Mississippi State men’s hoops coach Chris Jans comments on new contract extension and Other Rumors

Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Chris Jans recently shared his excitement and gratitude after signing a new contract extension that secures his position through the 2027-28 season. In his first comments on the extension during a summer press conference, Jans expressed his appreciation for the support from university leadership, particularly praising Dr. Keenum and Athletic Director Zac Selmon.

“I think they are going to expect us to win more,” Jans said. “Just feels great to have that support from Dr. Keenum and the powers that be. Certainly, athletic director Zac Selmon had a lot to do with it, and we are very appreciative and excited to be here to build upon what we started.”

Jans, entering his third season with the Bulldogs, saw his base salary increase from $3.2 million to $4.2 million, positioning him among the higher-paid coaches in the Southeastern Conference. His extension follows Mississippi State’s consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, despite early exits both years. Jans noted that reaching the tournament in his first two seasons fulfilled a key goal he set upon his arrival.

“You harken back to when we got here, that’s what we said we were going to do,” Jans recalled. “We were going to make the NCAA Tournament, build teams every year with the goal of being a perennial NCAA Tournament at-large program, and fortunately, we have been able to do that.”

While Jans acknowledged the disappointment of the early tournament exits, he emphasized the program’s commitment to raising its goals and striving for deeper runs in the future.

Addressing rumors of him interviewing for the Arkansas coaching position, Jans dismissed the reports and emphasized skepticism towards social media claims.

“First of all, I think we all should know at this point in our lives that we shouldn’t believe everything we read on social media,” he stated. “That would be my first comment on that and that’s all I am going to say.”

Jans also touched on the ongoing search for a new assistant coach to replace James Miller, who departed for Oklahoma State. He assured that the hiring process was progressing well and nearing completion, with significant interest and thorough vetting of candidates.

“It’s going great,” Jans said. “We have had a ton of interest. I didn’t deal with it for weeks. I told everyone on our staff not to spend time taking calls and just put it on me. We had better things we needed to spend our time on with putting our roster together. The last three weeks I have spent time vetting guys and having conversations, and we are getting closer for that to be done.”

With the new contract and continued commitment to program development, Jans looks forward to building on the team’s recent successes and achieving greater milestones with the Bulldogs.