Who is Mississippi State basketball coach, Chris Jans? What we know about the 3x WAC COTY
Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans' name might not sound familiar at all, and it's understandable. Jans and his squad fly relatively under the radar for the two total seasons he's been at the helm so far. But do not let that fool you: the Fairbank, Iowa native has a heck of a coaching resume up his sleeve.
This post takes a deeper look at Chris Jans' coaching career, which extends far beyond his stint as the head of Mississippi State.
Chris Jans' coaching career before Mississippi State
Jans got his first-ever coaching job as an assistant for Elmhurst University, where he stayed from 1991 to 1994. He would have five more assistant coaching positions in Grand View, Idaho, Illinois State and Wichita State (where he was hired twice). But by his second stint with the Shockers, he already had his first-ever head coaching job for the Bowling Green Falcons in the 2014-2015 season.
After a brief return to Wichita State following his stay at Bowling Green, Jans was hired as the head coach for New Mexico State, staying there from 2017-2022. During his stint there, he led the Aggies to at least a third-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). That was during the 2020-2021 season. And in the other four, the Aggies were always the top team in the conference.
Chris Jans' years at New Mexico State were arguably the best of his coaching career. He was a three-time COTY winner in the WAC, winning it three straight years in 2018, 2019 and 2020. But he's also already won another COTY plum in the NJCAA in 1998, back during his coaching days with junior colleges.
Chris Jans and Mississippi State's March Madness chances
In two seasons thus far with the Bulldogs, Chris Jans' coaching success has continued. He's led the team to two straight winning seasons, including an NCAA tournament appearance last season--which is already an amazing feat in its own right. As of this writing, Mississippi State is 19-9 on the year and in the middle of the SEC, 3.5 games behind Florida.
It seems like Jans is once again leading the Bulldogs to their second-straight March Madness berth in as many years as their head coach. Right now, analysts predict that Mississippi State could end up as an 8-seed (via ESPN's Joe Lunardi). This could mean they'll play Nebraska in the first round of the South Bracket in Dallas for this year's NCAA Tournament.