Head coach Chris Jans talks Memphis, RJ Melendez and Tee Bartlett

No. 25 Mississippi State continues non-conference play Saturday and the Bulldogs face their toughest test to date. Mississippi State (10-1) travels to No. 21 Memphis (9-2) for an 11:30 a.m. tipoff (CBS) at the FedEx Forum.

On Thursday, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans discussed the matchup with Memphis among other topics:

Q: What stands out to you about this Memphis team?
Jans: Just their talent. They’ve got really, really good players. It starts with (PJ) Haggerty out front and he’s having an All-American kind of year. Big guard that gets downhill anytime he wants but now he’s increased his 3 point percentage and has made people pull their hair out in terms of how you’re going to try to defend him. It starts with him but it doesn’t end with him.

Then his counterparts out there – (Colby) Rogers and (Tyrese) Hunter – are equally really good players in their own right. Those three that start together, they all do it individually in a different way but they’re very talented players. It just puts a lot of pressure on you, defensively. Then they’ve got their glue guy – (Nicholas) Jourdain – and then Dain Dainja is 6-6, to0, and can shoot, drive it around the basket, is an excellent passer.

So they’re just really, really talented. They’ve obviously come together and had some huge wins with UConn and Michigan State. Their recent road trip to go to Clemson and Virginia back-to-back and to be able to beat that kind of opponent on their home floor, that says a lot about them where they’re at this year.

Q: You signed four-star center Tee Bartlett late in the November period. Your thoughts on him?
Jans: We’re excited about Tee Bartlett and his family joining our basketball family. The obvious is it starts with his frame and how big he is. He’s a big, strong kid that can really move for his size walking in the door. He’s a little more old-school in terms of the five position. I would agree somewhat to that but I think one of the best things he does right now is pass the basketball. He’s an excellent passer, really sees the floor and you can play offense through him at times because of his ability to make the defense choose.

You play him solo, he can back you down and score it. If you want to run people at him and double him, he’s got vision and good touch. He’s got a lot to work with. He’s got pretty good touch. He can stretch the defense. The biggest thing for him and it’s what we’ve talked about, how good of shape can he get himself in. Not wait until he arrives here, work on it now and that will get you ahead of the game a little bit. We’re excited he’s with us.

Q: You talked in the preseason about constructing the roster to where Josh Hubbard doesn’t have to do it all each night. How do you feel about your roster now?
Jans: That was definitely part of our process to try to get more guys that could score the ball and elevate some stress on Josh. More importantly, just to make us a more well-rounded basketball team and not put so much pressure on us, defensively, and having to get so many stops and rely on that so much for us to win games.

I think these guys that are new to the program have done what we wanted them to do. We always want more. We want certain guys to shoot better or more or whatever the case is, individually. I can’t speak for Josh but he’s not going to be Superman every night as much as we and our fans want him to do. He’s human, as well, and sometimes the ball doesn’t go in the hole. But more importantly, the other side note to that is his defense has gotten so much better.

If you hone in on him on the ball, he is more in a fighting stance and his energy level on the ball is better. His attention to detail off the ball has gotten better. So we’re excited about that growth.

Q: KeShawn Murphy and Michael Nwoko are different types of centers compared to last year with Tolu Smith. How does that adjust your style of play?
Jans: Yeah we knew that early in building this team in June that it was going to be the case. We tried to adjust offensively and defensive to get the most out of the personnel we have. Offensively, we may not throw it inside as much as we’ve done in the past. But because both Mike and KeShawn can play on the perimeter and maybe do some things out there that guys we had in the past can’t. We play a little more five-out at times and getting the ball in Murph’s hands and letting him be a decision-maker.

Then defensively, we have more flexibility in our ball-screen coverage because of the way Mike and KeShawn move, defensively. Last year we played quite a bit passive coverage and this year we’ve mixed it up depending on who we are playing. Like everything, it’s a work in progress and it’s just a different process.

Q: With Kanye Clary out, what have you seen from Martavious Russell and Dellquan Warren in their time on the floor?
Jans: Dellquan is someone we’ve been impressed with since he’s arrived. He’s about what we’re about. He gets out there every day. He’s thirsting for knowledge and he loves to be coached. He really defends. He’s getting better on the offensive end and it’s a transition. He’s been the best player on his teams more often than not growing up. A lot of kids have to go through that. He’s not our leading scorer so his offensive mindset has to be tweaked a little bit and that’s hard because they play a certain way for so long. And now maybe, this shot is not a good shot for him right now in his career. But on the other end, we trust him, defensively, and he’s earned the minutes he’s getting.

With MJ, like a lot of players, he wants to play. We talk in the locker room about that all the time. When you get opportunities you got to be prepared for them and when it happens, make the most of it and put yourself in position to get more minutes. That’s what he’s done. He’s been practicing well and we felt like he needed a shot. My mind was made up that we were going to play him in the guts of the game against Central Michigan and I thought he responded very well. He played well, looked comfortable out there. He was in the right spots. He didn’t make the one 3 he tried in the corner but he made one later. They were good shots for him. He’s got lots of practices and has some game experience. He’s been fighting in practice and we will see going forward how it unfolds.

Q: What have you seen from RJ Melendez‘s development since he’s been here?
Jans: Yeah we’re excited about where he’s at. He’s got that rangy, long body and trying to get him get excited about defending. If you really watch him, he’s gotten better, defensively, and he’s more active, getting his hands on more balls and not just steals but deflections. He’s taking pride in his defense and trying to be a two-way player. He’s made some shots but I still think there’s a lot more in the tank that way. I think he will have some big gams coming up where he can go make four or five 3s in multiple games before the season is up.

His shot is close to perfect. I wouldn’t change anything about. Every time he shoots it, I think it’s going in. He’s adapted to the culture and has both feet in. We’re excited about where he’s at.

Q: How big of this opportunity on Saturday with a ranked team and being on CBS?
Jans: It’s exactly what you’ve said and it’s what we’ve told our team. What a great opportunity. It will be a Quad 1 game all year long. It will remain a Quad 1 game in the end when it really matters. We’re playing against a storied program on the road, CBS Sports, an early tip. It’s awesome. That’s why you play this game. Not worried about our kids and being motivated to play. They’re going to be ready to play and that’s just how it works. We’ll maybe have to calm some of them down before the game. But it’s great for us.

Obviously, the league (SEC) is unbelievable right now and it will give us a really good barometer of where we’re at with a quality opponent like the teams we’re going to play in January and February in the SEC, and be able to expose us even more and know what we need to continue to work on. Win or lose, that is going to happen. It’s a great opportunity. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge and it will be here soon enough.

Q: Is Cameron Matthews still playing through his previous foot injury?
Jans: He didn’t have any restrictions on his minutes in our last outing. It’s an injury he has to deal with daily. He has to rehab daily. We try to watch him in practice a little bit and not get too many reps in practice. Obviously, this break couldn’t have come at a better time where he can really stay off of it for 4-5 days. Hopefully, that will help him, too.

Q: Do you have any previous dealings with Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway?
Jans: I know him like you know him. The great NBA player and now it’s Coach Hardaway, the hometown hero running their nationally-recognized program and they’re having a great year. I think I’ve met him on the road but I don’t have a relationship with him.