STARKVILLE — Chris Jans is starting to get Starkville figured out.
Apart from one thing, at least.
“Other than the humidity, it’s been great,” the new Mississippi State men’s basketball coach said.
Hired in March, Jans has been at MSU for more than four months — “almost five,” he pointed out during Monday’s media session — and is about three months out from getting his opening season in Starkville underway.
Jans answered questions about the Bulldogs’ 2022-23 schedule, the health of two returning players and early returns on transfers into the program.
Full slate to be released soon
On Tuesday morning, Mississippi State announced a neutral-site clash with Drake on Dec. 20 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
It’s one of the final pieces to a schedule that isn’t long from seeing the light of day.
“We’re done other than getting some contracts signed and routed through campuses,” Jans said. “That’s all we’re waiting on.”
Southeastern Conference opponents have already been released, and much of Mississippi State’s nonconference slate is already known. The Bulldogs will host South Dakota on Nov. 17 and will host TCU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 28, 2023.
MSU will face Akron in a Barstool Sports tournament in Philadelphia on Nov. 11 and will play in a Thanksgiving week tournament with Marquette, Utah and Georgia Tech in Fort Myers, Florida.
The Bulldogs will also play a road game Dec. 11 at Minnesota.
Jans termed Mississippi State’s nonconference schedule “aggressive” and said he typically plans to challenge his players for myriad reasons, including to put them in position for an NCAA tournament at-large bid with a high strength of schedule ranking.
“I think it’s a balancing act of challenging your team and putting them in that type of position and preparing them for the SEC schedule,” Jans said.
Injury updates
On the injury front, Jans gave good news on redshirt senior forward Tolu Smith on Monday.
Smith has had no setbacks in his recovery from a foot injury that plagued him during the 2021-22 season.
The one-time Western Kentucky transfer dealt with injuries in both feet last season as well as testing positive for COVID-19.
Jans said Smith had a checkup in the past few weeks to make sure he was healing properly and received all positive feedback.
“It’s all been good,” Jans said.
He couldn’t say the same for redshirt freshman KeShawn Murphy, though.
The forward missed all of last season rehabilitating an unspecified injury and was a full participant in summer workouts.
But a recent shoulder injury will put Murphy on the shelf for now.
Jans said Murphy will not need surgery, but he will be required to take a few weeks off from basketball before being cleared to resume activities.
Besides Smith and Murphy, D.J. Jeffries, guard Shakeel Moore and guard/forward Cameron Matthews are the Bulldogs’ returning players from last season.
Davis leads transfer class
Mississippi State rebuilt much of its roster through the transfer portal after Ben Howland’s firing March 17.
Roughly half the Bulldogs entered the portal in search of new destinations, leaving Jans with plenty of spots to fill.
Jans landed guards Jamel Horton from Albany and Eric Reed, Jr. from Southeast Missouri as well as bringing big man Will McNair Jr. from New Mexico State to Starkville.
Oregon State transfer point guard Dashawn Davis also transferred to MSU, an addition that appears to be paying early dividends.
“If I had to single anyone out, I would say that Dashawn Davis has impressed us thus far,” Jans said.
Davis averaged 10.9 points for the woeful Beavers last season but contributed 3.1 rebounds and a healthy 5.5 assists per game.
His defense is what has stood out so far in Starkville, with Jans praising Davis’ ability to defend on the ball and be disruptive.
“I think he’s got a chance to be a really good defender, and at the position he plays, that’s crucial for how we like to play,” Jans said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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