Open Practice with Chris Jans: Drills, Set Plays, Opponent Preparation & More!

with Chris Jans,
Mississippi State Head Men's Coach;
New Mexico State University Head Coach from 2017 to 2022;
4x WAC Regular Season Champions;
3x WAC Tournament Champions;
3x Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year (2018-2020);
Bowling Green Head Coach from 2014 to 2015;
Wichita State Assistant from 2015 to 2017;
Illinois State Assistant from 2004 to 2007;
Chipola College Head Coach from 2003 to 2004;
2004 Panhandle Regular Season Champions;
Howard College Head Coach from 2001 to 2003;
Idaho Assistant Coach from 1999 to 2001;
Independence Community College Head Coach from 1998 to 1999;
Kirkwood Community College from 1996 to 1998;
1998 NJCAA D-II National Champions;
1998 NJCAA D-II Coach of the Year;
2x ICCAC Regular Season Champions (1997, 1998);
Played college basketball for Loras College

Watching open practice instructional videos offer coaches a ‘front row seat’ to see unscripted practice sessions and gain fresh ideas to help improve their players and team!

The best part of these open practice sessions - two full practices - with Chris Jans, the head men’s coach at Mississippi State University, is that these practices were filmed in the middle of season. 

As a result, you’ll get the opportunity to watch how MSU prepares for an upcoming week during the season and a set of opponents his team will be facing. Covered in this open practice session, you will get:

• Multiple offensive drills.
• Multiple defensive drills.
• Set plays.
• Opponent preparation.
• And more!

By watching these two practice sessions, filmed in the ‘open practice’ format, you will get everything you need to prepare for an opponent and see how to keep things competitive and fresh during the course of a season.

Practice No. 1

The first practice of the week is important for setting the tone. In a regular-season week where you are scheduled to play two different opponents, Monday is the day to focus on team improvement. 

Coach Jans’ practice begins with warmup drills that focus on passing, on-the-ball defense and closeouts. The ‘Five-Cone Closeout Drill’ is great for getting multiple reps with the whole team working on closeouts from different angles on the floor. Practice No. 1 is also a time where Coach Jans focuses on individual improvement. Splitting his squad into groups, players work on specific skills geared toward a specific goal. Whether it’s defense or for an upcoming opponent, the group sessions focus on important skills for success. 

Several drills work on post-entry techniques, moving after the ball is entered into the post, and pick-and-roll offense reads in a 2-on-0 setting. 

Coach Jans then moves to work on perfecting his team’s set plays, press offense and press defense. One particular drill shown works on different situations that come up during games – the ‘Offense-Defense-Offense Drill’ – is designed to help players perform and execute during the clutch.

Practice No. 2

Practice No. 2 is more focused on an upcoming opponent and is designed to help keep players fresh. 

Practice starts similarly with work being done to improve closeouts and defense. A ‘3-on-3 Shell Drill’ followed by the ‘Make/Miss Drill’ gets players locked-in defensively. Starting with a free throw, players transition into different defenses based on a make or miss. 

To make sure players have a ‘get back’ mentality after a shot, Coach Jans has them run a set and then practice their transition defense. 

To close out this practice, Coach Jans runs his team through a half-speed scouting segment. Running at half speed, players can retain more information, while learning their assigned reads and adjustments better.

If you are looking for innovative ways to keep your practices fresh and competitive over the course of a long basketball season, then this is the open-practice session to watch! You will get many drills and ideas that are sure to help your team stay focused and prepared for upcoming opponents.

127 minutes. 2023.