November 10, 2026 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE - Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans met with the media following Monday's, 98-57, win over Jackson State.
Q: Can you talk about having six players in double figures?
CJ: "It's definitely a luxury to have multiple guys that put the ball in the basket. You've seen a few guys have leading scorer kinds of nights in a young season. Obviously, the game became lopsided, and that's when you pile up double figure scores when you're scoring around 100 points a game and that usually happens."
Q: What did you think about the team's ball movement?
CJ: "I think every coach will tell you, unless their system is predicated on not sharing the basketball, every year, you go into it preaching to share the ball. Don't tune out open receivers. Let's play unselfish basketball. The ball's got energy, and karma looks down on you in a positive way when you do that. Some teams buy into it, and unfortunately, some don't."
"This team certainly has shown, and I don't think it'll change, the ability to pass and share and understand how important it is to get it moving like that. We certainly have some possessions where it sticks, and we're standing and not given the passer options. But I think, for the most part, I would generally say that this team isn't selfish and they share the basketball. It's something that hopefully will be a strength of us all year long."
Q: Can you describe the offensive run the team went on today?
CJ: "We had some paint balls, some offensive defensive rebounding percentages for this particular game. And then a shot efficiency type situation in terms of attempts, and at halftime, we weren't where we should be, and I'm very disappointed with our rebounding on both ends of the court. I thought, on paper from watching them and just how we stacked up, that should have been something that we dominated tonight, and eventually, we did, especially in the second half."
"That was the reason why we extended it like we did is because we kept getting second and third chance opportunities that didn't allow them new opportunities. If we wouldn't have turned the ball over so much in the second half, we had some silly, silly decisions and turnovers that became sloppy, we would have scored a lot more points and that certainly is disappointing."
Q: How did you feel about Tristan Reed's performance?
CJ: "I thought there was a lot to like. He had his best game since he's arrived. We need him to play like that. He's a huge key for our success or lack thereof. I've been saying that to anyone close to me since his arrival when this team came together. He's got some big shoes to fill, and he's capable of doing it. I think everybody sees that. He's just got to be consistent with it. He's got to play a little grimier, have a little different playing personality, because he's as wonderful and nice as a kid as you're ever going to be around. I mean, it's crazy how nice a kid he is, but we're trying to get him to be, for lack of a better word, meaner on the court."
"Play with a little vinegar, and he's getting better. He's getting better. We're all on him about it. I think he's tired of it. I'm happy for him. Hopefully, this will give him some confidence, because obviously who's going to be standing across from him going forward for the next five or six games are going to look different."
Q: Can you talk about how you feel about the team's chemistry?
CJ: "You hear the players talk about it in some of their interviews that come across my timeline, and it's cool. I love hearing about it. There's a lot of fake talk out there from programs about how much their kids like each other, because people like to hear that. But this team has a genuineness about it. I'm not sure why it happened or how it happened. Certainly, every coach in America tries to put them in a position where you get some camaraderie, especially given the situation where there's so many new players at most places every year and you hope it clicks. You hope they mesh well."
"Certainly, having Josh [Hubbard] around and his experience, his want to, and his love for this place and this program. Lending a hand or two and being a big part of it, he does a lot of things behind the scenes that people don't know about, trying to bring this team together and spend quality time together."
"We just shouted him out in the huddle when we were getting done, and I congratulated him on this 2,000-point career scoring mark thus far, and the celebration that these other kids had for him was big time. It was pure joy. They really shared in his accomplishment, and they were genuinely happy for him, which doesn't always happen all the time. It's been so far so good, and we're going to have some adversity. We're going to have some tough times and then we're going to find out how close of a group we have."
Q: What do you think about the role of Josh Hubbard and this team's success?
CJ: "It's an integral part of it and not on the floor. I basically talked about it in the last statement that what he's doing, his part on our team, no coach can do. You hear this all the time, player-led teams. I'm not a big believer in that. I think in this day and age, the coach is the leader, but when you get some players that get it and have the ability and the talent and the skill to do some of that, it definitely makes it easier."
"I don't ever go into a season thinking, 'Yeah, we're going to have a player-led team.' It just doesn't happen that often anymore. That's another thing that I think coaches and players like to talk about, but in reality, I really don't think it's going on as much as people say it is, but when it does happen it's a big bonus for that particular team."
Q: Can you talk about your first impressions from the start of the season?
CJ: "It's a lot to unpack. I obviously like winning like this better than not, and you're right on the money, we had some games very similar to this that we won but we had to pull them out. We had to play all the way to the buzzer and do some unconventional things. I remember playing some defenses last year in these types of games where we hadn't even practiced. But we needed to mix it up and change the rhythm and the tempo, and we did what we had to do to try to win the game, which was obviously your goal."
"I like this group. I've been saying that all summer. I told Sheri [Jans], we're going to play good tonight. She looked at me like I had a third eye coming out of my head, because I never say that on the day of the game. But we had two really good practices. I thought our Saturday and Sunday practices were competitive, but they were joyful, and they were energized. I just had [a] bounce in my step because of it, because as a coach that loves practice, it makes you feel good. I know better than to say stuff like that, because I know it doesn't always get to the court. I don't know how well we played. I'll tell you next time we talk, but by the numbers, it was pretty good. I was frustrated because I thought we could've played a lot better, which is a good thing. It's a good thing that we have a lot of room to grow."
Q: What are your thoughts on tonight's shooting efficiency?
CJ: "I don't think we're going to shoot 50% from the field as an average. I don't think we'll shoot 39% from three either as an average. But what I will say is, this group has shot the ball better from the field and from three than all [the] groups we've had. From the time they arrived to what we track in terms of data, in June, July, August, September, October, leading into the games, we've been better than all the teams that we've had in the past."
"Now, will it get on the court when we get in the guts of the season? I don't know. I just know the ball was in the hole at a better rate. At the same time, we're playing against each other. So of course, I'm like, okay, we're in trouble on the defensive, field goal percentage, but now we don't have to worry about that anymore. We're going to see how it unfolds as we play these games in the season."
Q: Can you talk about having six players in double figures?
CJ: "It's definitely a luxury to have multiple guys that put the ball in the basket. You've seen a few guys have leading scorer kinds of nights in a young season. Obviously, the game became lopsided, and that's when you pile up double figure scores when you're scoring around 100 points a game and that usually happens."
Q: What did you think about the team's ball movement?
CJ: "I think every coach will tell you, unless their system is predicated on not sharing the basketball, every year, you go into it preaching to share the ball. Don't tune out open receivers. Let's play unselfish basketball. The ball's got energy, and karma looks down on you in a positive way when you do that. Some teams buy into it, and unfortunately, some don't."
"This team certainly has shown, and I don't think it'll change, the ability to pass and share and understand how important it is to get it moving like that. We certainly have some possessions where it sticks, and we're standing and not given the passer options. But I think, for the most part, I would generally say that this team isn't selfish and they share the basketball. It's something that hopefully will be a strength of us all year long."
Q: Can you describe the offensive run the team went on today?
CJ: "We had some paint balls, some offensive defensive rebounding percentages for this particular game. And then a shot efficiency type situation in terms of attempts, and at halftime, we weren't where we should be, and I'm very disappointed with our rebounding on both ends of the court. I thought, on paper from watching them and just how we stacked up, that should have been something that we dominated tonight, and eventually, we did, especially in the second half."
"That was the reason why we extended it like we did is because we kept getting second and third chance opportunities that didn't allow them new opportunities. If we wouldn't have turned the ball over so much in the second half, we had some silly, silly decisions and turnovers that became sloppy, we would have scored a lot more points and that certainly is disappointing."
Q: How did you feel about Tristan Reed's performance?
CJ: "I thought there was a lot to like. He had his best game since he's arrived. We need him to play like that. He's a huge key for our success or lack thereof. I've been saying that to anyone close to me since his arrival when this team came together. He's got some big shoes to fill, and he's capable of doing it. I think everybody sees that. He's just got to be consistent with it. He's got to play a little grimier, have a little different playing personality, because he's as wonderful and nice as a kid as you're ever going to be around. I mean, it's crazy how nice a kid he is, but we're trying to get him to be, for lack of a better word, meaner on the court."
"Play with a little vinegar, and he's getting better. He's getting better. We're all on him about it. I think he's tired of it. I'm happy for him. Hopefully, this will give him some confidence, because obviously who's going to be standing across from him going forward for the next five or six games are going to look different."
Q: Can you talk about how you feel about the team's chemistry?
CJ: "You hear the players talk about it in some of their interviews that come across my timeline, and it's cool. I love hearing about it. There's a lot of fake talk out there from programs about how much their kids like each other, because people like to hear that. But this team has a genuineness about it. I'm not sure why it happened or how it happened. Certainly, every coach in America tries to put them in a position where you get some camaraderie, especially given the situation where there's so many new players at most places every year and you hope it clicks. You hope they mesh well."
"Certainly, having Josh [Hubbard] around and his experience, his want to, and his love for this place and this program. Lending a hand or two and being a big part of it, he does a lot of things behind the scenes that people don't know about, trying to bring this team together and spend quality time together."
"We just shouted him out in the huddle when we were getting done, and I congratulated him on this 2,000-point career scoring mark thus far, and the celebration that these other kids had for him was big time. It was pure joy. They really shared in his accomplishment, and they were genuinely happy for him, which doesn't always happen all the time. It's been so far so good, and we're going to have some adversity. We're going to have some tough times and then we're going to find out how close of a group we have."
Q: What do you think about the role of Josh Hubbard and this team's success?
CJ: "It's an integral part of it and not on the floor. I basically talked about it in the last statement that what he's doing, his part on our team, no coach can do. You hear this all the time, player-led teams. I'm not a big believer in that. I think in this day and age, the coach is the leader, but when you get some players that get it and have the ability and the talent and the skill to do some of that, it definitely makes it easier."
"I don't ever go into a season thinking, 'Yeah, we're going to have a player-led team.' It just doesn't happen that often anymore. That's another thing that I think coaches and players like to talk about, but in reality, I really don't think it's going on as much as people say it is, but when it does happen it's a big bonus for that particular team."
Q: Can you talk about your first impressions from the start of the season?
CJ: "It's a lot to unpack. I obviously like winning like this better than not, and you're right on the money, we had some games very similar to this that we won but we had to pull them out. We had to play all the way to the buzzer and do some unconventional things. I remember playing some defenses last year in these types of games where we hadn't even practiced. But we needed to mix it up and change the rhythm and the tempo, and we did what we had to do to try to win the game, which was obviously your goal."
"I like this group. I've been saying that all summer. I told Sheri [Jans], we're going to play good tonight. She looked at me like I had a third eye coming out of my head, because I never say that on the day of the game. But we had two really good practices. I thought our Saturday and Sunday practices were competitive, but they were joyful, and they were energized. I just had [a] bounce in my step because of it, because as a coach that loves practice, it makes you feel good. I know better than to say stuff like that, because I know it doesn't always get to the court. I don't know how well we played. I'll tell you next time we talk, but by the numbers, it was pretty good. I was frustrated because I thought we could've played a lot better, which is a good thing. It's a good thing that we have a lot of room to grow."
Q: What are your thoughts on tonight's shooting efficiency?
CJ: "I don't think we're going to shoot 50% from the field as an average. I don't think we'll shoot 39% from three either as an average. But what I will say is, this group has shot the ball better from the field and from three than all [the] groups we've had. From the time they arrived to what we track in terms of data, in June, July, August, September, October, leading into the games, we've been better than all the teams that we've had in the past."
"Now, will it get on the court when we get in the guts of the season? I don't know. I just know the ball was in the hole at a better rate. At the same time, we're playing against each other. So of course, I'm like, okay, we're in trouble on the defensive, field goal percentage, but now we don't have to worry about that anymore. We're going to see how it unfolds as we play these games in the season."
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballTuesday, November 10
Monday, November 09
Thursday, November 05
Thursday, November 05