College Basketball

[Bulldogs4]

There seems to be fire under the smoke concerning Chris Jans to State as the HC. 
 

Do not know much about him but his resume is solid. Evidently something happened at BG about 7 years ago that resulted in him being let go from there. Otherwise, he has had good success at NMSU over the recent years including beating State in JAN a few years ago. 
 

Depending on if he can keep the players on the squad from leaving and retain the signing class, he should have a good nucleus to work with going forward. 
 

But more than likely there will be some roster turnover. Coach Howland voiced his opinion that he hoped the new coach would retain at least one of the current assistant coaches and I hope that he will do that. Otherwise we will see what happens with a fresh start. 

[MSTSatchmo]

So Jans is the guy.   He definitely has had success coaching, however it was at much smaller programs and he has no ties to the south it seems.  
 

Good X’s and O’s coach according to most, but it will be a wait and see as far as recruiting in this area.  

[pancho]

Do mean simply in MS as for this area? 

[Dawg83]

Jans has a better resume than any other realistic candidate. Obviously nothing is ever a sure thing but on paper it seems like a strong hire and a good fit. He leaned heavily on JUCO’s and transfers at New Mexico State so I’ll be curious to see how much of that holds true here. Or if any transfers come with him from NMSU.

 

If he just makes the NCAAT 40-50% of the time and gets the fan base interested again then he’ll be a huge success. And to Ben Howland’s credit, the program Jans is walking into is not in terrible shape. Just needs a breath of fresh air.

 

Ironically Jans’ NMSU team beat State in Jackson in the 2019-20 season and that was one of the early signs that the Howland era might be starting to decline.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Dawg83

[MSTSatchmo]

5 hours ago, pancho said:

Do mean simply in MS as for this area? 

I meant the south/southeast.   

[MSTSatchmo]

3 hours ago, Dawg83 said:

 And to Ben Howland’s credit, the program Jans is walking into is not in terrible shape. 

And in State’s favor, minus Molinar, State’s most talented players have already used their one immediate transfer.  Lol.  Of course they could just leave and try the G League.  
 

Watching the NCAAT, I’ve noticed some power 5 programs that are playing with far less highly rated players, but you can’t emphasize enough team chemistry and have role players.  

[Dawg83]

1 hour ago, MSTSatchmo said:

And in State’s favor, minus Molinar, State’s most talented players have already used their one immediate transfer.  Lol.  Of course they could just leave and try the G League.  
 

Watching the NCAAT, I’ve noticed some power 5 programs that are playing with far less highly rated players, but you can’t emphasize enough team chemistry and have role players.  

It’s hard to know what to expect roster-wise next year when you throw in a coaching change to the normal movement of the transfer portal era.

 

BUT…. If Jans is somehow able to keep guys like Molinar and Tolu Smith on campus another year, it’s not out of the question for State be in the NCAAT in Year 1. But I have no idea how realistic that is at this stage.

[Bulldogs4]

I would think he has decent shot at keeping both them. Neither is ready for pro ball unless they go to Europe (and with the war going on in Ukraine I don’t think that looks very attractive right now). 
 

Both Tolu and Molinar could help themselves immensely next year, if both stay healthy, with big seasons. 
 

Obviously Molinar could transfer out and he might just do that. I hope he stays though. 
 

As you note 83, if Jans keeps the players in the fold plus the signees, then State could be a good team next year. That is a big IF though. 

[Bulldogs4]

MST, you are correct. In basketball, especially the tournament, a well coached , veteran team of lesser talented players can and does often beat a bunch of individual talented players. We see it every year. 
 

I predict we will see it more and more with all these players jumping around. Chemistry in basketball is critical and you only get that by playing together for multiple years , not , 15-20-25 games over one season. 

[Dawg83]

I guess my thing is I have now sat through the Howland years and the latter Stansbury years where talent was not an issue at all for State but in-game coaching was definitely suspect, and it didn’t work out in the end for either guy.

 

After experiencing all of that, I think I can live with talent being a little bit lesser if the actual coaching of that group is better, which I think it probably will be with Jans.

[rebmus]

Very true 83. Talent at MSU for basketball has never been a real issue... I'll add, I don't think that will really change. MSU boosters have always cared enough about hoops to errrr "help in recruiting"... with NIL deals now, that's much easier for everyone to do. 

 

I think Jans will prove to be a step in the right direction.

[Dawg83]

If I had to call it today I think Molinar probably goes pro (he’s got a decent chance of being drafted) and Tolu comes back for one more year. But I could easily be wrong on both fronts.

[Bulldogs4]

I think you are probably right about Molinar. His outside shooting was a huge weakness this year and if he is going play in the NBA or the G league, he is going to have to shoot better than 20-25% from (and that line is significantly farther back than the college line) three point range. 
 

Depth at PG this year was a huge weakness for this team and I know there was a FR PG from ATL that transferred to GT after last year. He would have been a significant help with depth this year. 
 

On the women’s side , though I was an advocate of keeping Novak, the hire of Sam Purcell seems to be solid. But we will see how that plays out. 

[TheeSportsGuy]

On 3/19/2022 at 2:45 PM, sportsmaniac10 said:

Because Shakira Austin is the better overall player and also did it against better competition.

15 and 9 on 46 percent from the floor vs 19 11 on 57 percent from the floor against a schedule that included multiple power 5 tournament teams. I watch women's basketball so that reasoning don't hold water. It's truthfully the school she attended which in Mississippi ain't no surprise 

[MSTSatchmo]

I saw today that DJ Jeffries has entered the portal AGAIN.  I’m guessing he will have to sit out a year this time.   State also had two other forwards enter the portal also.  

[Dawg83]

9 hours ago, MSTSatchmo said:

I saw today that DJ Jeffries has entered the portal AGAIN.  I’m guessing he will have to sit out a year this time.   State also had two other forwards enter the portal also.  

State will be very transfer portal heavy next year. Tolu Smith should be back but otherwise it’s going to be almost an entirely new team. Which is not exactly surprising after a coaching change, but I’ll be curious to see what kind of team Jans ends up putting together in Year 1.