Mutual respect drives Mississippi State's success on and off the basketball court

Since his first day on the job, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans has often praised his players for their character and commitment to the program. Like any coaching change, Jans and his staff were unsure in the early days as far as how they would be received by the returning Bulldogs.

Some players immediately entered the transfer portal while still giving Jans and company time to begin those relationships. That process started well and the majority of the roster opted to give Jans a chance.

Two years later and this group of Bulldogs are experiencing the vision that Jans sold the first day he took the job. And that respect goes a long way as State is preparing for its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Jans.

The Bulldogs (21-13) tip off March Madness on Thursday with an 11:15 a.m. tipoff against Michigan State (19-14) in Charlotte, N.C.

“Coach Jans’ resume speaks for itself,” senior center Tolu Smith noted. “He’s a winner everywhere he’s been and he is going to go down as one of the best coaches ever to do this sport. It wasn’t a hard decision to come back to Mississippi State, knowing that I am a Mississippi State guy. I’ve never played for a coaching staff like that and it was easy to adjust.”

Much like the players’ hard work is required, the same goes for the coaching staff. And that was one of the quickest ways that Jans earned the respect of his players, especially after they witnessed his commitment to detail in practices and game prep.

“How in depth he gets with the game,” said senior forward Cameron Matthews. “He loves the game. The way he preps for every game and gets his team ready. I just appreciate him doing that.”

But there’s also a lot of work that takes place behind closed doors. That usually makes game day more enjoyable for this Bulldog squad, knowing the effort and preparations are on target.

“Man, there’s so much that goes into his abilities and the coaching staff’s abilities that even the players don’t see,” added Smith. “It’s some things they work on late at night and early mornings. They are always in the office and talking ways to get better. A lot of people don’t see the hard work they put in.

“At the SEC Tournament they were working day-in and day-out. I would be asleep and they would still be in the office. It is just crazy the hours they put in. I think that is the distinguishing fact between the good coaches and the great coaches. And Coach Jans is a great coach.”

And Matthews agrees. Not only is this team prepared as much as possible throughout the week, that routine also instills confidence for the players.

“Just the way we practice,” Matthews added. “The way we get after it in practice. I have the most faith in all my teammates and my coaches. I know we are going to go out and compete no matter what.”

Higher Expectations

In Jans’ initial season in Starkville, there was a lot of unknown. The expectation for Jans was to be in the NCAA Tournament and despite last year’s offensive struggles, that goal was met. But entering this year the goals were higher and the bar was placed higher.

This past Sunday, the Bulldogs expected to hear their name called on Selection Sunday and last year’s nervous feelings no longer existed.

“I just remember being excited last year and it had been a long time,” said Matthews. “Just being in the tournament but now feeling there is more on the table for us. I think that is what we came into this year thinking that we were going to get better and improve from last year.”

But yes, this group still faced their share of adversity whether it was overcoming injuries or a rugged SEC slate. But now that March Madness has arrived, those weekly SEC battles should pay off for the Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament.

“I feel like the SEC helps us a lot,” noted Matthews. “Top to bottom, really good teams. There in the (SEC) Tournament I feel like we played well on a neutral court. We are going to have fans that come out but I feel like we will have our own fuel during the game.”

Speaking of fuel, Mississippi State regained that defensive energy during last week’s run to the SEC Tournament semifinals. Defensive inconsistencies were a factor in State’s four-game losing streak to conclude the regular season.

But it was a different story at the league gathering in Nashville, Tenn. In three games against LSU, Tennessee and Auburn, the Bulldogs allowed just 60.6 points a game.

“Really that second half of the LSU game,” recalled Matthews. “I feel like we started hitting the right steps and going in the right direction. I feel like we started taking off from there.”

March Madness experience

In Jans’ initial season in Starkville, he became the first State coach in school history to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament in the debut season. But like many others have experienced, it was an eye-opening ordeal for last year’s roster that had just one player (former Bulldog Will McNair) that owned any NCAA Tournament experience.

But now, the Bulldogs have that experience and are dancing for the second straight year, the first time a State squad has done that since the 2008 and 2009 campaigns.

“Last year we really didn’t know what to expect,” Matthews recalled. “But this year we worked on ourself and knew we could have a really good team. It gave us a good opportunity to get a good seed in the tournament.”

And it was also the expectation, noted the players. With the majority of last year’s roster back this season, they wanted to taste that March Madness once again and quickly went to work to reach that goal once last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance concluded.

“First off it was a great feeling that we got in,” said Smith. “We put in a lot of work and getting our whole core back, that had us believing in each other and believing in our capabilities and all the work we put in and the coaching staff. But it is a great feeling this year to see all the hard work pay off.”

While he is a newcomer to this year’s roster, the Bulldogs also added more NCAA Tournament experience when former West Virginia transfer Jimmy Bell joined State’s program last summer. Bell also knows what March Madness feels like during his time as a Mountaineer.

“A lot of guys get to that stage and I have just scratched the surface of the (NCAA) Tournament,” mentioned Smith. “Jimmy is a guy that has really been in there. We trust our work and we are a real confident team right now going into March. That is how you want your team to be, very confident.”

Of course, getting to dance in March last year was an accomplishment for this program. But it also left a bad taste in their mouth with the way it ended. The Bulldogs dropped a heart-breaking decision to Pittsburgh in the final seconds.

Come Thursday, however, an opportunity to create successful memories in March Madness arrives.

“We are going to make new memories,” mentioned Matthews. “We are going to win games in March.”