Thanks to five new hires officially announced between Thursday and Monday, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team has its 2022-23 coaching staff in place.
The Bulldogs’ hire of director of recruiting Patrice Days on Monday afternoon finalized Chris Jans’ first staff as MSU’s new head coach. Jans was hired away from New Mexico State in March.
Days spent last season at East Tennessee State after four years on staff at Coastal Carolina.
Former Kentucky standout Scott Padgett was hired Sunday as an assistant to the head coach. Padgett, an eight-year NBA veteran, has coached at the Division I level for 13 years, spending the previous season at Manhattan College.
“Coach Scott Padgett has run the gamut when it comes to basketball,” Jans said in a news release from MSU. “Obviously, he will bring a wealth of playing and coaching experience that will be leaned on daily at Mississippi State. We are thrilled to add someone of Scott’s reputation amongst the various basketball circles.”
Jans also brought in former New Mexico State graduate assistant Jovan Austin as the Bulldogs’ new director of operations.
Austin played for Bowling Green during Jans’ lone season at the school and served as an assistant at UT–Rio Grande Valley last season.
“Coach Austin is a rising star in the business and will move the needle in a positive direction for our program,” Jans said.
Jans also hired Tarleton State assistant Dillon “Tex” Elder and Georgia graduate assistant Joe Rogers on Thursday.
Elder will serve as the Bulldogs’ director of scouting and analytics, while Rogers will be MSU’s coordinator of operations.
“Coach Dillon ‘Tex’ Elder has earned high praise from successful people in our industry,” Jans said. “He already possesses a multi skill set that will help our program move forward. Coach Joe Rogers has already proven to be a valuable asset to our program. He is a tireless worker and a problem solver which are key ingredients in his role.”
Jans had previously hired assistants James Miller — his right-hand man at NMSU — and David Anwar as well as strength and conditioning coach Dominick Walker.
Longtime Mississippi State assistant George Brooks will remain on staff in the same role.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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