Men's Basketball
Shunn Buchanan
- Title:
- Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
- Phone:
- 662-325-3800
Shunn Buchanan has rejoined the Mississippi State men’s basketball program as an assistant coach in 2026-27. He served as a graduate assistant during Coach Jans’ first two seasons with the Bulldogs.
Most recently, Buchanan was a part of two winning seasons as an assistant coach at New Mexico State working with Jason Hooten. He was among 75 NCAA Division I assistant coaches nationwide that attended the Silver Waves Media Rising Stars Power Lunch at the 2026 NCAA Final Four.
During Buchanan’s graduate assistant tenure at State, the Bulldogs captured consecutive NCAA Tournament trips and a pair of 21-win campaigns in 2022-23 and 2023-24. State picked up five victories over Associated Press Top 25 squads highlighted by three AP Top 10 triumphs in 2023-24.
Buchanan assisted in the development of Tolu Smith III, a two-time All-SEC First-Team performer and member of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. He joined State's staff from an assistant coaching stint at Navarro College under Grant McMillan in 2021-22.
During his time at Navarro, Buchanan specialized in working with guards and had oversight on the defensive end of the floor. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a 17-13 record headed by 11 victories in conference play.
Buchanan is no stranger Coach Jans where he was apart 83 wins from 2017-18 to 2019-20 as a player at New Mexico State. The Aggies repeated as three-time WAC regular season champions and earned consecutive trips to the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Tournaments.
Buchanan kicked off his playing career at Northeast Mississippi Community College in 2016-17. There, he was named an All-MACJC First-Team selection and led the Tigers to a MACJC State Champion and MACJC Region 23 runner-up finishes.
Buchanan, a native of Durant, Mississippi, had a successful prep career at Madison Central High School playing for Rahim Lockhart. His team was the 2015-16 MHSAA Class 6A District 3 champions, and Buchanan garnered a spot on the 2015-16 Jackson Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen list.
Buchanan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in individualized studies at New Mexico State in August 2020. At Mississippi State, he completed his Master of Science in workforce educational leadership in May 2024.
The Shunn Buchanan File
Seasons • School • Years at School • Position
2027-Present • Mississippi State • 1 Season • Assistant Coach
2025-26 • New Mexico State • 2 Seasons • Assistant Coach
2023-24 • Mississippi State • 2 Seasons • Graduate Assistant
2022 • Navarro College • 1 Season • Assistant Coach
Note: Seasons are represented by hyphen and begin with the year’s last date. For example, the 2022-23 season is listed as 2023 which was Buchanan’s first season as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State.
Most recently, Buchanan was a part of two winning seasons as an assistant coach at New Mexico State working with Jason Hooten. He was among 75 NCAA Division I assistant coaches nationwide that attended the Silver Waves Media Rising Stars Power Lunch at the 2026 NCAA Final Four.
During Buchanan’s graduate assistant tenure at State, the Bulldogs captured consecutive NCAA Tournament trips and a pair of 21-win campaigns in 2022-23 and 2023-24. State picked up five victories over Associated Press Top 25 squads highlighted by three AP Top 10 triumphs in 2023-24.
Buchanan assisted in the development of Tolu Smith III, a two-time All-SEC First-Team performer and member of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. He joined State's staff from an assistant coaching stint at Navarro College under Grant McMillan in 2021-22.
During his time at Navarro, Buchanan specialized in working with guards and had oversight on the defensive end of the floor. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a 17-13 record headed by 11 victories in conference play.
Buchanan is no stranger Coach Jans where he was apart 83 wins from 2017-18 to 2019-20 as a player at New Mexico State. The Aggies repeated as three-time WAC regular season champions and earned consecutive trips to the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Tournaments.
Buchanan kicked off his playing career at Northeast Mississippi Community College in 2016-17. There, he was named an All-MACJC First-Team selection and led the Tigers to a MACJC State Champion and MACJC Region 23 runner-up finishes.
Buchanan, a native of Durant, Mississippi, had a successful prep career at Madison Central High School playing for Rahim Lockhart. His team was the 2015-16 MHSAA Class 6A District 3 champions, and Buchanan garnered a spot on the 2015-16 Jackson Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen list.
Buchanan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in individualized studies at New Mexico State in August 2020. At Mississippi State, he completed his Master of Science in workforce educational leadership in May 2024.
The Shunn Buchanan File
Seasons • School • Years at School • Position
2027-Present • Mississippi State • 1 Season • Assistant Coach
2025-26 • New Mexico State • 2 Seasons • Assistant Coach
2023-24 • Mississippi State • 2 Seasons • Graduate Assistant
2022 • Navarro College • 1 Season • Assistant Coach
Note: Seasons are represented by hyphen and begin with the year’s last date. For example, the 2022-23 season is listed as 2023 which was Buchanan’s first season as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State.
Friday, April 17
Thursday, March 12
Monday, March 09
Sunday, March 08
