Harris was a 2-year starter at URI before coming off the bench in 2020-21. Harris, Peake, and Alok are the key guys here. In addition to returning center Will McNair, a sizable rebounder and rim protector, NMSU adds Rhode Island transfer Jermaine Harris, Coppin State transfer Yuat Alok, Austin Peay transfer Mike Peake, JUCO transfer Marchelus Avery, and two freshmen in Jorge Moreno and Shakiru Odunewu. Jans bolstered his frontline this offseason, a priority of his according to many. Chicago freshman guard Kiran Oliver is a 3-star recruit, but he might have eligibility issues heading into the season. Cotton is a late add, because why have 15 players when you can have 20 players? He’s a scorer who can handle the rock and provide backcourt depth. He averaged 18.4 PPG at Logan College and scored 52 points in one contest – athleticism and scoring define his game.Ĭaston was a 2-time 1st Team All-Conference selection at Northwest Florida State and adds shooting. McKinney began his career at Mizzou prior to spending a year in junior college. In Pryor’s two starts for the Huskies last season he averaged 14 PPG and 4.5 APG he’s a super quick table setter and moves smoothly with the ball with his length. Pryor and McKinney will be in competition to start at PG, and both are qualified to take the reins. The remaining backcourt transfers are Nate Pryor from Washington, Virshon Cotton from LIU, and Mario McKinney and Marsei Caston from the JUCO ranks. His two-way ability embodies what Jans looks for in a player: someone who can defend multiple spots and score on the other end. Rice is a stud wing who has ranked in the WAC top ten of eFG% and TS% two straight seasons despite garnering a high usage. He’s as effective stepping out for a triple as he is posting his man on the block, and his mobility at the 5-spot makes him a nightmare to defend. Last season in WAC play McCants ranked 4th in O-rating, 2nd in OR%, 7th in block rate, 6th in steal rate, and 4th in FT rate. McCants is Tillman’s frontcourt partner, a 6’7” center who plays far beyond his height. He rebounds, facilitates, shoots, and gets to the bucket – an all-around great WAC player. Tillman, as his pedigree suggests, is very talented and multi-positional. Former UNLV / Utah transfer Donnie Tillman, HM All-WAC selection Johnny McCants, and 2nd Team All-WAC member Jabari Rice lead the way. 1 scorers.įour starters are back from last year’s underwhelming squad. Jans himself says one of his team’s key focuses is defensive assist rate – he wants to turn the other team into 1 v. Last year aside, NMSU is always one of the toughest defensive teams in the country they battle on the glass, deny passing lanes, muck up the lane, and force opposing offenses to play in isolation. The most impressive thing about Jans is his ability to take a bunch of new players every year – very often guys who are on their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th school – and get them to buy into the culture, play unselfish basketball, and defend their nuts off. Jans would never admit to being a smart guy, but rest assured he’s more analytically sound than he leads on – he knows what it takes to put his team in the best position to win on a nightly basis. Two constants are always true for Jans-coached teams in Lac Cruces: 1) they will rebound the piss out of the ball and 2) they will shoot a ton of 3s. But NMSU was still the WAC’s best offensive team in 2020-21, leading the league in OR% and 3PA rate. Jans’s adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency rankings last season were both the lowest of his 4-year Aggie tenure. This season Jans has arguably his most talented team ever with four starters back and a slew of transfers (per usual) coming to Las Cruces. NMSU’s other three WAC finishes under Jans? 16-0, 15-1, and 12-2. So, you can see how Chris Jans finished an uncharacteristic 7-6 in the WAC. The Aggies played their home games at Eastwood HS in El Paso, TX and their practice time was anything but normal. New Mexico State couldn’t practice or play games in its own STATE last season let alone its own home court arena. Outlook: Take last season, crumple it up into a little ball, and throw it as far out the window as you can.