huge deal. Like I said, you wouldn't know it on film, they're competing at a high level. They've lost some really tough close games. Like all of us, they're coming down the stretch. They're fighting for every inch, for every ball and for every opportunity. I know they'll be prepared and ready on Saturday, and they're going to give us everything that we want."
Q: Your team has performed very well on the road this year. Have you been able to reason why your team has fared well in those environments?
CJ: "No, but I'm glad that we are. It's been critical for us to win away from home. We've had some great wins away from The Hump. Any coach will tell you that it's probably the truest sign of who you are as a basketball team in terms of your mental toughness and your character to be able to do it away from the friendly confines when you have a little more distraction that you normally do."
"I love going on the road. I love being tested and challenged that way. Certainly, when you have the results that we've had for the most part, it makes you feel really good internally about the makeup of our basketball team. But, at the same time, you've got to do it again. You've got to continue to replicate the things that put you in that position to win those games, but there's no reason that when we leave here tomorrow and getting ready for that early tip on Saturday that they don't have a great mindset."
Q: Where have you seen Josh Hubbard grow in all areas of his game, not just shooting?
CJ: "I'm glad you brought that up. When you look at the stat sheet, you have 25 [points] on 10 shots, that's about as efficient as you can be from an offensive standpoint. Then, add in the assist-to-turnover [ratio] and his steals, I thought it was one of the most complete games that he's played since he's been here. He's had the big scoring nights, he's had the stretches, the 'ooh-ah' shots."
"But, from where I sit and from watching the tape, he was more engaged defensively off the ball. That's probably one of my biggest gripes with him, is that off the ball he'll at times relax a little bit and not be in the right spot. He'll just kind of take his foot off the gas. That's easy for me to say because I'm not playing 35-to-37 minutes, where you obviously would maybe have a tendency to relax a little bit. I understand how that works, but he was just on it. His tension in his body, he was always in the right spots, his handysiness, I mean he was always getting his hands on the basketball and turning it into offense."
"Then, part of the plan was to draw them in, and we did it many times. We felt like the drifts, the corners, were an area that we could throw the ball to and try to get him into rotation that way. Over and over if you remember, he would drive it one direction and all of a sudden throw it back to someone else in the deep corner. Then, we'd either get a shot or drive the ball from there and make something happen for each other. I though he was efficient. He followed the gameplan, and hopefully that will continue for him."
2024-25 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session – February 20, 2025
Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Chris Beard said after the Ole Miss game that Shawn Jones Jr. was the difference maker in that game. What do you feel like he does to help your team that doesn't show up in the box score every night?
CJ: "Well, every game we keep track of checks. So, it's evaluated postgame, and they have opportunities to check someone when the ball is shot on the defensive end. I don't have it in front of me, but I would venture to say that he's in the top 2 or 3 percentage of checkouts. Some have more opportunities than others, but he's so reliable that way. He doesn't necessarily rebound the ball at the highest level, but what he does do is he makes darn sure that someone on the other team isn't getting the basketball."
"Defensively, I think he's been better over the last two games than he was all season long. He's always had the ability to use his length and his motor to disrupt the other team, whether that be on the ball or even in the passing lanes. I think he's made a conservative effort to be better in terms of not giving up angles when guarding the basketball and just being more square on the ball. It's showing up."
"I've always said this about Shawn is, in most games not all but most, he just somehow finds a way to end up on the floor at the end of the game. He's earned a lot of trust from our staff because we know what we're getting. He understands time and score. He was very visibly upset with himself when he missed a couple of three's in the [Texas] A&M game. I remember some of our guys really coming to his side in one of the later huddles just encouraging him. I didn't encourage him one-on-one, but I talked to the team about not letting a missed shot or turnover affect their mindset. What we were trying to do was obviously to win the basketball game at that point. When he took the corner three away from our bench, I think there was a little over two minutes left, it was pretty close to us saying, 'We need to milk this out' especially with the lead that we had. I don't know if it got caught on camera or not, but I had a little bit of a dumbfounded look on my face when he shot that ball. I was so happy for him when it went through the net. It gave him a little bounce in his step, and I think the bench was really happy for him too."
Q: Can you explain how your team has taken a step back defensively, but still manages to get steals at a very high rate?
CJ: "Well, I talked to radio before the game like I always do and even told the TV broadcasters at the shootaround. What I told them was that I think we're a better defensive team than our numbers say. Now, I know the numbers and the record is who you are, I get all of that. But, just from my perspective and my experience, that doesn't mean you can't get great stops when you need them. That doesn't mean that you don't have faith and confidence in what we're doing on that end of the court just because our efficiency per some sort of calculation says this is what we rank. That's kind of what I was trying to explain to them is that I've gained a lot of confidence in these guys because they've kept working at it. Our staff has done a tremendous job of tweaking small things here or there to try and sure up some deficiencies that we've shown."
"One thing that we don't ever talk about, and I don't talk about with the team is our steal percentage is very, very high. But, at the same time, an area of concern for us going into the season because of our lack of size was protecting the rim. Our block percentage has got to be higher than it's ever been. We don't maybe have some girth that we've had in the past, but we've got multiple guys that have learned how to use the shield technique with not being able to take charges. I think that it has really paid off for us. Then, how we defend with the early help in the rotation, etcetera, getting those steals and having guys that protect the rim a little bit better than they have in the past, it's helped us. Our two-point field goal percentage defensively has been really good. The one that's being maligned, and rightfully so, is our three-point percentage. We'll see, but I believe that as the season progresses, that will come back to help us."
Q: We've spoken about Cameron Matthews versatility, but have you ever had another player who plays defense in the post and then takes the ball up at point guard the next possession?
CJ: "Fortunately, I have. I love those players. I've had a couple guys like that, and they're just fun to coach. They've got a Swiss Army Knife type of skillset. I don't ever get tired of talking about Cam. The thing about Cam that I love the most is that his number one priority are his teammates, this program and winning. Certainly, he doesn't like it when he misses a free throw, or he doesn't like it when he has a silly turnover, nobody does. But, he doesn't seem to let it affect him much. He stays pretty locked in."
"Having faith and trust in someone on the floor that is basically an extension of you. You know that he's talking to his guys, you know he's trying to keep their minds right and keep them organized, even while the ball is in play. He knows our system inside and out, offensively and defensively. He can play any position that we have. Normally, that's reserved for a point guard, but leadership and organization can come from anybody. He's earned tons of respect from his teammates because of his competitive spirit, his stature and how he plays with that fire and passion. Don't get me wrong, some of you have seen it, we've had our moments and that's okay. When you play for a coach that coaches the way that we do, you're going to have that. That's always out of want to and respect. I don't want to think about it, but it's not going to be as much fun when he's not around."
Q: Oklahoma has been struggling recently, but they were ranked inside the top 15 at one point this season. What are your early impressions of their team?
CJ: "They were 13-0 going into the SEC. Like you said, for whatever reason, they haven't won as many games obviously as they would've liked. But from the film, you wouldn't know it. If you just watch the film and not look at their record, you'd think they're right in the middle of it all."
They play really, really hard, and they've got really good players. They've got a freshman guart in [Jeremiah] Fears who will be in the conversation for freshman of the year in the SEC. Then, the [Jalon] Moore kid, they've got a nice duo going with different sizes and different positions. They shoot the heck out of the basketball. They shoot the ball very well from three, which obviously like I just said has been an issue for us."
"Then, I think they're number one if I'm not mistaken in free throw percentage in our league. So, defending them and not fouling them will be a huge deal. Like I said, you wouldn't know it on film, they're competing at a high level. They've lost some really tough close games. Like all of us, they're coming down the stretch. They're fighting for every inch, for every ball and for every opportunity. I know they'll be prepared and ready on Saturday, and they're going to give us everything that we want."
Q: Your team has performed very well on the road this year. Have you been able to reason why your team has fared well in those environments?
CJ: "No, but I'm glad that we are. It's been critical for us to win away from home. We've had some great wins away from The Hump. Any coach will tell you that it's probably the truest sign of who you are as a basketball team in terms of your mental toughness and your character to be able to do it away from the friendly confines when you have a little more distraction that you normally do."
"I love going on the road. I love being tested and challenged that way. Certainly, when you have the results that we've had for the most part, it makes you feel really good internally about the makeup of our basketball team. But, at the same time, you've got to do it again. You've got to continue to replicate the things that put you in that position to win those games, but there's no reason that when we leave here tomorrow and getting ready for that early tip on Saturday that they don't have a great mindset."
Q: Where have you seen Josh Hubbard grow in all areas of his game, not just shooting?
CJ: "I'm glad you brought that up. When you look at the stat sheet, you have 25 [points] on 10 shots, that's about as efficient as you can be from an offensive standpoint. Then, add in the assist-to-turnover [ratio] and his steals, I thought it was one of the most complete games that he's played since he's been here. He's had the big scoring nights, he's had the stretches, the 'ooh-ah' shots."
"But, from where I sit and from watching the tape, he was more engaged defensively off the ball. That's probably one of my biggest gripes with him, is that off the ball he'll at times relax a little bit and not be in the right spot. He'll just kind of take his foot off the gas. That's easy for me to say because I'm not playing 35-to-37 minutes, where you obviously would maybe have a tendency to relax a little bit. I understand how that works, but he was just on it. His tension in his body, he was always in the right spots, his handysiness, I mean he was always getting his hands on the basketball and turning it into offense."
"Then, part of the plan was to draw them in, and we did it many times. We felt like the drifts, the corners, were an area that we could throw the ball to and try to get him into rotation that way. Over and over if you remember, he would drive it one direction and all of a sudden throw it back to someone else in the deep corner. Then, we'd either get a shot or drive the ball from there and make something happen for each other. I though he was efficient. He followed the gameplan, and hopefully that will continue for him."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballJosh 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