Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Men's Basketball Coach
- Phone:
- 662-325-3800
THE JANS FILE
- Hometown: Faribank, Iowa
- Undergraduate: Loras College, 1991
(Bachelor of Marketing, Bachelor of Finance) - Birthday: April 12
- Twitter: @CoachChrisJans
HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE
- 2023-Present:
Mississippi State • 3 Seasons - 2018-22:
New Mexico State • 5 Seasons - 2015:
Bowling Green • 1 Season - 2004:
Chipola College • 1 Season - 2002-03:
Howard College • 2 Seasons - 1999:
Independence CC • 1 Season - 1997-98:
Kirkwood CC • 2 Seasons
ASSISTANT COACHING EXPERIENCE
- 2016-17:
Wichita State • Special Assistant • 2 Seasons - 2008-14:
Wichita State • 7 Seasons - 2005-07:
Illinois State • 3 Seasons - 2000-01:
Idaho • 2 Seasons - 1995-96:
Grand View College • 2 Seasons - 1993-94:
Elmhurst College • 2 Seasons
JANS' YEAR-BY-YEAR NCAA RECORD
|
Year
|
School
|
W-L
|
Pct.
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Mississippi State | 0-0 | .000 |
| 2024-25 | Mississippi State | 21-13 | .618 |
| 2023-24 | Mississippi State | 21-14 | .667 |
| 2022-23 | Mississippi State | 21-13 | .618 |
| 2021-22 | New Mexico State | 27-7 | .794 |
| 2020-21 | New Mexico State | 12-8 | .600 |
| 2019-20 | New Mexico State | 25-6 | .806 |
| 2018-19 | New Mexico State | 30-5 | .857 |
| 2017-18 | New Mexico State | 28-6 | .824 |
| 2014-15 | Bowling Green | 21-12 | .636 |
|
School
|
Years
|
Record
|
Pct.
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 3 | 63-40 | .612 |
| New Mexico State | 5 | 122-32 | .792 |
| Bowling Green | 1 | 21-12 | .636 |
| Total | 9 | 206-84 | .710 |
JANS' YEAR-BY-YEAR NJCAA RECORD
|
Year
|
School
|
W-L
|
Pct.
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | Chipola College | 32-5 | .865 |
| 2002-03 | Howard College | 29-4 | .879 |
| 2001-02 | Howard College | 20-10 | .666 |
| 1998-99 | Independence CC | 22-10 | .688 |
| 1997-98 | Kirkwood CC | 31-6 | .838 |
| 1996-97 | Kirkwood CC | 25-10 | .714 |
|
School
|
Years
|
Record
|
Pct.
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Chipola College | 1 | 32-5 | .865 |
| Howard College | 2 | 49-14 | .778 |
| Independence CC | 1 | 22-10 | .686 |
| Kirkwood CC | 2 | 56-16 | .789 |
| Total | 6 | 159-45 | .779 |
| 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 Jans’ first season coaching at Mississippi State. | |||
Chris Jans, one of the nation's premier bench bosses, moves into his fourth season as head coach of the Mississippi State men’s basketball program in 2025-26.
Over his first three seasons, Jans has guided the Bulldogs back to college basketball’s biggest stage fueled by three NCAA Tournament appearances and a trio of 21-win campaigns. State has secured three consecutive NCAA Tournament trips for the third time in program history. The last time the Bulldogs accomplished the feat was in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.
Nationally, Jans and Duke’s Jon Scheyer are the only NCAA fourth-year coaches to secure NCAA Tournament bids during the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He is one of seven coaches in SEC history to lead his squad to back-to-back-to-back NCAA bids over his first three seasons. Entering the 2025-26 season, SEC basketball will have 174 coaches in league history with 16 of those coaches making multiple stops inside the conference.
Breaking it down further, Jans is in the elite company of John Calipari (Kentucky • 2009-10 • 2010-11 • 2011-12), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee • 2005-06 • 2006-07 • 2007-08) and Tubby Smith (Kentucky • 1997-98 • 1998-99 • 1999-2000) as the only SEC coaches to secure at least 21 wins and a NCAA Tournament berth during each of their first three seasons.
Jans enters the 2025-26 season ranked sixth in winning percentage among NCAA active coaches with a minimum of nine seasons as a NCAA Division I head coach. His .710 winning percentage is behind only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), John Calipari (Arkansas), Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s) and Rick Pitino (St. John’s).
Jans has amassed 63 victories at State, which is not only the most for a coach during his first three seasons in program history but ranks second behind Florida’s Todd Golden among the six current SEC fourth-year coaches. He is the only active SEC coach to post three straight 20+ win seasons with a trio of NCAA Tournament trips during their first three seasons at their respective school.
State has been ranked at some point inside the Associated Press Top 25 poll during each of his three seasons in Starkville. The Bulldogs have been ranked in 19 editions of the AP Top 25 poll with Jans at the helm and reached a high watermark of No. 14 on three occasions, the latest coming on 01/27/2025. Last season, the Maroon and White were ranked during the month of March for the first time going back to 2003-04.
State has captured 10 victories over AP Top 25 squads under Jans which is the most ranked wins over a three-year span in program history. Last season, the Bulldogs came away with five AP Top 25 triumphs during the regular season for the first time ever. The 90-57 rout of No. 18 PITT was the program’s largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent, while the 79-66 win at No. 21 Memphis marked the program’s best margin of victory against a ranked foe on the road.
In 2023-24, State racked up a trio of AP Top 10 wins for only the third time in program history and for the first time since 2001-02. The Bulldogs defeated No. 5 Tennessee, the SEC regular season champion, during the regular season and at the SEC Tournament in addition to No. 8 Auburn.
State has posted an 11-2 non-conference regular season record versus major conferences schools from the ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 and former Pac-12 conferences. Nine of the 11 victories have come on the road/neutral floors.
The Bulldogs were one of five teams nationally (Alabama, Auburn, Memphis, Texas A&M) to garner at least six non-conference wins over NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents in the 2024-25 regular season. State was joined by Memphis and Tennessee as the only teams in the country with at least two NCAA NET Quad 1 true road wins in regular season non-conference action last season.
Last season, the Bulldogs set a single-season program mark with 310 steals. State also claimed program top 10 marks in five additional categories: points (2704 – 2nd), field goals (971 – 2nd), assists (517 – 3rd), three-pointers (288 – 4th) and blocks (152 – 9th).
During his 2022-23 opening act, Jans etched his name in elite company as he became the third coach to begin their first season with at least 11 straight victories in SEC history. The list now includes Chris Beard (Ole Miss • 2023-24), Calipari (Kentucky • 2009-10) and Floyd Burdette (Alabama • 1946-47).
State climbed as high as No. 15 in the national rankings after an 11-0 start which matched the program’s second-best start to a season. The Bulldogs were joined by 2022-23 national champion Connecticut in addition to Purdue who spent seven weeks atop the national rankings and New Mexico as the nation’s last four undefeated teams.
The Maroon and White captured signature wins over Marquette, the BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion. State finished the regular season as one of the nation’s hottest teams winning eight of its last 11 games fueled by top 25 triumphs versus TCU and Texas A&M along with a NCAA NET Quad 1 road victory over Arkansas.
The Bulldogs were joined by 2011-12 Virginia as the only teams in the 2000s to limit their first 10 opponents of the season to 60 points or less. State and Rutgers were the only programs to finish the 2022-23 campaign rank inside the nation’s top 25 in scoring defense (61.0 – 9th), opponent field goal percentage (39.4 – 10th) and steals per game (8.6 – 23rd).
A proven leader and winner, Jans has built the foundation of his programs on a culture of accountability. His teams have racked up 20-plus victories on 14 occasions over his 15 seasons as a head coach at the NCAA Division I and NJCAA junior college ranks. The only time Jans was unable to reach 20-plus wins was his 2020-21 New Mexico State squad that played a 20-game schedule and zero home games.
Jans places an emphasis on player development. Tolu Smith III made his NBA debut in 2024-25 with the Detroit Pistons. He was a 2022-23 and 2023-24 consensus All-SEC First-Team selection. He finished his career with 1,554 points (11th) on 574 field goals made (8th) and 865 rebounds (7th) on State’s all-time list.
Josh Hubbard has dialed up 1,214 points over his first two seasons on the strength of back-to-back seasons with 108 three-pointers which are a State record. The 1,214 points are the most during the 2000s and the fourth highest among SEC players in their freshmen and sophomore seasons. He is joined by Erick Dampier as the only State players to notch All-SEC status both as a freshman and as a sophomore. The Madison native also is a two-time Bailey Howell Trophy recipient, which is awarded to the state of Mississippi’s top collegiate player.
PREVIOUS NCAA DIVISION I HEAD COACHING STOPS
Jans ushered in an unprecedented run of success over a five-year run at New Mexico State where "The Man" guided the Aggies to a 122-32 record sparked by three NCAA Tournament trips.
New Mexico State pulled a patented 12-5 upset over Connecticut during the 2022 Big Dance in Buffalo, New York. Jans led the Aggies to the program's first win in March Madness since 1993 and is the last coach to defeat two-time defending national champion UConn in NCAA Tournament play. In the Round of 32, the Aggies held No. 4 seed Arkansas to season lows in both points (53) and field-goal percentage (.275).
Jans' program was the WAC's standard bearer from 2017-18 to 2021-22 racking up four regular season championships and three WAC Tournament titles. The Aggies were nearly unbeatable in the WAC and amassed a 64-13 record in conference games. The .831 clip is the second-highest conference winning percentage in the nation during the five-year span.
Jans, a three-time WAC Coach of the Year, hit the 25-plus wins plateau during each of his first three seasons at New Mexico State. He was one of eight active NCAA Division I head coaches to accomplish the feat. The prestigious list is headed by Few (Gonzaga), Self (Kansas) and Calipari (Kentucky).
Protecting its home floor was a key cog to Jans' success. New Mexico State defended the Pan American Center with a 61-7 record (.897) sparked by 32-game winning streak over WAC opponents.
The Aggies were showered with numerous awards. Jemerrio Jones was tabbed the 2017-18 WAC Player of the Year, and Teddy Allen captured the 2021-22 WAC Player of the Year. Allen had a performance for the ages with a 37-point performance during New Mexico State's 70-63 victory over the Huskies in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Jans coordinated one of the nation's best turnarounds in 2014-15 as the head man at Bowling Green. He took the Falcons program that lost 20 games in 2013-14 and guided it to a record-setting 21-12 overall mark in 2014-15.
With the 21 wins, Jans became the first head coach in Falcons history to lead the team to 20 wins or more in his first year at the helm. The 2014-15 campaign also saw Jans lead BGSU to its first national postseason tournament victory since 1975 when the Falcons defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) in the 2015 Collegeinsider.com Tournament (CIT).
The historic season was capped by Jans being chosen by his peers as the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) top first-year head coach with the 2015 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award.
EARLY COACHING CAREER/JUNIOR COLLEGE HEAD COACHING STOPS
Jans started his coaching career as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Elmhurst College and NAIA Grand View College from 1992-96. He earned his first head coaching opportunity when he took the reigns at NJCAA Division II Kirkwood Community College in 1996-97.
Jans was named the Region XI Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles to a 25-10 season, which included a conference title and the program's first-ever national tournament appearance. He followed up his rookie season with a 31-6 campaign highlighted by Kirkwood capturing the NJCAA Division II National Championship and Jans being named the National Coach of the Year. His Kirkwood squad was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in February 2024.
Following stops at Independence Community College (1998-99) and Howard College (2001-02 • 2002-03), success continued to follow Jans at Chipola Junior College (2003-04). He led that program to its first conference title in a decade en route to a 32-5 record and a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I Tournament.
NCAA ASSISTANT COACH/SPECIAL ASSISTANT
Jans got his first taste of the NCAA Division I level as an assistant coach at Idaho in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 under David Farrar. He returned as an assistant coach at Illinois State from 2004-05 to 2006-07 on Porter Moser's staff before joining Gregg Marshall at Wichita State for seven seasons starting in 2007-08.
The Shockers built the foundation of seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with a 2010-11 NIT Championship which featured victories over Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Charleston, Washington State and Alabama.
The Shockers broke a lot of brackets during their run to the 2013 NCAA Final Four, taking down Pittsburgh and the overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16 before taking down La Salle and Ohio State to earn Wichita State its first NCAA Final Four appearance since 1965.
In the final season of his first stint with the Shockers, Jans helped Wichita State set an NCAA record with a 35-0 start to the 2013-14 season. During that stretch, WSU ran through the Missouri Valley and became the first program to go undefeated in nearly 30 years.
ABOUT COACH JANS
Jans was a three-year starter at Loras College (1987-91) located in Dubuque, Iowa and was named a captain as a senior. He helped the Duhawks break 16 scoring records and two NCAA Division III records for three-point shooting. His college teammate, Doug Wagemester, is State’s Associate AD for Basketball.
A graduate of Loras College in 1991, Jans earned his bachelor's degrees in marketing and in finance. He and his wife Sheri have two kids: Nick and Maddie Gazda.
The Chris Jans File
Head Coach
Seasons • School • Years at School
1997-98 • Kirkwood CC • 2 Seasons
1999 • Independence CC • 1 Season
2002-03 • Howard College • 2 Seasons
2004 • Chipola College • 1 Season
2015 • Bowling Green • 1 Season
2018-22 • New Mexico State • 5 Seasons
2023-25 • Mississippi State • 3 Seasons
NCAA Division I Record • 9 Seasons • 206-84 • .710
NJCAA Record • 6 Seasons • 159-45 • .779
Assistant Coach
Seasons • School • Years at School
1993-94 • Elmhurst College • 2 Seasons
1995-96 • Grand View College • 2 Seasons
2000-2001 • Idaho • 2 Seasons
2005-07 • Illinois State • 3 Seasons
2008-14 • Wichita State • 7 Seasons
Special Assistant
Seasons • School • Years at School
2016-17 • Wichita State • 2 Seasons
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 Jans’ first season coaching at Mississippi State.
