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Where Chris Jans' Mississippi State basketball roster sits after transfer portal deadline – Clarion Ledger
STARKVILLE — The 60-day transfer portal window for college basketball closed May 11, providing a clearer picture of Mississippi State’s roster in coach Chris Jans’ second season.
The takeaway?
Jans’ core may not be too different, but a couple transfers could make a big difference.
Three players departed for the portal from MSU, and two additions (West Virginia’s Jimmy Bell Jr. and Marshall’s Andrew Taylor) have been made. Coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 in a season with only a couple contributors gone due to exhausted eligibility, here’s where Mississippi State’s roster sits after the portal’s closure.
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Mississippi State should have at least two starters returning next season: guard Shakeel Moore and forward Cameron Matthews.
Guard Dashawn Davis and forward D.J. Jeffries haven’t made any announcements regarding their futures, likely eliminating any chance of departing for professional ball. However, as they enter their graduate seasons, they could enter the portal late with no punishment.
The Bulldogs also get a couple promising young pieces back on their bench. Guard Shawn Jones Jr., who isn’t on scholarship, was among the biggest surprises last season as a freshman. Forward KeShawn Murphy provided promising signs late in the season after missing his freshman season with injury.
Forward Will McNair Jr. also remains on the roster. We’ll dive into his future later.
Bell was the first portal addition for Jans. He was followed by Taylor, an All-Sun Belt guard, shortly after.
However, players can be added beyond the deadline. The May 11 deadline is only for non-graduate players informing their previous schools they are entering the portal.
The biggest influx of talent for MSU comes from its signing class. Guard Josh Hubbard is the all-time leading scorer in Mississippi boys basketball history. Gai Chol is a three-star, 7-foot center from Greenforest McCalep Christian Academy in Georgia. Adrian Myers is a three-star forward from Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia.
As a coach who made it through the junior college ranks, Jans is also bringing in a pair of juco products. Jaquan Scott is a forward out of Salt Lake Community College and Lerenzo Fort III is a scoring guard out of Howard College.
MSU lost a trio of young guards to the portal who saw little to no playing time last season.
Kimani Hamilton was the most notable of the group as the son of former Bulldog Tang Hamilton. Fellow freshman Martavious Russell, an athletic player out of Alabama, entered the portal last week after appearing in 10 games.
Tyler Brumfield entered the portal in March after appearing in five games across two seasons.
The rest of Mississippi State’s offseason revolves around All-SEC forward Tolu Smith, who led the Bulldogs in scoring (15.7), rebounding (8.5) and shooting (57.2%).
Smith declared for the 2023 NBA Draft while maintaining his final season of eligibility. However, he was not among those invited to the NBA Draft Combine.
If he elects to pursue his professional career, Mississippi State has a scholarship to award. If he returns, McNair will likely be forced into a decision. With the addition of Bell, Smith’s return would give Mississippi State three centers. McNair, who came to MSU with Jans from New Mexico State, is entering his sixth season.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.