Mississippi State announces multiple promotions for basketball coaching staff

Mississippi State is preparing to promote multiple members of its coaching staff, head coach Chris Jans announced Friday. The program will have three new assistant coaches and a director of recruiting.

Patrice Days is moving up to assistant coach after previously serving as director of recruiting. In addition, Dillon Elder will become an assistant coach after spending last season as Mississippi State’s director of scouting and analytics, and Scott Padgett will also take over as an assistant. He joined the program as an assistant to the head coach last year.

Jovan Austin will also replace Days as director of recruiting after serving as director of operations in 2023-24. That came after he was on Jans’ staff at New Mexico State as a graduate assistant for two years.

“We’ve been able to reward our staff recently for their work and for their commitment to Mississippi State basketball,” Jans said in a statement. “We have a core group returning for our third season together which is great for communication, synergy and production.

“Our recent additions will mesh well with our returning staff and their skill sets. I’m excited to see what this team can accomplish for the betterment of our players and our program.”

Chris Jans continues to fill out Mississippi State staff

Mississippi State is coming off back-to-back 21-win seasons under Jans, and the Bulldogs made it to the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. The program also gave Jans an extension that will keep him in Starkville through the 2027-28 season. His base salary will also increase to $4.2 million starting with the 2024-25 season.

Prior to the promotions, MSU announced another high-profile addition to the staff. Jordan Sperber is coming in as the program’s senior director of basketball strategy. Well-known for his work on HoopVision, he served as a video coordinator and analytics specialist under Jans at New Mexico State and will now join forces with him again at Mississippi State.

“The college basketball industry knows and respects Jordan Sperber,” Jans said in a statement announcing the hire. “Jordan is a relentless worker that possesses a rare talent. His ability to absorb and process information to help our team gain a competitive advantage is second to none.

“I’ve worked with Jordan and witnessed firsthand the analytical skills he will use to help us succeed. Mississippi State basketball got significantly better with the additions of Doug and Jordan to our staff.”