Chris Jans unveiled two valuable pieces to his Mississippi State coaching staff announced Wednesday.
 
David Anwar will reunite with Jans and James Miller, while 12-year MSU assistant coach George Brooks will be retained on-staff.  
 
“Coach Anwar is a tireless worker armed with a resume of production,” Jans said. “He is an expectational relationship builder with student-athletes and anyone he meets. David is a quality person who is well-respected by his peers because of his character and his integrity. Coach Anwar was a valuable member of our program at New Mexico State from day one and will continue to be as he transitions to the Bulldogs.”
 
“George Brooks is a Bulldog,” Jans continued. “He is synonymous with Mississippi State basketball, and we are thrilled he will continue with our staff as we move forward. I have quickly learned how revered and how respected Coach Brooks is across the state of Mississippi and the country. George has been invaluable as we mold our program to fit our vision.”  
 
An integral part of New Mexico State’s success over the last five seasons, Anwar has been by Jans’ side for every monumental step of the program’s rise.
 
Anwar, regarded as one of the nation’s elite recruiters, possesses a wealth of experience which paid more than its fair of share of dividends for the Aggies.
 
“It’s exciting to get the opportunity to continue my coaching journey at a SEC program like Mississippi State which has a great basketball tradition,” Anwar said. “I’m very happy to continue to have the chance to work for my mentor and friend in Coach Jans. I look forward to being able to promote the development of great young men both on and off the court.”
 
New Mexico State staked its claim to three of the program’s top five single season win totals with Anwar on the bench. The Aggies dialed up at least 25 victories in four of five seasons and accumulated a program-record 30 victories in 2018-19.
 
New Mexico State was showered with trophies headlined by four WAC regular season championships (2018-19-20-22) and three WAC Tournament titles (2018-19-22). The Aggies made three trips to NCAA March Madness and broke through with a 12-5 upset of Connecticut in 2022 after nearly defeating 2019 NCAA Final Four participant Auburn.
 
New Mexico State was on the cusp of another postseason trip after a 19-game winning streak, an undefeated WAC regular season and a 25-6 mark in 2019-20 before the season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aggies were the fixture atop the WAC standings with a 64-13 conference record. The .831 winning percentage was good enough for sixth in the nation over the five-year period.  
 
Anwar has the reputation of putting together top-notch opponent scouting reports fueled by a win over No. 6 Miami at the 2017-18 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic which resulted in the program’s first Associated Press top 10 since the 1989-90 season.
 
Before New Mexico State, Anwar spent five seasons at North Texas from 2012-13 to 2016-17 working for Tony Benford. He held the role as the program’s lead recruiter on Benford’s staff and helped the Mean Green rake in a top 50 national recruiting class in 2013-14.
 
Anwar gained six years of experience at the Power 5 level at Nebraska from 2006-07 to 2011-12 under Doc Sadler and alongside Benford during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. He worked mainly with the guards and forwards during his time with the Cornhuskers. Nebraska secured postseason berths during three of his last five seasons in Lincoln.
 
Staples of the Nebraska program was back-to-back top 25 finishes in scoring defenses in 2007-08 and 20008-09. Anwar’s tutelage of the guards also saw a huge uptick in three-point shooting for the Huskers. The program connected for 244 treys in 2006-07 which was second-most in program history. Nebraska set a school-record with a 39.7 percent shooting clip from downtown in 2009-10 which also ranked 15th in the country.
 
Anwar’s presence in the recruiting world landed the Huskers arguably its best recruiting class in the Big 12 era in 2007. That year, Nebraska’s class was ranked inside the top 25 by three major scouting services by ESPN.com’s Bob Gibbons (21st), CSTV.com’s Van Coleman (12th) and HoopScoopOnline.com’s Clark Francis (5th).
 
Anwar made the jump to Division I basketball as UTEP’s Director of Operations in 2004-05 and 2005-06 for Sadler after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Division II’s University of Arkansas at Fort Smith from the 2000-01 to 2003-04 seasons. His last three seasons at UAFS was where he and Sadler first paired up.
 
Anwar helped the Lions post a 101-29 record in addition to a pair of top-seven national finishes in 2001 (5th) and 2002 (7th). UAFS captured the Bi-State Conference East title in each of his final three seasons and produced a multitude of all-conference players. He’s also helped over 20 players get to the Division I level during his time at UAFS.
 
Anwar’s coaching career began at the prep level in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, where he saw over 40 of his players continue their careers at the Division I or II levels.
 
The Philadelphia, Pa., native received his bachelor’s degree in special education and sociology from Fitchburg State in 1998. Then, he earned a master’s degree in sports management/sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth in 2004.

Story Courtesy: Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications Mississippi State