Christopher Paul Jans (born April 12, 1969) is the American
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
head coach for
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...
. Jans previously coached at
New Mexico State
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...
, where he led the Aggies from 2017 to 2022. Jans is a graduate of
Loras College
Loras College is a Private college, private Catholicism, Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest Tertiary education, post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school ...
, and hails from
Fairbank, Iowa
Fairbank is a city in Buchanan and Fayette counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,111 at the time of the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land an ...
.
Prior to New Mexico State, Jans was hired by Bowling Green in March 2014—his first Division I job. He led Bowling Green to its most wins in 13 years. However, on March 21—shortly after losing to
Canisius in the 2nd round of the
2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
The 2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was a postseason single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I basketball teams. The first round started on March 16, 2015. The semifinals were played on March 31, and the championshi ...
, a drunken Jans was seen engaging in lewd and inappropriate behavior toward women at a bar near campus. A Bowling Green alumnus recorded Jans on his cell phone, and was so outraged by what he saw that he reported the incident to school officials. Following an internal investigation, Bowling Green fired Jans for violating a morals clause in his contract.
Jans led New Mexico State to a 27–7 record in 2021–22, including an NCAA Tournament victory. He finished with a 122–32 mark at New Mexico State, winning four regular-season and three
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas.
Due to most of ...
tournament championships. On March 20, 2022, Jans was hired as head coach at
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...
.
Head coaching record
Junior college
College
source
Personal life
Jans resides in Starkville with his wife Sheri.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jans, Chris
1969 births
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Iowa
Basketball players from Iowa
Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball coaches
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Elmhurst Bluejays men's basketball coaches
Grand View Vikings men's basketball coaches
Idaho Vandals men's basketball coaches
Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball coaches
Independence Pirates men's basketball coaches
Loras Duhawks men's basketball players
Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball coaches
New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball coaches
Wichita State Shockers men's basketball coaches