Head coach Chris Jans talks Utah and 2025 signing class

Mississippi State basketball has encountered a busy week thus far on the court and for the future of the program. Sitting at 3-0 on the season, the Bulldogs will get their toughest test on Sunday when they meet Utah in Southaven for a 3 p.m. tipoff.

Also this week, the Bulldogs added three signees to the Class of 2025 in guards King Grace and Cameren Paul along with forward Jamarion Davis-Fleming. During his weekly press conference on Thursday, head coach Chris Jans discussed the next challenge along with the new signees:

Q: On Wednesday you signed a couple of guys (Grace and Paul) from Texas. Your thoughts on the class?
Jans: Yeah it was a fun day yesterday. We feel really good about the young men and their families that joined our basketball family. You brought up Texas so I’ll start there. King Grace is someone we identified early in the process and got to know him and his wonderful family. At the end of the day he had a lot of suitors. It was a pretty competitive recruiting situation. I think in the end, his relationship with our staff, in particular with Coach (Dave) Anwar, kind of put us over the top.

King is just a really good young person. Lots of upside but what I like most about him and certainly he’s got tons of talent. But his intangibles I think separates him from a lot of people his age. He’s a two-way player right from the jump. He already defends at a very high level and he’s very coachable. I’ve watched him get coached hard and he can handle it and move on. I just think he’s going to get better and better once he gets to college. He’s got that kind of attitude and approach walking in the door, which will put him ahead of a lot of people entering college.

Then the other Dallas person is Cam Paul. Again, we’ve recruited him for quite some time. His upside just oozes with potential. He’s got length and size. He’s a big wing. I don’t think he understands how good he can be right now. He can make shots. He can get to the paint. He’s a very nice kid and he and his family have been great to get to know over the course of his recruitment. We’re excited about him. He can be as good as he wants to be some day.

And certainly last but not least by any measure is our Mississippi native Jamarion (Davis-Fleming) and we call him JMar. Coach (George) Brooks obviously did a wonderful job cultivating a relationship. His brother (Javian Davis) obviously had a stint here at Mississippi State. So his mother was familiar with Mississippi State. Certainly it was a new staff that recruited him, at least I was new to the equation.

Again, another player that just oozes upside. He’s all arms and legs, and he can run. He can make an impact from the jump, defensively, with his shot-blocking ability and his changing ends both offensively and defensively. He’s an emerging offensive player and he’s a wonderful kid.

That’s the thing that sticks out the most is, is the quality of people we have joining our family. It means a lot to me. You’ve heard me talk about the health of our locker room and it’s at its best since I’ve arrived, maybe the best of any team I’ve ever had. Now that we’ve got a taste of that we’re trying to continue that with who we offer and who ends up ultimately choosing to be part of our basketball family.

Q: All of these signees seem to have a well-rounded balance to what they’re bringing to the college level?
Jans: Yeah some more than others. But I feel like our recruiting has gotten better and better since we’ve arrived. Certainly success has something to do with that. But at the same time they’re getting familiar with us. When you just from the level I was at to this level, I didn’t have a base of players that I was recruiting. I wasn’t recruiting that level of player. So we were behind a little bit in some situations.

But now with the work ethic and the diligence our staff has in building relationships with the younger classes, it’s caught up and we feel really good about the momentum we’ve created on the court. Certainly with our recruiting situation, as well.

Q: You’ve signed the state’s top prospect every year you’ve been here. What does that mean to you?
Jans: You know that’s not something we talk about a ton. But every coach talks about recruiting inside-out, starting in your back yard and making sure you do an excellent job within the driving distance or your state line, if you will. Who knows what the future will hold but it’s been so far, so good.

Q: What are your early impressions of Utah?
Jans: My early impressions are very impressive. They’re playing great. They’ve had no adversity at all. They’ve breezed through their first three games and did it with lots of flare. They’re breaking all kinds of records for their university and program from 3 point shooting. I think they’ve made 52 threes in their first three games if I’m not mistaken – 19, 19 and 14. We thought we had some big nights coming out of the gate but it pales to comparison to what they’ve done on the floor.

It all starts there. More importantly and more impressive is the fact of how they share the ball. I don’t know what the percentage of the baskets that are assisted but it’s as good as anyone in the country. I think it ranks in the Top 2 or 3 if I’m not mistaken. So it’s not just one guy. They’ve got multiple guys that are knocking them down. When you’re sharing the rock like that, they must feel good about each other and are liking each other.

I think we’re probably both in the same boat in that the competition for both of us is going to go up a couple of levels. I imagine their staff feels the same and are anxious to play a Power 5 team to see where they are.

Q: Back to recruiting, do you expect other additions or will you hold that for the spring period?
Jans: Recruiting never stops and it’s a constant battle. The signing period isn’t over yet, obviously, and we’re still involved in some situations. We will see how it plays out.

Q: How the did the game against Utah in Southaven come about?
Jans: We’ve played in different parts of the state since we’ve arrived and I think that’s important to be able to take the game to the fans, if you will. Certainly ask them and urge them to come support us all the time in Starkville. We know our fanbase is spread throughout the state. A lot of our folks have to travel to and from Starkville to support and watch. It’s nice to have the opportunity of moving around to different areas of the state.

This year, obviously playing in three different locations besides The Hump in our state. It puts actions into words. Just thrilled to be able to do it. I’ve never played in this arena, the Landers Center I believe it is called. We will get up there Saturday and get a chance to get familiar with the surroundings before the game and then have a morning shoot-around the day of the game. So a couple of opportunities to get in there before we actually play the game and looking forward to it.

Q: Cameron Matthews is from Olive Branch and from that area of the state. How big is that for him to play a game near his hometown?
Jans: Yeah, getting nervous about it already. I’m sure I will get a text or a phone call from Ms. Ruthie (Matthews, Cam’s mom) here this week asking about tickets. We will see how that all plays out. But I’m excited for him to go home and play in front of his family and friends that have supported him for five years. I see them at almost every game and it’s not just one of them. It’s usually a contingent of Matthews that are supporting Cam. I’ve gotten to know his family and they’re a wonderful family. The fact that we get to do that will be a special afternoon for Cam and his family.