Mississippi State University Men's Basketball

THE JANS FILE Hometown: Faribank, Iowa Undergraduate: Loras College, 1991 (Bachelor of Marketing, Bachelor of Finance) Birthday: April 12 Twitter: @CoachChrisJans HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE 2023-Present: Mississippi State • 3 Seasons 2018-22: New Mexico State • 5 Seasons 2015: Bowling Green • 1 Season 2004: Chipola College • 1 Season 2002-03: Howard College • 2 Seasons 1999: Independence CC • 1 Season 1997-98: Kirkwood CC • 2 Seasons ASSISTANT COACHING EXPERIENCE 2016-17: Wichita State • Special Assistant • 2 Seasons 2008-14: Wichita State • 7 Seasons 2005-07: Illinois State • 3 Seasons 2000-01: Idaho • 2 Seasons 1995-96: Grand View College • 2 Seasons 1993-94: Elmhurst College • 2 Seasons JANS' YEAR-BY-YEAR NCAA RECORD Year School W-L Pct. 2025-26 Mississippi State 0-0 .000 2024-25 Mississippi State 21-13 .618 2023-24 Mississippi State 21-14 .667 2022-23 Mississippi State 21-13 .618 2021-22 New Mexico State 27-7 .794 2020-21 New Mexico State 12-8 .600 2019-20 New Mexico State 25-6 .806 2018-19 New Mexico State 30-5 .857 2017-18 New Mexico State 28-6 .824 2014-15 Bowling Green 21-12 .636 School Years Record Pct. Mississippi State 3 63-40 .612 New Mexico State 5 122-32 .792 Bowling Green 1 21-12 .636 Total 9 206-84 .710 JANS' YEAR-BY-YEAR NJCAA RECORD Year School W-L Pct. 2003-04 Chipola College 32-5 .865 2002-03 Howard College 29-4 .879 2001-02 Howard College 20-10 .666 1998-99 Independence CC 22-10 .688 1997-98 Kirkwood CC 31-6 .838 1996-97 Kirkwood CC 25-10 .714 School Years

Bryce Gimmarro begins his first season as the men’s basketball athletic trainer on Mississippi State’s Sports Medicine staff in 2025-26. Most recently, Gimmarro worked at St. Bonaventure where he was a part of a pair of 20-win squads under Mark Schmidt. The Bonnies made a 2025 NIT appearance during his final season. Gimmarro possesses SEC experience while he completed his Doctor of Athletic Training Degree at Florida in May 2023. He gained valuable knowledge while working as an intern athletic trainer with the tennis and golf programs for two years before spending the 2022-23 season with the men’s basketball program during Todd Golden’s first season. Gimmarro played a vital role working with multiple SEC Championship programs headed by the 2021 NCAA National Champions in men’s tennis. The Gators were led by Ben Shelton, the 2022 NCAA Singles Champion and ITA National Player of the Year. Professionally, he’s a two-time grand slam semifinalist at the 2023 United States and 2025 Australian Opens. Gimmarro, a Michigan native, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training at Michigan State University in May 2020. He is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and is certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) by the American Red Cross.

Danny Manuel was elevated to Mississippi State’s Director of Operations in July 2025 and moves into his third season on Chris Jans’ staff in 2025-26. The Bulldogs have secured 21 victories apiece and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons when Manuel was a graduate assistant. State captured eight wins over Associated Press Top 25 teams which was the second-highest mark over a two-season span in program history. Manuel spent the previous four seasons at NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) in the Atlantic Sun and the America East Conferences working for Brian Kennedy. He was promoted to assistant coach for the 2022-23 season after he served as the program’s director of operations from 2019-20 to 2021-22. Prior to jumping to the NCAA Division I level, Manuel was the head boys basketball coach at his high school alma mater: the Miller School of Albemarle located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Manuel transformed the school into one of the top prep programs nationally that sent several players to play college basketball. The Miller School amassed 83 victories from 2014-18 after only winning eight games during the season before his arrival. Manuel guided The Miller School to three state championship game appearances and won the 2017-18 state title. He was named the Virginia State Coach of the Year in 2017-18 for his efforts. Manuel played college basketball at Davis & Elkins College, a NCAA Division II school, located in Elkins, West Virginia fr

David Anwar moves into his fourth season as an assistant coach at Mississippi State and his ninth season overall on Chris Jans’ staff in 2025-26. Anwar has been an integral part of 185 victories, an average of 23.1 wins per year, and a .720 winning percentage over the last eight seasons. He has been by Jans’ side for every monumental moment during his Mississippi State and New Mexico State tenures which is headed by appearances in six of the seven NCAA Tournaments. Anwar is regarded as one of the nation’s elite recruiters and possesses a wealth of experience gained over his 19 seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant coach which has paid more than its fair share of dividends for the programs he’s been associated with. The Bulldogs have earned three consecutive NCAA Tournament trips on the strength of a trio of a 21-win campaigns starting in 2022-23. It marked the third time in State’s history and the first time in two decades that the Bulldogs have pieced together NCAA Tournament runs in three straight seasons. State has dialed up 10 victories over Associated Press Top 25 squads which set a new program watermark for a three-year span. The Bulldogs amassed a single season best five regular season ranked wins last season coming off the heels of three AP Top 10 triumphs in 2023-24. State ascended to as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll in 2024-25 and was ranked during the month of March for the first time since 2003-04. Overall, the Bulldogs have been ranked in 19 editions of

Dillon Elder begins his second season as an assistant coach and his fourth season on Chris Jans' coaching staff at Mississippi State in 2025-26. Elder has been part of a State program that has dialed up back-to-back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips fueled by a trio of 21-win campaigns. It marked the third time in program history and the first time in two decades that the Bulldogs have secured three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids. State has been ranked among the Associated Press Top 25 during each of the three seasons and rose to as high as No. 14 in 2024-25. The Bulldogs have captured 10 wins over AP Top 25 squads which is a program record over a three-year span. Elder was elevated to assistant coach starting in 2024-25 after he spent two seasons as State’s director of scouting and analytics. Leading into State, Elder had a yearlong stint as Tarleton State’s Director of Operations in 2021-22. Prior to his tenure in Stephenville, Elder worked with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves as a Video Assistant in 2020-21. He spent his undergraduate time as a student manager at Texas A&M from 2015-18 and was promoted to head manager in 2017-18. Then, Elder advanced to a graduate assistant role with the Aggies during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. During his time in Bryan-College Station, the Aggies won a share of the SEC regular season championship in 2015-16 and made two trips to the NCAA Sweet 16. Elder graduated from Texas A&M with a Master of Science degree in marketing alongside a

Dominick Walker enters his fourth season as Mississippi State's strength and conditioning coach for the men's basketball program in 2025-26. Walker possesses...

Doug Wagemester enters his second season as Mississippi State’s Associate Athletics Director of Men’s Basketball on Chris Jans’ staff in 2025-26. State pushe...

Erik Johansson enters his first season as Mississippi State’s Director of Scouting and Analytics on Chris Jans’ staff in 2025-26. Johansson will work extensively on scouting, analytics and basketball strategies with members of the coaching staff to assist in the creation of opponent scouting reports and provide video breakdown for player development among other duties. Johansson spent four seasons at his alma mater, Loyola Marymount in the West Coast Conference, as a video coordinator under Stan Johnson. He cut his teeth in 2020-21 and 2021-22 as a graduate assistant before being elevated into a program’s first full-time video coordinator in 2022-23 and 2023-24. The Lions earned a pair of top four finishes in the WCC standings during his tenure. LMU knocked off conference powerhouses in No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 15 Saint Mary’s as part of a 19-win campaign in 2022-23. The win at No. 6 Gonzaga marked the highest ranked win in program history along with ending the Zags 75-game home winning streak and 93-game run over unranked opponents. Overall, the Lions defeated four NCAA Tournament opponents in 2022-23 which started with victories over Nevada and Grand Canyon during non-conference action. LMU also captured the Jamaica Classic headlined by wins over Georgetown from the BIG EAST and Wake Forest from the ACC. As a player for Mike Dunlap, Johansson saw action in 118 games over his four seasons at LMU from 2016-17 to 2019-20. The Lions piled up 22 victories and made the CBI Semifinal

George Brooks begins his 16th season as an assistant coach with the Mississippi State basketball program in 2025-26 after a successful 13-year stint at the junior college ranks where he guided his Meridian Community College program to numerous titles. Brooks, the SEC’s longest tenured assistant coach and the NCAA’s third-longest tenured major conference assistant coach, is in the midst of his second decade of loyal service to the Maroon and White under Chris Jans, Ben Howland, Rick Ray and Rick Stansbury. The 2025-26 season also will enable Brooks to match the longest tenured assistant coach in State history. Brooks has been impactful on the recruiting trail and served as the lead recruiter to 11 players, who have garnered a combined 19 All-SEC First-Team, All-SEC Second-Team, All-SEC Freshman Team and All-SEC Defensive Team accolades. The Bulldogs have had at least one player garner All-SEC First-Team or All-SEC Second-Team honors during nine consecutive seasons and in 10 of the last 11 since the 2014-15 season. All but one of State’s All-SEC First-Team or All-SEC Second-Team performers over the 11-year span were Brooks’ signees. Josh Hubbard captured All-SEC Second-Team accolades for the second straight season in 2024-25, while Cameron Matthews was one of five players on the 2023-24 and 2024-25 All-SEC Defensive Team. In 2021-22, State had four players on NBA rosters for the first time in program history. Brooks served as the lead recruiter for Reggie Perry, Craig Sword, Qu

Jayden Saddler starts his second season as a fellow with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program in 2025-26. The Bulldogs are picked up their third consecutive season with 21 victories and captured their third straight NCAA Tournament berth in 2024-25. Saddler played four seasons for Sean Woods at Southern in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he was a 2021-22 All-SWAC Second-Team and NABC All-District 22 First-Team performer. He surpassed 1,000 career points while playing at Saint Peter’s under Bashir Mason in 2022-23. Saddler spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at Joppatowne High School in Maryland where the program captured its first region championship since 2015. Saddler, a native of Aberdeen, Maryland, earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Southern in 2022. He is pursuing a master’s degree in education and is scheduled to graduate in May 2026.

Joe Rogers was promoted to Mississippi State’s Director of Recruiting in July 2025 and enters his fourth season on Chris Jans' staff in 2025-26. During his first three seasons, Rogers coordinated the day-to-day operations of State’s program where the Bulldogs posted three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a trio of 21-win seasons. The Bulldogs have been ranked among the nation’s top 25 at some point over the last seasons and posted 10 wins over Associated Press Top 25 opponents which has established a new program record over a three-year span. Before State, Rogers worked as a graduate assistant under Tom Crean at his alma mater, Georgia. He began as a student manager in 2018-19 before he advanced to graduate assistant during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. At UGA, Rogers became familiar with the scouting and analytics process. He worked with the team’s coaches to break down film for prospects and opponents alike. Alongside his scouting work, Rogers was responsible for coordinating video libraries of material for players and coaches to view which enabled the program to keep track of both workouts and practice footage. Rogers graduated from Georgia in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in sport management. The Joe Rogers File Seasons • School • Years at School • Position 2026-Present • Mississippi State • 1 Seasons • Director of Recruiting 2023-24-25 • Mississippi State • 3 Seasons • Coordinator of Operations 2021-22 • Georgia • 2 Seasons • Graduate Assistant Not

Logan Padgett embarks on his first season as a fellow on the Mississippi State men’s basketball staff in 2025-26. Before State, Padgett worked as a graduate manager for one season at Louisville where he aided the program in video coordination, skill development and scout work under Pat Kelsey who was named the 2024-25 ACC Coach of the Year and a Naismith National Coach of the Year semifinalist. The Cardinals piled up a 27-8 record and tied for second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. Louisville was ranked as high as No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in March 2025 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018-19. Padgett’s playing career featured 95 appearances and 39 starts between his stops at Samford (2019-20), New Mexico (2020-21) and Manhattan (2022-23, 2023-24). He was a two-time All-MAAC Academic Team member and a College Sports Communications Academic All-Region honoree for his tremendous work in the classroom during his time at Manhattan. Padgett is the son Cynthia and Scott Padgett. His father, Scott, serves as an assistant coach on State’s staff. Scott was an 8-year NBA veteran drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 28th overall pick in 1999 and a key member of Kentucky’s 1997-98 NCAA National Championship squad. His mother, Cynthia, also played volleyball for Kentucky. Padgett earned his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and his master’s degree in business administration, both from Manhattan College. He and his w

Patrice Days embarks on his second season as an assistant coach and his fourth season on Chris Jans’ coaching staff at Mississippi State in 2025-26. Days has been along for every step of State’s successful ride which has resulted in three straight NCAA Tournament bids sparked by three consecutive seasons of 21 victories apiece. The Bulldogs have dialed up back-to-back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips for the third time in program history with the last time coming in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05. State has checked in among the Associated Press Top 25 during each of the last three seasons and climbed to as high as No. 14 in 2024-25. The Bulldogs have piled up 10 victories over AP Top 25 opponents which is tops in program history over a three-year span. Days, one of the nation’s up-and-coming coaches, has already gained valuable coaching experience with a decade of service as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. He has played an integral role in several aspects for all the program’s he has worked for which include player development, scouting and recruiting. Days was bumped up to assistant coach leading into the 2024-25 season after he served as State’s director of recruiting during his first two seasons. Prior to State, Days spent the 2021-22 season at East Tennessee State and worked at Coastal Carolina for Cliff Ellis from 2017-18 to 2020-21 where the Chanticleers captured a pair of postseason berths and a trip to the 2021 CBI Finals. During his Coastal Carolina tenur

Reagan Jordan begins his second season as a graduate assistant and his fifth season overall with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program in 2025-26. Jordan served as a student manager for three seasons under coaches Chris Jans and Ben Howland. He was promoted to head student manager in 2023-24 where he assisted in numerous duties which included coding and clipping during games, practices and for use in scouting reports. The Bulldogs have appeared in three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT during Jordan’s association with the program. Overall, he has been a part of 81 victories over his four seasons. Jordan, a Nashville, Tennessee native, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from Mississippi State in May 2023. He secured his Master of Science in sport administration in May 2025 and is pursuing a second master’s degree in organizational leadership slated to graduate in May 2026.

Scott Padgett, a national champion standout at Kentucky and an eight-year NBA veteran, enters his second season as an assistant coach and his fourth season on Chris Jans’ coaching staff at Mississippi State in 2025-26. Padgett’s three seasons on State’s staff has resulted in a trio of NCAA Tournaments appearances on the strength of three consecutive 21-win seasons. Overall, it’s the third time in program history and the first time in two decades where the Bulldogs have put together three straight NCAA Tournament runs. The Bulldogs have broken into the Associated Press Top 25 poll during all three seasons and jumped up to as high as a No. 14 ranking in 2024-25. State has garnered 10 triumphs over AP Top 25 foes which is the program record for a three-year span. Padgett was promoted to assistant coach leading into the 2024-25 season after he served as State’s assistant to the head coach over his first two seasons. Overall, he possesses 16 seasons of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level while has recruited and coached over 30 players that have gone on to play professionally. Before his time at State, Padgett completed a pair of one-year stints as an assistant coach at New Mexico under Paul Weir in 2020-21 and at Manhattan College working for former Kentucky teammate Steve Masiello in 2021-22. Padgett began his coaching career as an assistant strength coach at his alma mater during John Calipari’s first season at Kentucky in 2009-10. Then, he spent two seasons apiece

Tony Lewis Jr. enters his second season as a fellow with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program in 2025-26. The Bulldogs are secured their third straight season with 21 victories and garnered their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2024-25. Lewis Jr. played college basketball at Santa Clara (2015-16) for Kerry Keating, at Blinn College (2017-18) under Scott Schumacher and at Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (2018-19 & 2019-20) for Willis Wilson. After college, he played professionally in Albania, France, Portugal and Switzerland. Prior to arriving in Starkville, Lewis Jr. spent time as a high school coach at North East Early College School (2022-23) and McNeil High School (2023-24) in Texas. Lewis Jr., a San Antonio, Texas native, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi in 2020. He is pursuing a master’s degree in teaching at Mississippi State and is scheduled to graduate in May 2026.

Vladimir Lukomski heads into his second season as a graduate assistant with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program in 2025-26. The Bulldogs are tucked away their third straight season with 21 victories and secured their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2024-25. Lukomski spent five seasons playing for Justin Serresse at Wilfrid Laurier in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada from 2019-20 to 2023-24. The Golden Hawks won 41 games over his last two seasons, and he collected multiple U Sports All-Canadian Academic awards. Lukomski has been involved with Team Canada’s national program since December 2022 in a variety of roles. Most recently, he will work as the video coordinator for the U23 squad at the 2025 Globl Jam in Toronto. Previously, Lukomski worked as an on-court training camp coach for the senior men’s national team at the 2023 FIBA World Championships and for the 2024 senior men’s Olympic team. Lukomski has served as a junior academy coach in addition to a video and analytics coach and a video coordinator for Team Canada’s U16, U17, U18 and U19 programs. Canada’s U18 squad earned a bronze medal at the 2024 FIBA AmeriCup. Lukomski has assisted in player development working with NBA players RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Josh Primo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He also has been involved as an on-court coach at Barrett’s Basketball Camps in his native Canada. Lukomski, a Mississauga, Ontario native, graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in business administrati

Wyatt Lohaus begins his first season as a fellow on the Mississippi State men’s basketball staff during the 2025-26 season. Prior to State, Lohaus served as a basketball coach at the 212° Basketball Academy located in North Liberty, Iowa in 2024-25. He also worked as a basketball skill trainer during that time. Lohaus spent two seasons playing professional basketball overseas with the Giessen 46ers (2019-20) and the Bayer Giants Leverkusen (2020-21) in Germany. He was the starting point guard for a Bayer Giants Leverkusen squad that earned a second-place finish in the German Pro A Basketball League. Lohaus played college basketball at Northern Iowa for Ben Jacobson in the Missouri Valley Conference. He saw action in 135 games and averaged 10.3 points per game as a senior captain in 2018-19. The Panthers appeared in 2015 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments during his first two seasons. Lohaus led his high school program, Iowa City West, to three consecutive state championships to close out his prep career. He was named 2013-14 Iowa Mr. Basketball and Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. His father, Brad Lohaus, was an 11-year NBA veteran from 1987-88 to 1997-98 who played for eight franchises headed by a five-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks. Lohaus, a native of North Liberty, Iowa, earned his bachelor’s degree in movement and exercise science from Northern Iowa in 2018 and was a three-time MVC All-Academic selection. He is pursuing a Master’s in Sports Pedagogy at Mississip