WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

STARKVILLE - State head coach Chris Jans held his weekly media session on Monday.

2025-26 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Quotes
Media Session– February 9, 2026

State Head Coach Chris Jans
Q: Looking at your team's record at this point in the season, you and your team expected to be a better spot at this point of the SEC season. What is the message to the team heading into this week with several games left to go?
CJ: "I would say we're not in the spot where we thought we would be, period, not just in the SEC but overall. We didn't have a stellar non-conference portion of our season. It paled in comparison to the prior three years in number of wins. Then, even more importantly, the number of quality wins for a potential resume."

"If you really are paying attention, what we did in the non-league for three years was the special sauce if you will in my opinion of why we were able to make the [NCAA] tournament, and then get the seeds that we did the last couple of years. So, we put ourselves in a hole going into SEC play. We certainly had that mini run to start where hey we could fire our way back into where we want to be. Then, it went in the wrong direction and it's been a struggle since then."

"So, I've said this before, these young men that we have been resilient. They come to work with the right mindset and the right approach. If we weren't having quality practices, I just wouldn't talk about it. I wouldn't say we've had bad ones, I just wouldn't talk about it. Because we are. Again, I know I've said this before, that all that matters are how we play on game day and the results of those particular games. We were off yesterday. We'll get together here in a few hours and put the game plan in for Tennessee. We'll try to figure out a way to put our guys in the best position to play their best come Wednesday."

Q: How has Jamarion Davis-Fleming grown and developed on the offense side?
CJ: "I know it sounds boring, and I've said it often, but it's just how it is. The game slows down for freshmen at some point, and I think it is slowing down. Does it need to slow down some more? Yes, he had that pass there in the middle of the lane where he threw it with too much velocity on it. It was off target because he was sped up mentally."

"But I thought making the two free throws consecutive [was big] because he works on it a ton. As I watch him, it keeps going in, but it's a different feel in the game. It's hard to replicate that pressure, etcetera, when nobody's in the gym. Certainly, you can put pressure on them, but it's not like game pressure."

"As he continues to get more comfortable and more experienced, the skill set will improve because he's a hard worker. He's a great kid and that will come with time. Right now, he's just a very dependable defender and shot blocker. He's a luxury for someone like me because I like to change up our schemes, especially on ball screen coverage, and he can guard it anyway you want to guard it that way. Not everyone is built that way. So, that's a luxury for us when he's on the floor to be able to switch up some of our coverages with Jamar."

Q: How has Achor Achor recently progressed which led to a good game for him on Saturday?
CJ: "From the stat sheet perspective if you look at it point blank, he had a nice game. He had some points, obviously, some rebounds. He made a couple of three's if I'm not mistaken. He's just got to know who he is like all players need to do. They have to play with the utmost confidence."

"But, at the same time, they have to play to their strengths, and Achor's no different that way. When he's around the basket, he's got to be mindful of who he's playing against. If it's a bigger shot blocker dude or if it's someone that he can shoot over, he tends to get himself in trouble at times around the basket depending on the matchup that he has. We're encouraging him to get people up in the air, use shot fakes, use foot fakes and find a way. Most players in this league are attracted to blocking the shot, and they're very long and athletic. To try to counter that, you've got to use some fakes and figure out a way to get them off their feet and take advantage of it that way. From an offensive perspective, he's definitely settling in and having some better games for us."

Q: What are your thoughts ahead of the Tennessee game?
CJ: "It's another typical Coach Rick Barnes type of team where they're ultra physical in every aspect of the game. It's when you play them, you know that you better be ready for a fistfight. That's how they want to make the game, and he's usually pretty successful at getting the game to be of that variety."

"They're always big and strong around the basket. This particular group doesn't disappoint that way. They're a power basketball team. They certainly will pick their spots in transition, but they're just fine being deliberate on the offensive end of the court in taking their time to get exactly what they want in trying to make the defense guard longer and make mistakes."

"So again, it's a typical Coach Barnes' team. There's probably, coming into the league, there's no one that I respected more from the outside looking in than him. I still feel the same after being the league for four years."

Mississippi State University Athletics

WATCH: Coach Jans Media Session

Related News

Players Mentioned

Achor Achor

Jamarion Davis-Fleming

Related Videos