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STARKVILLE - Mississippi State men's basketball had five players meet with the media on Thursday.

2025-26 Mississippi State Men's Basketball
Media Session – July 17, 2025

Guard/Forward Amier Ali and Forward Brandon Walker
Q: How does the offseason training routine at Mississippi State compare to what you've experienced at different schools?
BW: "I would just say the intensity. Every workout is high intensity, and everyone just wants the best for you. So, just going two or three times a day, really working and really being with each other, I would say that's the big difference is just the intensity and how hard it can get sometimes."

AA: "Yeah, I would say the intensity too. Everybody in the gym, everybody is getting you hyped. You've got GAs [graduate assistants] working, coaches working and walking you through your mistakes. It's very intense in our practices. So, I'd say that's the main thing really."

Q: Amier, you were very heavily recruited out of high school and had a solid freshman year at Arizona State. What kind of jump are you looking to make in your sophomore year?
AA: "My main focus is really winning. Obviously, you have individual goals, but mainly winning comes first with my guys. Individually, I want to be able to play harder. The main thing is to get on the floor, but winning really comes first."

Q: What about Mississippi State and this coaching staff that made you feel like transferring here was the right move?
AA: "When I was talking to Coach Jans, Coach Anwar and all the other coaches, it felt serious. It felt like home even though I was on a Zoom call, but the hospitality they showed was big for me. Taking a dive into the program and all the winning and the accolades are what impressed me. The winning is mainly what brought me here, but Coach Jans obviously too. He's a great coach and all the coaching staff are great. That's what mainly brought me here."

BW: "For me it's the winning culture here. Coach Jans is a great coach, a high-level coach. It just felt like family. They flew down to see me, just to have lunch with me. It was pretty good. So, it was just the winning culture and me wanting to get better at the things I need to work on and just win. I feel like we can do something special here. The culture and the family here, it felt very family oriented."

Q: How have you adjusted to the program and how have you seen your teammates bond together?
AA: "I feel like we've bonded very well. We go to team dinners and all that stuff like that on our own. We're gelling well, we're learning a lot of new things. We have a lot of transfers. So, basically, it's putting our pride and egos aside for the team is mainly what's going on right now. We're just figuring out the playing style and how [Coach] Jans wants us to play. The defensive concepts we're all learning. It's still early in the summer, and we have until November 5th. Still, the process has been very good. Everybody's buying in, and everyone is listening to Coach Jans and the staff."

Q: Amier, you said in the spring that you wanted to add weight. How much weight have you gained and what position have they been working you at?
AA: "Last year, around this time, I was probably around 184 [pounds]. Now I'm 198, almost 200, which is my goal, being around 205-210 before the season starts. I know my weight drops in the season at least for me. I tend to lose weight a lot during the season with all the traveling. So, I want to be at a weight where I can drop and still be at a good weight. I play in the wing mainly. Like you said, I'm very versatile. Wherever Coach Jans wants me to play, I'll play."

Q: Brandon, where is your main focus positionally?
BW: "The four. Just being able to make plays for my teammates and score the ball and do what I do. I'm at that position to be able to do all those things."

Q: Which freshmen has caught your attention so far?
AA: "They're all great, all of our freshmen are good. King [Grace] has been standing out on the defensive end. Offensively, he's been hitting all of his shots, but you can see the dog intensity. You've also got CP [Cameren Paul] getting better every day. He's a dog too, plays hard on defense and shows his offensive capabilities. Jamarion [Davis-Fleming] too, defensive versatility and offensive production is there. Our freshmen group is really talented, and you'll see a big jump in them."

BW: "Yeah, for me, all of them are really good. King, like he said, his intensity on defense, the way he gets to the ball and guarding. CP, the way he scores the ball and shares it making plays for others. Then, Jamarion is a dog. He dunks the ball. He's shooting it better and being able to play make and pass the ball, then also get offensive rebounds. He just does all the hustle things. They're really good, and I'm really excited for them."

Q: Who are some of the older guys who have been leaders and helped you all get acclimated to Mississippi State?
AA: "Definitely [Josh] Hubbard and Shawn [Jones Jr.] mainly. They've been teaching us about the culture since they've been here for a while. They're teaching us how things are done at Mississippi State. They took a big responsibility at that leadership role. They've been teaching us well. They're great leaders, and I applaud them."

Guard Jayden Epps, Guard Ja'Borri McGhee and Center Quincy Ballard
Q: How does the offseason training routine at Mississippi State compare to what you've experienced at different schools?
QB: "Compared to the other schools I've been to, it feels like we're in the mood where we're getting in elite shape for the fall and the winter. We've been running more. We've been on the track, and I feel like that's good for us."

JM: "I also feel like the pace is much faster. Your endurance level has to be a little bit better. Overall, we're just playing a lot faster than I played last year. We don't really walk the ball up. We do a lot of skipping ahead and stuff like that. So, I think that's just different."

JE: "Yeah, I think the workouts have been good. As far as comparing this summer to my last school, I think every school is just different. They go about cert things different ways. My last school went about it a different way from my first school, and this school is different. I feel like all the coaches and schools are different, but we do it a great way here."

Q: Jayden, you've had a successful three-year career so far. What made you think Mississippi State was the right move for you?
JE: "The people, that's something I'm big on, being around good people. Having people who care about me on and off the court. My teammates, getting to know these guys, they all made me feel like I picked the right place to be."

Q: What was it that made you think Mississippi State was a school to consider?
JE: "Coach [Jans] told me that I was going to have to come in here, going to have to work, earn my spot and earn everything I got. He said he was going to fight for me, and he's going to be there for me all the time. Hearing that from a coach and knowing that he's going to be there for me and push me to be the best that I can be, you can't turn that down."

JM: "Kind of like what Jayden said, Coach [Jans] talking about making us better than what we were before. I just think the standard we've got here is also a big thing you want to be a part of."

QB: "Being at Wichita State, Coach Jans was pretty familiar being there about a decade before I was there. He came, and we met. Throughout the process, we had talks. He made me feel like family with him, the coaching staff and the team."

Q: Quincy, can you talk about what you bring to this team as a center?
QB: "I'll say I'll bring that force on both sides. On defense people really know how I am, but I've obviously been working on my offense pretty much all summer. I feel like that's going to be a big factor by the time the season starts."

Q: Ja'Borri and Jayden, how have you guys fed off of Josh Hubbard? How do you think you will gel in game-type situations?
JM: "I think to answer your question, me, Jayden, and Hubb all do different things. We all do them at a high rate. So, when we're on the court and we're competing, it's iron sharpening iron and us trying to make the best plays at the right moment."

JE: "Like he said, we all do different things. We can all score the ball, and we all can be point guards. Like he said in practice, it's iron sharpening iron. We don't know how this season's going to play out, but we just try to get better every day and focus on the team's success. Us three in the back court is definitely going to be scary."

Q: Quincy, how do you handle the pressure of knowing that you have to protect the rim from not only your guy but anyone else who attacks?
QB: "I've been around defenses where I've had to be around both [guys] until the guard gets back. Obviously, with [Coach] Jans, I'm pretty much familiar with what we've got going on during practice as far as ball-screen defense and getting back to my man and protecting the rim. I feel like it's not too much to worry about."

Mississippi State University Athletics

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