Mississippi State Hires Chris Jans As Men's Basketball Coach

by Staff Reporter

March 21, 20220 Comments

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State hired New Mexico State coach Chris Jans as their new basketball coach on Sunday. Jans will replace Ben Howland who was fired last week. Per ESPN:

quote:
"The Mississippi State Family is thrilled to welcome Chris Jans as our next head coach," athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. "Throughout our thorough research, what stood out about Coach Jans was his culture of accountability, hard-working mentality, emphasis on player development, and vision for the future. Coach Jans is a proven leader and winner, who is considered by many to be one of the top coaches in the game. He is a tireless recruiter, brilliant Xs and Os tactician, and his overall resume speaks for itself."

Jans led New Mexico State to an upset of fifth-seeded UConn in the first round of the NCAA tournament last week, marking the school's first officially recognized NCAA tournament win since 1970 (wins in the 1992 and 1993 tournaments were later vacated). Jans has gone 122-32 in five seasons at New Mexico State, including four regular-season WAC championships and three NCAA tournament appearances.