Chris Jans evaluates the value of adding improved shooting to next season's roster

Mississippi State was one of the worst shooting teams to ever make the NCAA Tournament field. The Bulldogs were a brutal offensive unit pretty much across the board, but especially at three-point shooting, finishing dead last in the country in three-point shooting percentage at 26.6%. It wasn’t just from three, either. MSU managed to end the year ranked in the sub-300 zone for overall field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage. These guys couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean if they were sitting on the beach.

That’s why head coach Chris Jans hit the transfer portal hard for some more shotmakers — and he found them in the form of Trey Fort and Andrew Taylor. Fort averaged a shade under 25 points a game in Junior College last season while shooting 45.2% from deep; and Taylor was one of the best guards in the entire portal as a 20-point-per-game scorer at Marshall who can knock ’em down from deep.

On paper, Jans thinks they’re a much improved shooting unit after that was a clear weakness in 2022-23.

“I think probably on paper. And I think most fans are excited about having more guys on paper that have shown the ability at different levels, obviously to be able to knock down some jumpers,” Jans shared at his recent media availability.

“And it’s no secret that was an Achilles heel for our team last year. And you know I’m not proud of of that stat. We’re proud of the fact that we overcame some shooting woes both from beyond the arc and from the free throw line. And still, you know, we had a really good season and I think that speaks volumes to the type of kids we had in our program, in terms of their resiliency and their togetherness, their ability to win close games, their ability to just figure it out on the fly, even though it could have been a little bit easier if we knocked them down.”

Chris Jans went on to say that having poor shooting was a recruiting tool for them. It’s a solid sales pitch to a transfer being able to guarantee them big minutes merely because they can shoot the outside jumper.

“But it’s also been a recruiting tool for us as well. You know, hey, it could be different. Certainly we try to use that to our advantage as well. But again, on paper is one thing. Getting on the court is another. We wouldn’t have signed any of these guys if we didn’t think they can move the needle.”

At the end of the day, Chris Jans is going to have to wait and see whether the shooting actually does take a big step up. For now, though, he’ll have to hope the pieces he’s added will make the difference.

“But my experience says time will tell. We’re certainly getting excited about all of them, but the longer I do this, the more I’m like…I need months to really understand who we have and what they’re made of and what their daily is and how mentally tough are they, and how organized can they be to handle the days that are thrown at them when they’re not used to it. So, come June 1st, we’ll have a better idea of what we got.“