Men’s Hoops Finalizes 2026-27 Coaching Staff
August 26, 2026 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans finalized his coaching staff for the 2026-27 season as announced on Wednesday.
Dylan Sortillo has been hired as director of operations, while Jonathan Comer, Damien Davis, Jalen Gibbs, Zahree Harrison, Noah King and Tonny Trocha-Morelos have been added as graduate assistant fellows.
Sortillo served as a director of operations at Illinois-Chicago and Dartmouth in addition to being an assistant coach at Florida Southwestern State before coming to Mississippi State. He also spent time as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Augustana College, in Illinois.
Comer, a native of Caledonia, Mississippi, joins the Bulldogs after being an assistant coach at Belhaven last season where the program made its first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. He also was a successful prep head coach at Caledonia High School.
Davis worked as a graduate assistant at Little Rock last season. He has ties to the Bulldogs program and is the older brother of Dashawn Davis who played for two NCAA Tournament squads led by Coach Jans in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Gibbs spent the last two seasons as the head coach at North Point High School in Waldorf, Maryland. He scored 1262 points during his college career that included stops at Drake, Mount Saint Mary's and Jacksonville State. Gibbs played in a pair of NCAA Tournaments in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Harrison comes to State from the high school and AAU ranks. He was an assistant coach at Lansdale High School and the 15U Coach for the Klow Elite AAU program, both based in Pennsylvania. Harrison played college basketball at Saint Francis and Coppin State.
As a player, King was a NJCCAA All-America standout at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa where Coach Jans won the 1998 NJCAA National Championship. He also worked with the Minnesota Lightning AAU program during his summers in college.
Trocha-Morelos is no stranger to the SEC where he saw action in 132 career games at Texas A&M from 2014-15 to 2017-18. The Aggies went to a pair of NCAA Sweet 16s and won the 2015-16 SEC regular season championship. He recently wrapped up a five-year international professional career which spanned five countries including his native Colombia.
State is led by Chris Jans who is the only coach in program history to guide the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament during three of his first four seasons. The Bulldogs are slated to face Tennessee Tech on November 2 for the 2026-27 season opener at Humphrey Coliseum.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the State's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on their official social media accounts by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, X and Instagram.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans finalized his coaching staff for the 2026-27 season as announced on Wednesday.
Dylan Sortillo has been hired as director of operations, while Jonathan Comer, Damien Davis, Jalen Gibbs, Zahree Harrison, Noah King and Tonny Trocha-Morelos have been added as graduate assistant fellows.
Sortillo served as a director of operations at Illinois-Chicago and Dartmouth in addition to being an assistant coach at Florida Southwestern State before coming to Mississippi State. He also spent time as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Augustana College, in Illinois.
Comer, a native of Caledonia, Mississippi, joins the Bulldogs after being an assistant coach at Belhaven last season where the program made its first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. He also was a successful prep head coach at Caledonia High School.
Davis worked as a graduate assistant at Little Rock last season. He has ties to the Bulldogs program and is the older brother of Dashawn Davis who played for two NCAA Tournament squads led by Coach Jans in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Gibbs spent the last two seasons as the head coach at North Point High School in Waldorf, Maryland. He scored 1262 points during his college career that included stops at Drake, Mount Saint Mary's and Jacksonville State. Gibbs played in a pair of NCAA Tournaments in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Harrison comes to State from the high school and AAU ranks. He was an assistant coach at Lansdale High School and the 15U Coach for the Klow Elite AAU program, both based in Pennsylvania. Harrison played college basketball at Saint Francis and Coppin State.
As a player, King was a NJCCAA All-America standout at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa where Coach Jans won the 1998 NJCAA National Championship. He also worked with the Minnesota Lightning AAU program during his summers in college.
Trocha-Morelos is no stranger to the SEC where he saw action in 132 career games at Texas A&M from 2014-15 to 2017-18. The Aggies went to a pair of NCAA Sweet 16s and won the 2015-16 SEC regular season championship. He recently wrapped up a five-year international professional career which spanned five countries including his native Colombia.
State is led by Chris Jans who is the only coach in program history to guide the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament during three of his first four seasons. The Bulldogs are slated to face Tennessee Tech on November 2 for the 2026-27 season opener at Humphrey Coliseum.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the State's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on their official social media accounts by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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