Mississippi State Bulldogs to rent Chris Jans as new males’s basketball coach, sources say

Mississippi State is anticipated to rent New Mexico State coach Chris Jans as the varsity’s subsequent males’s basketball coach, sources instructed ESPN. There’s sturdy mutual curiosity, and a deal is anticipated to be finalized within the close to future.

Jans led New Mexico State to an upset of fifth-seeded UConn within the first spherical of the NCAA match final week, marking the varsity’s first NCAA match win since 1970. Jans has gone 122-32 in 5 seasons at New Mexico State, which incorporates 4 regular-season WAC championships and three NCAA match appearances.

Jans will exchange Ben Howland, whom the Bulldogs separated from after he a posted 134-98 document however didn’t win an NCAA match sport in his seven seasons in Starkville. Mississippi State final gained an NCAA match sport in 2008, and the deliberate tempo of Howland’s groups and his defensive-first type had begun to fall out of favor in this system.

Jans, 52, has been a Division I coach for six seasons, and he has gone 143-44 over 5 years in Las Cruces and one at Bowling Inexperienced. His .765 profitable proportion ranks him within the prime 5 within the nation amongst energetic coaches.

State officers additionally noticed Jans’ work first-hand, as New Mexico State beat the Bulldogs 58-52 in Jackson, Mississippi, in December 2019. The Aggies exhibited the identical kind of verve and fearlessness they confirmed of their upset of UConn and of their 53-48 loss to Arkansas within the second spherical of the match Saturday.

An off-court incident led to Jans’ firing from Bowling Inexperienced in April 2015. An electronic mail to the varsity detailed Jans’ inappropriate habits at a bar that March, which included video of Jans touching a lady’s buttocks. Bowling Inexperienced fired him for trigger with 5 years and greater than $1.6 million left on his contract.

In line with sources, Mississippi State officers constructed up a consolation degree with Jans after two separate background checks and the truth that there have been no reported points within the seven years since his firing.

A supply instructed ESPN that Mississippi State employed an outdoor legislation agency to analysis all candidates, and that group made calls to administrations, gamers and former staffers at Bowling Inexperienced, Wichita State and New Mexico State. That helped them construct consolation together with his candidacy.

Mississippi State’s analysis included chatting with former gamers at New Mexico State, and so they have been unanimous of their reward of Jans’ distinctive capacity to maximise expertise, sources mentioned. Mississippi State officers have been drawn to Jans’ toughness, however their analysis discovered him to be honest and gamers at all times discovered that Jans had their again.

One of many components that attracted Mississippi State officers to Jans is his background in junior faculty and at Bowling Inexperienced and New Mexico State, which ready him effectively for contemporary faculty basketball and the portal period. He made three NCAA tournaments and gained 4 regular-season titles in 5 seasons at New Mexico with important roster churn due to transfers and junior faculty gamers.

Jans additionally had a stint as an assistant coach at Wichita State through the Shockers’ undefeated 2013-14 common season. Jans additionally gained a Division II junior faculty nationwide championship as the top coach at Kirkwood in 1998, certainly one of 4 junior faculty head-coaching jobs he has held.