Question: What is the schedule with where you are practice-wise, and what the next step is with preseason?

Jans: So we have eight weeks in the summer that you can be on the floor with the guys. You're limited with the hours per the NCAA guidelines, but because of not having everybody here in June, it was more individual skill development, not more all individual skill development. We didn't do anything physically in terms of competition. And then, once we got into the second half of the last four weeks, when we had some more guys arrive on campus, we started putting in some general schemes, kind of introducing some things that we'll do both on the offense and defensive end. So we had a couple of handfuls of practices of the shorter variety over those four weeks while still doing some skill development within the practice that we did daily, and then they are just getting back from break with school beginning on Wednesday. They're all trickling back into town, and they got some responsibilities the next couple of days before we get back going on Wednesday.

Question: How close is the schedule to being finalized?

Jans: Yeah, we're done other than getting some contracts signed, routed through campuses. That's all we're waiting on. And obviously, if nothing goes arrive, we know dates and opponents, etc., and we're just waiting to be able to release it to the public and but I'm sure it's going to be days now. You know, hopefully, real soon, we'll be able to release that schedule.

Question: What do you think of the roster you're putting together?

Jans: We're a work in progress. Like probably most teams across the country, but I've been impressed with their coachability, they've had great demeanors, great approaches, great attitudes from the jump, and you know, that was you just never know, you know, when you're piecemealing a team together in your first year with some returnees and obviously signing new guys to the program all summer long. So that's what stuck out the most is, you know, they listened well. They were about it. They bought in. Certainly, we're just, you know, dipping our toes in shallow water right now, and it'll ramp up as we get going again here in the fog and certainly when we get to the 42 days out from the first game, and you can you know really go full throttle with practice and training, etc. But I thought we had a pretty good summer considering, you know, wherever we're at, roster-wise.

Question: How do you assess what you're looking for in a non-conference slate while also trying to get wins?

Jans: You know, I think we have a pretty aggressive non-conference schedule, how it has unfolded. And there's always factors in play when you're putting it together. But you know, my plan will always be to challenge our guys in the fall. You know, for a number of different reasons. One the obvious to prepare for, you know, the daunting SEC schedule. But at the same time, you know, you've got to always be thinking about at large possibilities and putting your team in the best position to where you have opportunities, you know, to beat people that are the NET higher net teams, the quadrants, etc. So, I think it's a balancing act of, you know, challenging your team and putting him in that type of position and preparing him for the SEC schedule.

Question: How has the adjustment to Starkville been?

Jans: Yeah, other than the humidity, it's been great. To be honest with you, that's been my biggest adjustment, and I will say that I think my body is starting to get a little more accustomed to it. But where I come from is a completely different climate other than the high temperatures are very similar but how it feels are completely different. And that's been our biggest adjustment. But the city's been awesome. They've welcomed us with open arms. Sherry and I have already had the opportunity to meet a bunch of folks in the community and start building relationships and friendships that hopefully will last forever, and you know, people are prideful of their bulldogs and love being at a place where it means so much to so many, and you know, obviously looking forward to the fall and football and being a part of the pageantry of SEC football and being able to watch high level, you know, games that we'll be seeing here real soon.

How big was it to bring guys like Tolu Smith, DJ Jeffries, and Shakeel Moore to mesh the new group together?

Jans: It was critical. First thing that we talked about when we arrived is there was nothing more important than recruiting the guys that we inherited and evaluating them at the same time. Because sometimes people and kids forget this. It's a two-way street. You know, we're coming in here to evaluate them as players and people. And just as they are us when we had all those initial discussions and conversations with the guys and then certainly their mentors and family members that are involved in the decision-making process, so you know, when the dust settled, I felt really good about the guys that elected to come back and continue their careers here, but it was crucial, especially to get you know, the guys that you mentioned that were you know, critical players for last year's team or in some cases, you know, even before that, so we're really glad that they stayed, and hopefully, they feel the same way. And certainly, we got a lot of work to do.

Question: How different is the recruiting pitch for a first-year coach?

Jans: Yeah, that's a different sell, I think. I don't know if it's going to be different in year two, year three, you know, we'll have to wait and see, but certainly, each college and each program has, you know, their positives that they're extenuating you know in the recruiting process and we're no different. I think being new there's something special about it you know, you can come in with a new coach, new energy, new staff and it's not the same old same old. And the other thing that just being frank with you is, you know, with the landscape of college basketball, like hey, you're gonna, you know, we're gonna be here, you know, for the short term, and you're gonna play for us and you ain't gotta worry about, you know, a coaching change. And you go to places where they're in the middle of their tenure, you know, that's something that you have to think about when you make a decision. So it's something that we've talked about with potential players, and recruits, but certainly everyone in this league is gonna harp on the league, and the draft picks and the type of competition you're going to be playing against the type of fan bases that you're going to play in front of and against and just how successful the league has been with getting players into the next level, and so we're trying to accentuate the positives and certainly sell them on our vision that we have for this program. So far, so good.

Question: What is the status of Tolu Smith and Keyshawn Murphy?

Jans: Tolu's had no backward information. It's all been good. He's had a checkup in the last few weeks where they went in there and looked at it to make sure it healed properly, etc. And all the feedback that we've gotten has been really, really positive. You know, Keyshawn had, you know, he participated fully this summer. Unfortunately, this will be new news. He has recently had an injury to his shoulder. That will not require surgery, but it will require him to take a few weeks off before he is released to full-time activities.

Question: What was it like dealing with the transfer portal when you had so many spots to fill?

Jans: Yeah, it's nonstop. You know, guys are literally refreshing the transfer portal at the height of it because people are jumping in it so quickly, and you had to, you know, try to be on top of it. And you could literally be behind if, you know, you weren't contacting that person or his people, you know, within 24 hours of entering the portal, so it was an hourly deal. Again, at the height of it, where you're staying abreast of who's available and who you can start recruiting and, you know, some of them those processes are more sprints now than they are marathons. There's more sprint recruiting than there are marathon recruiting, and, you know, it's been documented and talked about and wrote about. I mean, we're very comfortable in that space. With most of my staff had been in junior college and signing big classes. It's not that new for us, and then even at New Mexico State, you know, we took a lot of older kids, junior college players transfers and did a lot of Sprint recruiting there too. So we hit the ground running when it comes to that, but it is definitely, certainly different than it used to be.

Question: Do you have a timeline for the last scholarship spot?

Jans: yeah, it's a great question. You know, we're still out there, you know, looking underneath every stone, turn over every rock. And at this point today, you know, I don't know what the percentage would be, but there's a possibility that we'll still extend that scholarship and hopefully have that person accept it or not, you know, it's not a deal where we're just going to use it to use it. You know, if we don't find someone that we think can help us immediately or, you know, with some upside growth type of deal development because of his game and where he's at, how he's built and all those things that go into, you know, future projections that can help us in the near future. If we don't find that person and we may end up keeping it, and you know, looking at having one Christmas and being able to bring in someone then and we may not then either, I don't know, but everything's on the table right now. I think ideally, we'd like to use it, and it just hasn't worked out yet.

Question: What kind of new recruiting opportunities have been presented to you being in the SEC compared to your previous stops?

Jans: You know, it's just familiarity, name recognition, program recognition. You know, you're not having to take any time at all to explain, you know, what league you're in or who the members are of your league or, you know, who you are, for that matter. So, just having more of a recognizable name in the industry carries obviously a little more weight than most of the places that I've been in.

Question: Would you prefer someone that can help you now or someone that would help you down the road for the last roster spot?

Jans: Right now, without hesitation, I like to have, you know, every chamber loaded, if you will. I like to have options, I like to have options, and I like to have competition up and down. The roster in practice. I think it just makes everybody better. You continue to push each other every day. You know, when you got a big difference in talent and productivity at numerous spots, then I don't think it's good to raise people's games and elevate, you know, their compete level. So, if I had my druthers definitely would get someone that would have the ability to help us right now. And I think that's going to be, for the most part, our approach, you know, in recruiting all the time is, you know, not that we're not going to sign any kids that have that big upside because hopefully, we will, but more so we're looking for guys of how can they help move the needle right now, and with the portal and what's going, I mean, there's going to be more opportunities for that.

Question: Has anything stood out to you about the new transfers?

Jans: Other than what I said about their approaches, I've been really impressed with their approach. And what I mean by that is just understanding that you know, there's a time for work and time for play and when we huddle up, and blow the whistle like that's the time to work and they've been great that way, they've they've worked they've had good attitudes, good approaches. You know, just learning to understand the expectations that we have on a daily basis for how we want to play and we've gotten off to a good start and again, it's gonna be a different feel, I think is we'll have new guys you know, to the mix. We have new guys after June, we're gonna have new guys now. And so you know, that changes the chemistry and the makeup of our team. So there's always going to be adjustments and but if I had to single anyone out, I would say that, you know, Deshawn Davis has impressed us thus far. I think he's got a chance to be a really good defender and the position he plays is crucial for how we like to play, and certainly, we have a long way to go as does he, but I think that's probably what stood out to me the most. If not really knowing it or being a little bit surprised by it is his ability to defend on the ball and to be a little disruptive out there on that end of the floor.

Question: How excited are you to see the changes in Humphrey Coliseum?

Jans: Yeah, I mean, it's awesome. I was telling Matt when I walked down, I haven't been down on here a while, you know, with the construction going on just the way it is. I actually try not to lose my focus during the day and watch the gentleman moving the earth and the buildings, and once in a while, I have a little bit of that in me because they're banging something, and I think it's thunder and lightning and it's just we're under construction, and we have those moments. We've had those moments throughout the summer, and but I got a, you know, bird's eye view of the work that's being done, and they are working. I mean, they are getting stuff done, and it's nonstop and not messing around. And find myself saying, you know, don't get distracted man, because it's right there out my window. I can see him on the outside and doing what they do. But it's exciting. I mean, it's certainly a big, you know, get back to the recruiting question, obviously, a big sell for us. And you know, the pictures and the videos that we have access to are really cool, and they've done a good job with that kind of stuff, and the kids and the parents and people that have come through here and that we've been able to share it with you know get pretty wide-eyed when we show them.

Question: Mississippi State struggled from three-point range last year. How much do you focus on building your roster around that, and do you think this roster will improve on that?

Jans: Yeah, I've been made well aware of that a number of times since I've arrived, and you know, we'll see. You know, we got a lot of work to do. And I think most teams, most teams probably always feel like they'd want more, you know, and I'm no different. I would love to have more scorers, more shooters, more guys that can create. I mean, I don't think I'll ever when you ask us recruiting questions, you know, yeah, I mean, I'm satisfied. I mean, it's just not how we're built. And so we'll see. I mean, I think that's, you know, not getting too ahead of ourselves here but definitely will be a key to our success is how well we shoot the basketball, and I would say that most teams would probably, you know, if you had to categorize what people say or coaches say when they talk about the keys to their success, it's usually one of them and will be no different this year.