After leading the Mississippi State men’s basketball program to consecutive NCAA Tournament trips, head coach Chris Jans has signed a contract extension through the 2027-28 season.
“We are excited for the future of Mississippi State basketball under the leadership of Coach Jans,” MSU Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. “He and his staff have done a tremendous job since arriving in Starkville, and we know the best is yet to come. Fueled by seven sellouts, Bulldog fans made Humphrey Coliseum one of the most electric atmospheres in college basketball this past season, and we can’t wait for what next year has in store. Pack The Hump!”
“We are thankful to President Mark Keenum and Director of Athletics Zac Selmon for their trust and confidence in our staff’s ability to lead our basketball program,” Jans said. “Sheri and I love living in the Starkville community and are building long lasting relationships with Bulldogs everywhere. We want to continue to make our fan base proud of the Maroon and White. The renovated Humphrey Coliseum has already proven to be a great home court advantage because of our dedicated State students and passionate fans. We can’t wait to get back inside The Hump in November.”
Over his first two seasons, Jans has guided the Bulldogs back to college basketball’s biggest stage fueled by two NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of 21-win campaigns. The last time State collected consecutive NCAA Tournament trips was in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Nationally, Jans is joined by Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Rodney Terry of Texas as the only NCAA second-year coaches to secure NCAA Tournament bids during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. He is one of seven coaches in SEC history to lead his squad to back-to-back NCAA bids over his first two seasons.
Breaking it down further, Jans is in the elite company of John Calipari (Kentucky – 2009-10 & 2010-11), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee – 2005-06 & 2006-07) and Tubby Smith (Kentucky – 1997-98 & 1998-99; Georgia – 1995-96 & 1996-97) as the only SEC coaches to secure at least 21 wins and a NCAA Tournament berth in each of their first two seasons.
Jans has amassed 42 victories at State, which is not only the most for a coach during his first two seasons in program history but tops among the six current SEC second-year coaches. He is the only active SEC coach to post back-to-back 20+ win seasons with a pair of NCAA Tournament trips at their respective school during their first two seasons.
In 2023-24, State racked up a trio of Associated Press Top 10 wins for the third time in program history and for the first time since 2001-02. The Bulldogs defeated No. 5 Tennessee, the SEC regular season champion, in the regular season and at the SEC Tournament in addition to No. 8 Auburn. There were 16 schools nationally, eight who finished among the AP Top 25, that captured at least two AP Top 10 victories during conference play last season.
The Bulldogs have posted an 8-3 non-conference mark versus schools from the ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences in two seasons under Jans.
Jans enters the 2024-25 season ranked sixth in winning percentage among NCAA active coaches with a minimum of five seasons as a NCAA Division I head coach. His .723 winning percentage is behind only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), John Calipari (Arkansas), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State) and Darian DeVries (West Virginia).
A proven leader and winner, Jans has built the foundation of his programs on a culture of accountability. His teams have racked up 20-plus victories on 13 occasions over his 14 seasons as a head coach at the NCAA Division I and NJCAA junior college ranks.
Jans places an emphasis on player development. Tolu Smith III tucked away National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District, and consensus All-SEC First-Team accolades in back-to-back seasons. He finished his career with 1,554 points (11th) on 574 field goals made (8th) and 865 rebounds (6th) on State’s all-time list.
Josh Hubbard set not only the program’s single-season freshmen scoring record but finished eighth overall with 598 points. He also drained a program single-season mark of 108 three-pointers. Hubbard was an All-SEC Second-Team performer and was the 2023-24 Bailey Howell Trophy winner awarded to the state of Mississippi’s top collegiate player.
Humphrey Coliseum was one of the most electric environments in college basketball this past season, featuring seven sellouts – the most on record in a season dating back to 2008-09 – including four in a row.
