Chris Jans updates latest on KeShawn Murphy, confirms Andrew Taylor is no longer with Mississippi State

Mississippi State head basketball coach Chris Jans provided some notable updates regarding the status of two of his players ahead of the Bulldogs game on Tuesday against rival Ole Miss.

Guard Andrew Taylor and forward KeShawn Murphy have not been seen lately on the court for Mississippi State, with Taylor making his last game appearance in December against Murray State and Murphy last playing in the Bulldogs’ SEC opener against South Carolina seven games ago.

The reasoning behind the absence of both players has been cited as personal matters by the team, with Jans revealing what the future holds for both Taylor and Murphy during his Monday press conference.

“I want to update KeShawn Murphy, he’s still unavailable but he’s working his way back to being on the team,” Jans said. “So hopefully before the season concludes he’ll be on the floor again.”

“I also want to update Andrew Taylor, as you know Andrew hasn’t been with us since December. He’s no longer with the team and he won’t be back this season,” added.

Taylor joined the team from Marshall as a transfer this offseason, spending the first five years of his college career with the Thundering Herd before joining the Bulldogs with hopes of providing the team with some scoring. In his final four seasons with Marshall, he appeared and started in 110 games averaging 20.2 points per game in the 2022-2023 season.

With Mississippi State, Taylor averaged just 3.9 points per game in his seven appearances, which will now end up being his last for the maroon and white.

“Like is said, he hasn’t been with us since mid-December and at this point he is no longer on the team,” Jans added after being asked if he had been in communication with Taylor, who did not appear on the bench for games during his absence.

Taylor’s tenure with the Bulldogs was short-lived, but it sounds like Murphy will be eventually returning to the team at some point during the season.

Murphy is in the midst of his third season with the program after redshirting in his freshman year. Last season he appeared in nine games for the Bulldogs off of the bench in his first season of action, averaging 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

His numbers have taken a slight jump in his eight game appearances this season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game and improving his shooting percentage from 41.8% to 58.6% from the field. Scoring a career-high 18 points in Mississippi State’s non-conference win over North Texas in December. As he hopefully makes a return to the team sooner than later amid his current hiatus.