Head coach Chris Jans talks North Alabama, Jayden Epps and Tee Bartlett

Mississippi State begins the regular season on Wednesday evening with an 8 p.m. tipoff against North Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum. It marks the fourth season in the Chris Jans era and it’s another new roster looking to advance to a fourth straight NCAA Tournament.

On Monday, Jans met with the media to discuss the opener, his team and other topics:

Opening Statement from Jans

I want to lead off with a big congrats to Coach (Jeff) Lebby, Coach (Coleman) Hutzler and the rest of their staff for their awesome win on the road after three tough ones. Overtime, overtime and a last drive (at Florida) that got stalled. Just so happy for those guys and those players to stay together and keep fighting, scratching and clawing when there’s a lot of negative noise from people in the community and from fans. I just love that they stuck together and found a way to win.

They got three tough ones left – Georgia, Missouri and Ole Miss. Nothing is easy in this league as we all know. But really happy for them and excited about what they are doing in their second year. Certainly, congrats to (soccer coach) Nick Zimmerman, as well, for winning their first-round game and good luck to the ladies down there in Pensacola.

Q: What were the biggest things you took away from the exhibition game against Houston?
Jans: We can take a punch. It showed that this team can take a punch. We got hit pretty hard in the first 5-6 minutes and it rocked us. They got themselves up off the mat and fought back and it was what we talked about in the locker room after the game. That was probably the biggest thing in my mind that we did.

I knew it was going to be hard on us and it was going to be a struggle for us. We don’t do a ton of game-planning for those situations. Just like to see how they react to the other team and what they’re doing. But I thought, for the most part, that they handled the intensity of the game.

I mean, in the first five minutes we had three kids that had blood on them. I love how Coach (Kalvin) Sampson runs his team and his culture and how they practice. I’ve never seen but I’ve heard a lot of about it and how they compete. The results speak for themselves. We finally got the game organized and I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity. Hopefully, it will be learning lessons for us as we start the season. But talked a lot about valuing the ball and making tough decisions under distress because of the way they defend it puts you in those situations. But I really like the energy our kids maintained throughout the 40 minutes all the way down on the bench and on the floor. So we will see if those lessons help us going forward.

Q: How do you feel about your group going into the opener?
Jans: I can’t remember if I shared it with you folks or a bunch of people that I talked to. I kept telling my staff that I don’t feel like we’ve embraced who we are. I know who we want us to be. But eventually, this team will morph into who they are. I was frustrated because I didn’t feel like we were getting there. I think a lot of teams and a lot of coaches across the country are in a similar boat just because of the reality of having so many new players.

It’s just like a young person forming there personality on the fly. It has just taken us a little longer. I don’t know when we will get there and hopefully it is soon. But we are certainly not there yet. But like anything in life, you have some adversities and some tough times to be able to rally together or not to decide what the makeup is going to be, what you’re going to stand for. Certainly the Houston experience was a step in that direction.

Q: What are your thoughts on North Alabama?
Jans: It’s really difficult, more difficult than ever in these early-season games because of roster turnover. They were terrific last year and had a great season, won 24-25 games, made the NIT. Looking at their stats as a whole, they are unbelievable at taking care of the basketball. They just didn’t turn the ball over and their rebounding numbers were off the chart, as well.

It is something that concerns me because valuing the ball hasn’t been our strength recently. We got to make sure we are not just giving the ball away and rebounding is something that we always talk about every single day. I got a lot of respect for their coach and I’ve known him for a long, long time. I know they are going to be tough-minded. I know they are going to be prepared. I know they are going to throw everything at us and we got to be ready to go.

Q: I know starting lineups are not that important early on. But what are you looking at with some of these guys and their playing time?
Jans: My standard line with that is always the same and it is no different this year. I always tell our players, individually, if you can move the needle in the right direction I will find minutes for you. But you got to take advantage of the opportunities you receive and make the most of them.

The big thing about the bench, people get into that and I understand that and I am sure we will talk more about it as the season unfolds in the early games. But everybody comes off the bench after the starters. I think that is what the players have to understand. You got to give yourself, mentally and maybe physically, ready to go. Each one is different and how you do that is up to the individual.

But that is a big thing for me and our players. You don’t have the excuse of ‘oh I need 2-3 possessions in a game to get going or to understand the flow’. That ain’t the way it works. The game doesn’t stop for anyone that insert yourself and get a couple of warmup possessions. It is something we will talk about a lot in these early-season games. That is a big reason in why you are good or not. Kids understanding if they are not starters but being in the right frame of mind and having the right approach and making the most of your opportunity.

It’s real easy. If you do well you play longer. The next time around maybe your number is called a little bit earlier. That will all unfold in time here shortly.

Q: How is Jayden Epps after getting injured early in the exhibition game?
Jans: Jayden was concussed and went through the protocol and returned to action this past weekend. So he’s through it. Just got to get back in rhythm, get back in game shape. But we will have enough time before we tip Wednesday at 8 that he will be locked and loaded and ready to go.

Q: Tee Bartlett did not play in the exhibition game. What is the plan of action for him?
Jans: He’s almost lost 30 pounds, not 30 pounds but almost. He’s still got a long way to go. He put himself in this position, in my opinion. He showed up way heavier than all of us had hoped for. Now he’s got to fight his way out of it and it’s not easy. It’s not easy at all.

For the most part, he’s been pretty diligent with the process, individually, that he is going through. It is a little bit different than a lot of our guys. Certainly, he started late and that put him behind the 8 ball for a lot of different reasons. But he is working with Coach (Dom) Walker, putting in extra work before practice in the mornings. He’s got to find that fine line for him to still be productive in practice and have enough in his tank.

But at the same time, that’s just not enough for someone in that position. At the end of the day, he controls his own destiny with committing to getting his body in better position to be affective at this level. Certainly, he is a freshman so he’s went from 35 MPH to 75. This other kid – Sergej (Macura) – had only eight weeks here to kind of get a feel and learn and grow and get comfortable. He got thrown into the fire when he arrived in August for the fall semester. So time will tell and I don’t know what kind of impact he’s going to make this season. It will unfold as it unfolds.

Q: What do you want to see from your freshmen class?
Jans: Just compete. It’s like what I tell our guys a lot in practice, especially in the early parts of trying to put this team together. We are going to make mistakes. I am going to make mistakes, you are going to make mistakes. Basketball is not one of those games where you don’t have mistakes all night, all day. It’s just how it works. We try to be as mistake-free as you can, obviously. You get tighter and better with it as you get more games under your belt.

But just pin your ears back. If you are going to make mistakes, make it full speed, make it out of aggression, make it out of want-to. Don’t make it being hesitant. Just compete and that is what we preach. That is what I will talk to them about leading up to the game. I am sure there will be plenty of nerves to go around with the freshmen and even the guys who have not played here before. I will be curious like everybody else is on how they performed.

Q: What goes into evaluating a guy overseas like Sergej Macura?
Jans: There’s a lot to it. They’re all unique situations. With Sergej, it was a lot of blind evaluations being not first-hand. None of us saw him first-hand until he had signed with us. That’s because of it being so late in the process and we decided to go that route. So a lot of film study, a lot of talking to other coaches in our profession that we have relationships with that actually saw him play because of their trips over to Europe recruiting different kids.

Certainly, with his coaches and agents and everyone around him but you don’t know everybody. So it is tough sometimes. You get as much information as you can and just feel good about it or you don’t. We did with him. In terms of all the things that go behind the scenes with paperwork and what’s required of getting someone like that through the process and over here and getting eligible, it’s a lot.

Coach (Dave) Anwar and Steve Smith in compliance were awesome, very helpful. They knew we were on a timetable and they really worked with us to make sure that it got done. It is just a different process when you recruit kids from Europe because of all the extra hoops they have to jump through.

Q: You’ve had a different variety of transfer classes and the key is finding the right fits. It seems this group likes each other and the veterans here have said the same. What have you seen from that aspect?
Jans: Well, I love hearing that. I don’t ask them those kind of questions and you kind of keep your fingers crossed. Back in the day it was how is the chemistry of your team and certainly, as a coach, you do things to put them in position where they have to talk to each other, they have to interact outside of just communicating on the floor.

But at the end of the day, in my opinion, a lot of it is recruiting. A lot of it is leadership, which I think Josh Hubbard is as fine of a leader, and eventually, as we’ve ever had. He’s definitely more vocal this year than he’s ever been and Shawn (Jones) has been assisting him, at times, as well. He’s been around here the longest so he gets it, understands it and has been through a ton for this program and with us.

But at the same time, a lot of teams across the country are saying this about their team. We like each other, we hang out, we got a good vibe. Well, ask us in a month where we’re at. Because when the games start and starters start and guys come off the bench, some guys don’t play the minutes they think they deserve to play, then you will find out what kind of close-knit family, basketball-wise, you have.

Because it is easy when those things are not happening. Everybody likes each other because everybody in their mind thinks all their dreams and goals for this particular year are going to come true. Obviously, they’re not and more often they’re not. So that will be something in a month, if you remember, that you can ask me and we will see where we are at.