The Mississippi State’s men’s basketball program announced the hiring of three new staff members: Jovan Austin (Director of Basketball Operations), Dillon Elder (Director of Scouting and Analytics), and Joe Rogers (Coordinator of Basketball Operations).
Jovan Austin
Austin has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2019-20, Panola College in 2020-21 and Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRVG) in 2021-22. His squad at Texas A&M-Commerce won 18 games headlined by three wins over NCAA Division II ranked opponents.
Prior to his time as an assistant coach, Austin served as a graduate assistant at New Mexico State where the Aggies amassed a 58-11 record during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. The Aggies captured a pair of WAC regular season and tournament titles and nearly upset 2019 NCAA Final Four participant Auburn in the opening round.
“We are excited to have Coach Jovan Austin ‘rejoin’ our basketball family,” Jans said. “He has been with us previously both as a player and as a coach. Coach Austin is a rising star in the business and will move the needle in a positive direction for our program.”
Austin had the opportunity to suit up for Jans at Bowling Green as a junior in 2014-15. The Falcons amassed 21 victories, one of the nation’s best turnarounds.
Austin wrapped up his playing career at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2016-17 and helped his team to a NCAA Division II Tournament trip.
The Grand Prairie, Texas native started his collegiate career at Angelo State where he earned the 2012-13 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year averaging 12.3 points, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals per contest.
Austin played his sophomore campaign at Paris Junior College. He garnered an All-Conference Second-Team and an All-Region Third-Team selection. His team racked up 26 victories and advanced to the NJCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
At the prep level, Austin was a three-time letterwinner at South Grande Prairie High School. The District 7-5A Offensive MVP led the team to a 35-3 record and won a district title as a senior.
Austin earned his bachelor’s degree in General Studies at Texas A&M-Commerce in December 2016.
Dillon Elder
Elder joins the program as State’s Director of Scouting and Analytics, while Rogers steps into his position as MSU’s Coordinator of Operations.
Elder and Rogers carry SEC experience into their roles in Starkville. Previously, both had served as student managers and graduate assistants at Texas A&M and Georgia, respectively.
“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.”
Elder joins the Bulldogs staff fresh off a yearlong stint as Tarleton State’s Director of Operations in 2021-22. There, he oversaw scheduling, on campus recruiting and team travel, while also spearheading the program’s video operations and film.
Prior to his tenure in Stephenville, Elder worked with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves as a Remote Video Intern in 2020-21. He spent his undergraduate time as a student manager at Texas A&M from 2015-18 and was promoted to head manager in 2017-18.
Then, Elder advanced to a graduate assistant role with the Aggies from 2018-20. He studied game film at both the professional and collegiate level. During his time in College Station, the Aggies won a share of the SEC regular season championship in 2015-16 and made two trips to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Elder graduated from Texas A&M with a Master of Science degree in marketing alongside a bachelor’s degree in agricultural leadership with minors in sports management and business.
Joe Rogers
Rogers enters the State program having spent the past two years sitting under Tom Crean at Georgia. He started as a student manager in 2017-19 before advancing to a graduate assistant from 2020-22.
At UGA, Rogers also became familiarized with the scouting and analytics process. He worked with the team’s coaches to break down film for prospect and opponent alike. Alongside his scouting work, Rogers was responsible for coordinating video libraries of material for players and coaches to view, allowing the rest of the program to keep track of both workouts and practice footage.
Rogers graduated from Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in sport management and is pursuing his Master of Science degree in consumer economics.
