Mississippi State's Chris Jans: Trey Fort is 'Not a One-Trick Pony'
Mississippi State guard Trey Fort transferred from Howard College to the Bulldogs in the offseason, hoping to be a key piece in the rotation as a sharpshooter.
Fort's first test came in the season opener against Arizona State, as he filled in for Shakeel Moore who was suspended. He passed with flying colors by scoring 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting from behind the arc and led Mississippi State to a 71-56 victory.
However, Fort has struggled to shoot since then, as he's 8-of-28 from the field, including 5-of-20 from downtown.
Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans sat down with Fort recently and spoke with him about his struggling yet "hard to defend old school jumpshot." Jans stated that like all players, Fort is a "work in progress," and he asked him what else he brings to the table.
"We knew he could score, particularly shooting...but I told him 'hey if your jumpshot isn't falling, how are you moving the needle? Why should you still be on the floor when your strength of shooting the basketball is not there on any given night? You have to be able to find something else for you to help our basketball team,'" Jans said during Tuesday's press conference.
The undefeated Bulldogs are gaining more recognition in the college basketball world with each win, as they rose to No. 21 in Monday's AP Poll reveal. Fort obviously hasn't been his best shooting self over the past few games, but he's utilizing his lesser known attributes to help his team continue the streak.
"He had six rebounds (against Nicholls), four of them offensive," Jans said. "He's very athletic and willing to stick his nose in there and hopefully that's something he can build on. Defensively he's gotten a lot better from the summer to now. His willingness to be a defender, his understanding of what we're trying to do, his knowledge of the scheme has also gotten better. He did some other things to show everybody that he's not a one-trick pony."
