John Cohen watched the New Mexico State men’s basketball team play six times during the 2021-22 season before poaching its coach.
The Mississippi State athletic director said he became the biggest Aggies fan in Starkville by the time he officially hired NMSU head coach Chris Jans for the same position on March 20.
“Chris Jans is ready to invest in the people of Mississippi,” Cohen said during Jans’ introductory press conference three days later. “He’s ready to elevate our program. He’s ready to position our student-athletes to compete for championships. And he’s ready to bring a brand of basketball back to the Hump of which our fans will be proud.”
To Cohen, summing up Jans’ coaching style at New Mexico State is simple.
“They attack you — offensively, defensively,” Cohen said. “They attack, and they don’t give up.”
The Aggies’ aggression helped earn them three NCAA tournament bids — and likely a fourth before the COVID-19 pandemic ended things early in 2020 — in just five years under Jans. New Mexico State earned a No. 12 seed in 2018, 2019 and 2022, winning a tournament game this season thanks to an upset of UConn on March 17.
Finishing the year with a 27-7 record, the Aggies were as consistent — if not as talented — as they had been in any season under Jans. Out of 358 Division I teams, New Mexico State finished in the top 50 nationally in two of nine offensive statistics and four of nine defensive stats, according to KenPom.com.
NMSU ranked in the top 30 in opponent 2-point and 3-point shooting percentage for the second time under Jans, who accomplished the feat in his first season. Mississippi State, meanwhile, was solid at defending the 3 but allowed opponents to make over 50 percent of their 2-point attempts — No. 224 in the country.
The Aggies only ranked inside the top 100 in forcing turnovers once in five seasons, but Cohen mentioned Jans’ ability to employ pressure defenses when needed, such as half-court or full-court traps.
It was further evidence to the Bulldogs’ athletic director of the “attack mode” Jans’ teams can enter.
“So many different clubs in his bag to try and win a basketball game,” Cohen noted.
Offensively, Jans’ team was nothing special at No. 93 overall, though his 2019 squad’s offense ranked 35th in the country. The Aggies were in the top 50 in offensive rebounding every year under Jans, succeeding in a category where Mississippi State also found success this season.
In 2021-22, New Mexico State took fewer 3s than it had over the past three seasons, where it ranked in the top 20 in 3-point attempts every year. Still, the Aggies connected at an average 33.4 percent clip, far better than the 29.5 percent mark MSU posted in a brutal shooting year under Ben Howland.
Cohen also touted Jans’ ability to make changes during games, something with which Howland at times struggled. The former Bulldogs coach at one point admitted an inability for his team to adapt when opponents decided to defend star guard Iverson Molinar more closely.
“Chris makes such great in-game adjustments,” Cohen said. “‘Who’s really seeing the basket well? Who’s putting the ball in the hoop? Who is distributing?’ He has this ability to put the ball in the hands of the person who has the hot hand at that moment.”
For New Mexico State last season, that was Teddy Allen, who led the Aggies with 19.6 points per game and added 6.7 rebounds per contest. Guard Sir’Jabari Rice, who recently entered the NCAA transfer portal, scored 11.9 points per game.
But no matter who’s on the court, Jans’ teams will play the same way.
“Obviously, people always want to know how we’re going to play,” Jans said. “That’s the fun part for me. That’s the easier part for me. We’re going to play with confidence. When we walk out of the tunnel, we’re going to have a swagger about us. We’re going to believe in each other. We’re going to play for each other. We’re never going to step on the court without a chip on our shoulder.”
Jans said Mississippi State fans will be impressed by his players’ “compete level,” noting there’s no reason not to give maximum effort at the Division I level — particularly in the Southeastern Conference.
The Bulldogs’ new coach said his players will treat every game “like the Super Bowl.”
“That’s going to be something that we pride ourselves on,” Jans said. “It’s going to be an important part of our culture. Our practice gym’s not going to be 75 and sunny every day.”
Cohen got to see that effort pay off firsthand when Jans’ New Mexico State team came to Jackson on Dec. 22, 2019. The Aggies came back to hand Mississippi State a 58-52 loss at the Mississippi Coliseum.
Cohen was impressed. As he and university leadership began to look into hiring a new coach, they knew who they wanted.
“Chris Jans’ name just kept coming up in all of our conversations,” Cohen said.
Now, Cohen has his man. It’s time to find out whether Jans can lead the Bulldogs to success in his first major conference head coaching job.
Jans, for his part, says so.
“We’re going to do our best to raise banners, win championships and cut down nets,” he said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion