Chris Jans Gives Fans Updates On Mississippi State Basketball Team
Monday, head basketball coach Chris Jans shared updates on team injuries, condition, and preparation.
"Tolu Smith is still injured, and there's no update to his timeline of return, still. What the doctors and the trainers have told me mid-January. KeShawn Murphy has progressed. His timeline has been updated to mid-December instead of a later December return. Knock on wood, hopefully, that will continue." he shared, "I do have one non-injury update, and that is that Shakeel Moore will not be with us this week due to a violation of team rules."
Without these key players, the roster will look a lot different compared to last year. Thankfully, Jans has added on some Bulldog rookies who will hopefully add new energy to the team. Here is what Jans said about freshman Adrian Myers:
"Like most true freshmen across the country, he's [Myers] trying to figure it out. He's going from 30 to 75 [miles per hour] in a hurry, and he's gotten better. He can really, really shoot the ball. He's gifted offensively."
This season will be incredibly beneficial not just for Myers but also for Mississippi native Josh Hubbard.
"But in terms of Josh, he doesn't have an approach of a true freshman. He's just got a personality and a presence about him that's a little bit different than most kids walking in the door, and he's got a lot of confidence. That confidence comes from not only his ability, but the work ethic, what he's done to make himself the player that he is. He's proven to us at least thus far, we haven't played any meaningful games yet, that he's willing and able to help us move the needle and to be a part of the rotation. What that looks like later, time will tell."
The older players are also gearing up for the season opener, which will be played against Arizona State. Jans was asked about graduates Jimmy Bell Jr. and Andrew Taylor.
"Jimmy's a vet. He's been around the block a couple times. He started 34 games in the Big 12 [at West Virginia]. So, he's been there and done that. I don't think we've done anything or said anything that's surprised him since he's arrived. I love his approach. He's very business-like," he said. "You know what you're going to get when he's on the court. That's something with all of our guys that we're trying to get them to understand. It's not a grab bag, right? We want to know, for the most part, what we're going to get when we put you in the game. We're still trying to figure that out with a lot of our guys. But with Jimmy, we're pretty comfortable with his adjustment to our scheme, our vocabulary and how we like to play."
This dependable player will be a key component to the team's ability to execute well on the court, along with Taylor, these two will be important to watch as they take on their first non-conference opponent this Wednesday.
"With Andrew, certainly there's maybe been a bigger adjustment for him, because of the levels that he used to play against on a daily basis. He's got to figure out angles, how to defend and how to keep some guys that are maybe a little quicker than he is in front of him. But he certainly has an offensive repertoire that he brings with him. That's why we brought him here to help us on the scoring end, and he's trying to do enough on the defensive end to keep him on the floor."
The Bulldogs' season will tip off against the Sun Devils at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Chicago.
