WATCH: Head coach Chris Jans talks Arizona State, injuries, Shakeel Moore and new Hump

Mississippi State opens up the 2023-24 campaign on Wednesday evening in Chicago, Ill., against Arizona State as part of the Barstool Sports Invitational. On Monday head coach Chris Jans met with the local media to discuss the season opener among other topics:

Opening Statement:
Jans: Christmas is finally here. I think we’ve all been waiting for this day for quite some time. Certainly as a coach and as a fan of college basketball, excited that the opening night is here. Unfortunately, we don’t get to be a part of it and the schedule did not come together that way. We obviously have to wait a couple of days before we play our first game and then a week before we get to play in The Hump. But definitely looking forward to the season.

I have some injury updates before you ask. Tolu Smith is still injured and there is no update to his timeline for his return still. The doctors and trainers have told me mid-January (for his return). KeShawn Murphy has progressed. His timeline has been updated to mid-December instead of later December to return. Knock on wood that will continue.

I do have one non-injury update and that is Shakeel Moore will not be with us this week due to violation of team rules.

Q: Second year in a row for the team to play in the Barstool event. What are the benefits of playing in that event other than a neutral court game?
Jans: For us it’s more just the matchup and the neutral court, which will improve the possibilities of the NET gain being higher than it would be playing someone at home. So in terms of how it felt for our players or as a coach, it’s like any other game. The experience of playing in that particular event is moreso for the attendees and how it is broadcasted and things of that nature. But from a basketball perspective there is no difference.

Q: With Tolu out, you played Gai Chol and Cameron Matthews some at the five spot in the exhibition game. Will that be more of a game-by-game matchup situation as far as who else plays center besides Jimmy Bell?
Jans: Yeah we’ve had enough time to tinker with it in practice. As you mentioned, we played some minutes with (Matthews) at the five and we’re just going to have to. Certainly we would like to do it when we have a matchup that makes sense to us. But at the same time there’s two ways to look at it. If we are small like that they have to match up with (Matthews) as well and Cam has shown the ability to rebound out of his area and play a little bigger than he is built.

There will be a lot of trial and error as we moved forward. Gai Chol has made great strides in a short period of time and I wish I could have played him more in the last exhibition game but it didn’t unfold like that. But he’s definitely going to be thrown into the deep end having to help us as a true freshman.

Q: What are your early impressions of Arizona State?
Jans: Like most teams, they’ve got a lot of new players with a mix of returnees. They are known for their guard play. They are known for how fast and downhill, especially up front, that they play from what we’ve heard and seen. I can’t imagine it will be any different this year. It starts up front and trying to contain those guys as best we can. They’ve always had great length and they do again this year, especially around the rim.

They’re known for their offensive plan and players but you get inside the numbers, their defense is what’s rated higher, at least last year in terms of affecting field goal percentage, deficiency ratings and what not. A lot of that has to do with not just their size at the rim and even on the wings. They will probably start 6-6 and 6-8 at the two and the three and we are not even close to something like that. So that will be different for us to play against that type of length and we will have to adjust as the ball starts bouncing and get comfortable out there.

But they are a formable team. Coach (Bobby) Hurley is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and it will be a heck of an opener for both of us.

Q: We didn’t see freshman Adrian Myers in the exhibition game. How is he coming along and how much more does Josh Hubbard factor in with Shakeel Moore out this week?
Jans: Like most true freshmen across the country (Myers) is trying to figure it out. He’s going from 30 to 75 in a hurry and he’s gotten better. He can really, really shoot the ball. He’s gifted offensively. We’re trying to change his body and get him to be more athletic and get him to understand what’s required in other parts of the game with defense, rebounding and understanding the system and all that goes into being comfortable enough to be on the court. But he could definitely help us and time will tell how this season unfolds.

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. He’s got a lot of confidence and that confidence comes from not only his ability but the work ethic and what he’s done to make himself the player that he is. He’s proven to us, at least thus far and we haven’t played games yet, that he is willing and able to help us move the needle and be a part of the rotation. What that looks like later, time will tell.

Q: Is Andrew Taylor back with the team and playing?
Jans: Yeah Andrew has been back with us and back with the team. We expect him to be available on Wednesday.

Q: How do you feel like Taylor and Jimmy Bell have come along the past few months?
Jans: Jimmy is a vet and he’s been around the block a couple of times and started 34 games in the Big 12. So he’s been there, done that. I don’t think we’ve done anything that has surprised him since he has arrived. I love his approach, very business-like and you know what you are going to get when he is on the court.

That is something with all of our guys that we are trying to get them to understand is, it’s not a grab bag. We want to know, for the most part, what we are going to get when we out you in the game and we are still trying to figure that out with a lot of our guys. But with Jimmy, we are pretty comfortable with his adjustment to our scheme and our vocabulary and how we like to play.

With Andrew, certainly there’s maybe a bigger adjustment for him because of the levels he is used to playing against on a daily basis. He’s got to figure out the angles and how to defend and keep guys that are a little quicker than he is in front of him. But he certainly has an offensive game that he brings with him and that’s why we brought him here to help us on the scoring end and then do enough on the defensive end to keep him on the floor.

Q: Of course, Rams Davis missed conditioning time in the summer due to his injury. Where is he now from that standpoint?
Jans: You know me, I wish I could get inside his mind and body and tell you how he feels but I can’t. I can observe what I see every single day. It is something I am challenging him, pushing and prodding, to get him out of his comfort zone every single day. Obviously, trying to get him to realize that through all of the work and the pain that he is feeling from a cardiovascular situation is going to help him on game day.

He is still not tip-top and not where he or we would like him to be. But he needs game minutes, too. It’s just different. You can condition and practice all you want but that feeling you get when the lights are on and the popcorn is popping is different. Hopefully he will catch up soon.

Q: How excited are you to see the new renovations to Humphrey Coliseum?
Jans: I am not going to be the spoiler guy and I want everyone to see it on their own. But that’s all I know, The Hump under construction. Since I’ve arrived it’s been under construction. To me it is the norm so I am looking forward to the abnormal to be a finished product. I think both the men’s and women’s teams are excited to be back in their quarters, the locker rooms, the video rooms, the lounges because we haven’t been in them since the season ended.

There’s been some obstacles that we’ve all had to overcome to keep moving forward and make sure we get this thing renovated in a timely manner. But I think people are going to be excited to see it and I definitely know it is going to be a different feel that it was last year. I spent some time yesterday walking around trying to stay away from the people trying to put the finishing touches on it. But I think people are going to really enjoy it.