Chris Jans discusses Jimmy Bell carrying the burden for the Bulldogs

As Chris Jans moves into his second season in Starkville, the Mississippi State basketball coach faces a tough task of replacing Tole Smight.

Unfortunately for the 2023-2024 Mississippi State men’s basketball team, the Bulldogs will be without star Tolu Smith has been sidelined due to an injury. The Bulldogs will have to get through non-conference play without their star and that will definitely impact the way this Mississippi State basketball team looks.

And that means that Chris Jans, the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, will need to get a little creative.

Still, even though the Bulldogs don’t have a ton of depth, Jans seems to believe that there are some key contributors who can play a big role for the Bulldogs while Bell is out. And during SEC Media Days, Jans spoke about how Jimmy Bell might be able to play a part in helping MSU keep moving in the frontcourt while Smith recovers.

Mississippi State basketball: Chris Jans seems confident in Jimmy Bell while Tolu Smith is out due to injury

Despite losing their best player, Jans believes Bell is well-equipped to step in and step up.

“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,” Jans explained, according to ASAP Sports’ transcript from SEC Media Days.

Jans having high praise for Bell’s work ethic and professional mentality is worth noting given how hard MSU’s coach’s teams elsewhere have been known to work.

“He understands what high-level basketball feels like,” Jans stated. “He’s a worker. He has a business approach every single day.”

Now, Jans did make it clear that Bell is not being asked to replicate what Smith does for the Bulldogs. That’s a bit of a herculean task. And while Bell is good, Smith is huge for the Bulldogs in so many ways.

So, Bell isn’t being asked to replicate Smith, but he is being asked to bring his own strengths to the table as the Bulldogs adjust the way they play.

“Certainly it ain’t about Jimmy trying to replace Tolu. We have to put our team and our individual players in the best spot for them individually and figure out how we need to play,” Jans said.

Losing Smith for non-conference play (as well as potentially the start of SEC play) will sting. But if Bell can help mitigate that loss, then maybe we’re having a decent time talking about MSU football in late January when Smith is slated to return.