Last Year: 21-13; Ninth (8-10) in the Southeastern Conference, lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Chris Jans (Second Year)
Projected Starting Lineup
| PG Dashawn Davis – 6’2″, 190 – Senior (5th) |
| SG Shakeel ‘Shak’ Moore – 6’1″, 190 – Senior |
| SF DJ Jeffries – 6’7″, 215 – Senior (5th) |
| PF Cameron Matthews – 6’7″, 230 – Senior (5th) |
| C Jimmy Bell, Jr – 6’10”, 280 – Senior (5th) |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Dashawn Davis:
Shak Moore:
DJ Jeffries:
Cameron Matthews:
Jimmy Bell:
Experienced Reserves
| F/C Tolu Smith – 6’11”, 245 – Senior (5th) |
| G Andrew Taylor – 6’3″, 195 – Senior (5th) |
| F Jaquan Scott – 6’8″, 230 – Junior |
| W Lerenzo ‘Trey’ Fort III – 6’4″, 195 – Junior |
| F/C KeShawn Murphy – 6’10”, 235 – Sophomore |
| W Shawn Jones – 6’5″, 205 – Sophomore |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Tolu Smith:
Andrew Taylor:
Jaquan Scott:
Trey Fort:
KeShawn Murphy:
Shawn Jones:
Freshmen
| G Josh Hubbard – 5’10”, 185 – Freshman – Consensus Top 150 recruit |
| C Gai Chol – 6’11”, 245 – Freshman |
| W Adrian Myers – 6’6″, 205 – Freshman |
If only the Bulldogs could have gotten more buckets last year.
It was a very good season, with 11 straight wins to start the year and 21 overall, an overtime win in the SEC Tourney and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs even finished 9th in the nation in scoring defense, buying in and buckling down for new head coach Chris Jans.
If only they could have gotten more buckets, though. Mississippi State scored 60 or fewer points in a game nine times last season. Their NCAA appearance ended in the First Four with a loss to Pitt that saw the Bulldogs shoot 38% on the game – 26% from three – and fail to make not one but two shot attempts which would have beaten the buzzer. If only State could have gotten more buckets…
So Jans went out and signed some bucket-getters. And star big man Tolu Smith decided after trying out for the NBA to hold off on his professional dreams for one more season. This time around, the Bulldogs are gonna play even more of that stifling defense, and while they’re at it, see how far a couple of more made buckets might take them.
Smith’s return gives State a go-to guy to rally around. Unfortunately, his return comes an asterisk; Smith badly injured his foot at the beginning of October, and is expected to be out until conference play gets rolling. As the unquestioned best player for State, his absence puts a dent in the Bulldogs’ momentum headed into the upcoming campaign. “We’re going to support and care for Tolu’s mental and physical well-being during every step of the recovery process,” Jans pledged in a statement announcing Smith’s injury. “We will continue to move forward with our preparations for the upcoming season as Tolu and his family would expect us to. He will continue to serve as a team leader from the sidelines until we welcome him back on the floor.”
When healthy, Smith shows a range of a classic big-man skills. He likes to catch it on the block and go to work with his strength and footwork in the paint. He’s excellent at setting screens and then rolling to the rim, using his hips to get good position and cash in when the ball comes his way. In fact, Smith attempted the fourth-most shots at the rim in all of college basketball last season; and he made better than 66% of those shots. Smith has also worked to become a good passer, keeping the ball away from collapsing double-teams and creating open looks for his teammates. Smith is also an imposing presence at the heart of State’s defense, and though not an elite rim protector, he’s improved each year and committed the fewest fouls of his career last season. Smith left better than 40% of his foul attempts languishing on the court a year ago, and some of those 103 total points sure would have come in handy in some key spots in games. If Smith can knock down many more freebies and a couple more jumpers, it will make a huge difference for State in avoiding the scoring droughts that so often hampered their efforts a year ago.
Smith has help defensively from a pair of athletic forwards who present all sorts of problems for opponents who would like a clean look in trying to get a shot off. DJ Jeffries and Cameron Matthews take turns guarding some of the most dangerous scorers in the SEC and delight in causing off-days. “They are winners and act like winners down the stretch,” says Jans of his veteran forwards.
Jeffries can shoot the ball out to three point land, and has been a steady secondary scorer for both of his seasons in Starkville. Unfortunately, Jeffries endured a career-worst season shooting the ball last winter. Coming into last year, he owned a career slash line of 45/33/66%; last season, he bottomed out at 35/27/58%, with a career low of 8.8 points per game. A former Top 50 overall prospect, Jeffries would love to finish his Bulldog career on a high note by rediscovering the confidence in his outside shot. And Jans would dearly appreciate having more of a stretch forward to pair with the attacking Matthews. “I’ve talked about guys working on their craft, and DJ is one of them,” Jans has said. “DJ is one of those guys that stick with it and when I’m walking out of the gym, I see him repping his jumper and working on his rhythm. He’s been making them.”
Matthews is a player that defies conventional position descriptions. He’s something like an oversized guard with a center’s offensive mindset. Matthews blocked the second-most shots of any Bulldog last year, was three steals off of the pace set by guard Shakeel Moore, and ranked second on the team in both assists and offensive rebounds. He doesn’t have one dominant trait, but Matthews has proven valuable in almost any situation. He is a terrific defender with nimble feet, upper and lower body strength, and explosive quickness, allowing him to check scoring guards and bigger players in the paint with equal effectiveness. He’s not much of a shooter though, which wouldn’t be such a big problem, except that it means that Matthews doesn’t command as much defensive attention from opponents as would really be helpful. 38 of the 83 shots Matthews made last season were dunks, and they were often great for both the highlight reels and team momentum. It would really add something to the offense, though, if Matthews could knock down just a few jumpers consistently. Until then, he’ll keep locking up all manner of opposing scorers and bringing the home fans out of their seats with putback jams and his dynamism in stealing and blocking opponent’s possessions.
The guard duo of Dashawn Davis and Moore return, and while both of them had some nice moments last year, Jans is looking for more from both players. Davis started out well as a scorer at the Division I level, shooting 45.7% overall and putting up 10.9 points and 5.5 assists per game for Oregon State as the Beavers cratered to a 3-28 record two years back. Last year, the former JuCo star adjusted to running the point for Jans quite well and made great contributions to the Bulldogs defense. He made huge strides as a perimeter threat, canning 37 deep balls and leading State with a 33.9% rate from the land of trey after hitting just 18% of his threes at Oregon State. It was a promising first year in Starkville for Davis, and now Jans is hoping for a breakout from his talented Bronx-born lead guard. In his season at Oregon State, Davis was much more drive-oriented, taking 101 of his 269 shots from right around the rim and just 48 from three. At Mississippi State, he cut his turnover rate significantly and became much more confident catching on the perimeter and knocking down deeper jumpers. He runs the pick-and-roll effectively, and often initiated the offense only to fade back after the initial pass to receive a kickout from Smith with space to shoot. Davis is a capable defender who will pressure his man and helps smartly inside the arc.
Shakeel Moore has emerged as one of State’s best players since transferring from NC State two years ago. He’s an aggressive defender with sticky fingers and a bold approach, and has stolen 107 pases in his 66 games in Starkville. Moore’s 3FG% has fallen in each of his seasons, frustratingly, as his overall game has improved. Just as on defense, Moore moves well without the ball and knows how to be in the right place at the right time. Despite his size, Moore is great at both cutting towards the cup while his teammates are running the pick-and-roll, and finishing good looks with both hands once he gets there. Moore shot 60.9% at the rim two years ago and 65.9% last year, per Bart Torvik. Thing is, Moore loves to shoot it from deep, where the southpaw is sitting on a career 30% conversion rate. If he could get some more of his triples to start dropping or focused more on taking the ball consistently inside, Moore’s scoring average could rise quickly. In a perfect world, Moore and Davis won’t be counted on as primary scorers again this season; conversely, the natural improvements made by the young duo may be enough to allow them to emerge as more consistent scoring options this winter.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 61.0 – Opponent Points Per Game (7th) |
| 65.7 – Points Per Game (308th) |
| 39.4% – Opponent FG Percentage (9th) |
| 46.7% – Team FG Percentage (328th) |
| 26.6% – Team 3FG Percentage (363rd) |
We’ve got a lot of good pieces,” Smith declared on the team’s Dear Ol’ State Podcast after his injury. “And obviously we’ve got the head of the snake, coach Jans, so you can’t go wrong with him.”
Jans isn’t leaving all of that to chance, though, because he landed one of the shootin’est guards in the country out of this year’s Transfer Portal to help out. Andrew Taylor played in a vastly more up-tempo attack at Marshall the past four years, but even with the likelihood that he’s not going to get as many shots up in Starkville, Taylor’s offensive talents are undeniable. He has started every game of his college career, scored more than 1,600 career points already, and knocked down 218 triples at a 35.5% rate. “Andrew amassed quite the resume during his four years at Marshall. He will add a scoring punch while stuffing the stat sheet with assists, rebounds and steals,” Jans said in a statement when Taylor signed on at State. “We have high expectations for Andrew and believe he will influence our team winning basketball games next season.”
Taylor is capable of playing on or off the ball, and is a talented playmaker who’s handed out 456 assists in his four seasons. If Jans is feeling squirrely, he could use a four-guard lineup at times this year – especially until Smith is healthy – in which each of the guards is capable of being a primary ballhandler and playmaker. Taylor isn’t an exceptional defender, and he will have to prove himself on that side of the ball to get maximum minutes under Jans. “They said nothing is guaranteed and I have to earn it,” Taylor told 247 Sports this summer. “I am going to do that and my work ethic will show off.” Taylor has proven just as highly adept as a defensive playmaker as he is on the other end, though; his 2.1 steals per game last season led the Sun Belt Conference. With his shooting and scoring abilities, Bulldog fans are excited to see how many new dimensions Taylor can bring to the State offense – and they’re expecting him to be the perimeter Yin to Smith’s in-the-paint Yang. For his part, Taylor feels like he’s arrived in a great situation. “I wanted to be a part of a tournament team. I think Mississippi State is one piece away from being a national championship contender and that is how I see it going.”
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| N – Northwestern / Rhode Island – November 19 |
| N – Rutgers – December 23 |
| N – Arizona State – November 8 |
| @ Georgia Tech – November 28 |
| N – Tulane – December 9 |
The improvements don’t end there. Jans is also welcoming two of the nation’s most sought-after junior college transfers, and each is expected to play a significant role immediately. JaQuan Scott is a high-scoring combo forward who committed to the Bulldogs in July of last year, then returned to his Salt Lake Community College team for another year’s seasoning and turned in such an excellent performance that multiple services have rated him as the nation’s top incoming JuCo recruit. “Jaquan Scott is someone that we have known for a long time,” Jans told Joel Coleman in a piece for Mississippi State Athletics. “He’s a traditional four man. He’s a power forward who can stretch the defense. He can shoot the ball from the perimeter. He’s equally comfortable in the mid-post area. He’s got really good skill. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s got a great basketball body.”
A long and athletic forward, Scott has shown flashes of playing a very complete game. He can score above the rim on lobs, by using his footwork or a quick turnaround jumper in the paint, or by stepping out to three point territory. Jans craves a frontcourt player who can consistently stretch defenses, and if Scott can do it, he may even earn a starting spot. Defensively, Scott has good length and active hands, and has gotten stronger in anticipation of guarding SEC bigs.
Also new and accompanied by big expectations is 4-star freshman .point guard Josh Hubbard. Despite his diminutive size, Hubbard is fearless on drives into the paint and is always ready to absorb some contact if it’ll get him a bucket. Hubbard can be a bit erratic, but his relentless style earns Hubbard plenty of points and trips to the free throw line, and he’s improved steadily as a distributor. Defensively, he’s just as fearless without the ball, and will play tight on his man and occasionally put pressure on from end to end. “Josh doesn’t play like a freshman. It is easy to see that he has a calm, cool demeanor about him,” Jans said this fall. “He certainly has a lot to learn, made some mistakes down the stretch, but that is why we play these games to put the guys in those situations.” With Taylor’s experience and Hubbard’s tenacity added to what Davis and Moore already bring, the expectation around Starkville is that State’s backcourt is going to be significantly improved offensively this year.
It’s going to prove a huge advantage, given Smith’s injury, that Jans has been ambitiously tracking down talent throughout his time in Starkville. In addition to Scott, Jans is bringing Lerenzo ‘Trey’ Fort III to the Hail State party. Nearly Scott’s equal in terms of hype in the JuCo ranks is Fort, a big scoring guard from Jackson, MS. After averaging just 7.3 minutes and 2.6 points at UT-Martin in 2020, Fort transferred to Howard (TX) College and has improved by leaps and bounds. Last season, he averaged 25 points while knocking down 89 triples and earning almost seven free throw tries per game (he made better than 86% of them).
“His numbers jump off the page at you,” Jans says of Fort. “He still was able to overcome being a marked man. He was still able to put up those offensive numbers…It was important for us to improve our scoring and shooting, and Trey is one of the leading candidates to be able to do that for us.” Fort is the biggest of the Bulldog guards, and offers a different blend of skills than some of his backcourt teammates. It’s possible that Fort will play some on the wing in more of a 4-out lineup at times when Jans wants to crank up the offense, and if he can translate his dangerous three-level scoring prowess back to Division I, Fort is going to earn a big role. The local product is confident in his abilities and excited to suit up for State, telling Coleman “I can shoot the ball at a very high level from anywhere on the floor from deep or midrange. I can get to the hole. I’m a great scorer. I can also make plays for others because of my scoring.”
State has also added former Saint Louis and West Virginia center Jimmy Bell Jr – and suddenly, Bell is going to have a prime opportunity to play big minutes. “Jimmy Bell is obviously going to be relied on to burden some of the load until Tolu gets back,” Jans has confirmed. An absolutely prototype wide-body at the pivot, Bell plays basketball with sort of the same mentality as an offensive lineman drive-blocking a defender. Which is understandable, given that Bell actually did practice with the Mountaineer football team this spring after enjoying his time on the gridiron back in high school. On the hardwood, the lefty Bell is a tremendous physical presence when setting screens, defending the paint, and rolling to the basket with bad intentions. Bell attempted 70 of his 91 shots last year at the rim, per Bart Torvik, and will again do his best work right in close. Bell knows what he is good at and plays hard for every minute he is on the floor. “Fortunately, Jimmy has been around the block a couple times. He’s older. He’s been there, done that. He started 34 games in the Big 12. He understands what high-level basketball feels like. He’s a worker. He has a business approach every single day.”
KeShawn Murphy and Shawn Jones return to provide depth, and both young players are hoping to grow their role going forward. Murphy is a big who can face up and shoot the ball; he knocked down nine three’s last year and has both good size and soft hands. Unfortunately, he’s also been banged up this fall, and won’t be starting the year at 100%. Jones hit 15 triples, but like the Bulldogs overall, shot just 26% from deep. He was playing more meaningful minutes towards the end of his rookie year, a d has real scoring potential. Gai Chol is a rangy 6’11” freshman who was going to be a promising developmental prospect, but may now be asked to play some support minutes immediately. Chol can protect the rim, moves well, and will finish good looks near the cup. Rounding out the rotation is Adrian Myers, a freshman wing with more length and, Jans hopes, a solid jumper.
The shooting numbers are something which simply has to change significantly: the Bulldogs’ 5.2 makes from deep and 64.7% mark at the foul line were each ranked among the 25 worst units oh smsbgsteams, while their 26.6% mark from three as a team ranked dead last in all of Division I college basketball last season. The influx of outside shooters will have to help, but State’s returnees need to be better, as well.
This team did so many little things well last season – and a lot of the big ones, too – that they were within striking distance of winning virtually every game they played. The Bulldogs defend so well that they don’t have to be as good as other people at scoring the ball. Improving some on offense will have the potential to raise State’s ceiling considerably this year, though.
With Smith coming back – when he comes back – and Taylor coming aboard, Jans has two certified bucket-getters to turn to if all else fails. Now that Scott and Fort are in the rotation, Davis, Moore and Jeffries won’t absolutely need to try and score double figures each game. With more good players overall, all of the best players on this team will be able to let the action come to them instead of forcing things at the end of yet another ticking shot clock.
Learning to do it all without Smith will be tough, but at least they will be getting him back; and the injury happened just far enough in advance of the new campaign that State has had some semblance of a chance to regroup and make a plan. “It’s definitely made us adjust on the fly. The only silver lining right now is that we have time. If this was in November or December, it would be really hard to make those adjustments on the fly. But we’ve got enough time to figure out which lineups we can put together to put ourselves in a good position.”
“If there’s going to be a silver lining (with) the injuries that have happened. … is that they’ll bond together and understand that everyone’s got to pick it up a little bit here and there in order to keep the train moving,” Jans told AP Sports this fall. There is no reason that the Bulldogs shouldn’t consider themselves SEC contenders and a threat to win some games in the Tourney. They’ve got a lot more people capable of making shots this season as opposed to last. So, just what will State accomplish if they can get a few more buckets this year?
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