How Tolu Smith, students in banana costumes helped Chris Jans build Mississippi State basketball
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans asked fans to be patient. He needed them to buy in just as star forward Tolu Smith did when the former New Mexico State coach came to Starkville in March looking to build his first Power Five program.
Jans admitted his team wouldn’t be perfect, and the 1-7 start to SEC play exemplified that. However, he promised competitiveness. He ensured fans they wouldn’t leave Humphrey Coliseum questioning his team’s effort.
Fans trusted him. They provided a raucous environment on Jan. 28 when MSU, coming off eight losses in nine games, got a breakthrough win in overtime against TCU. From the three students dressed as bananas in the front row to the children in the nosebleeds, fans helped build March Madness momentum with a Feb. 4 win against Missouri.
Before shuffling to Dudy Noble Field for a baseball series against Arizona State, they filled The Hump for Saturday’s Quadrant 1 win against Texas A&M. In the home finale Tuesday, they helped propel Mississippi State (20-10, 8-9 SEC) to a second-half run for a crucial 74-68 win against South Carolina.
“I don’t know why (crowds) have increased or why they keep coming back, but we certainly appreciate it,” Jans said. “It’s really helped us.”
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Bananas supporting ‘The Dentist’
In Mississippi State’s whiteout game against Kentucky, the yellow popped off the bananas. Hiding in the potassium-filled costumes were sophomores Ben Stroud and David Kiesel and freshman Josh Fisher.
They’ve been among the first in the arena − usually lining up 90 minutes before tipoff − since the season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. They’ve been among the loudest when Jans’ tooth-aching defense needs a crucial stop. They’ve been among the quietest when the Bulldogs need a late free throw.
“The buzz is back,” Stroud told the Clarion Ledger. “People were ready to get back in here. It’s been really fun.”
Stroud noticed fans wearing walrus costumes occasionally at games last season, so he and his friends elected they needed something original. Kiesel is a fan of bananas, so the idea was born.
Jans has made students a priority by participating in on-campus shooting contests and stopping by Greek housing to encourage members to come to games. Kiesel, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, experienced it firsthand as Jans came and spoke to the chapter prior to the season.
“It definitely has an impact,” Kiesel said.
Fatheads of Jans have appeared in the student section throughout the season. Tuesday, it was taken a step further.
Jans has earned the nickname of ‘The Dentist’ by college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. In response, a student brought a poster with Jans’ face photoshopped on a dentist drilling into a patient covered by a South Carolina logo.
Sending off Tolu Smith
Smith arrived in Starkville and sat out the 2019-20 season due to the NCAA’s transfer rules. Average attendance that season was 6,669. The following season, he led the SEC with 8.5 rebounds per game. COVID-19 restrictions resulted in an average attendance of 984.
Last season, Smith battled through injuries en route to 14.2 point and 6.5 rebounds per contest. However, as the team battled for a bubble spot, average attendance sat at 6,830. This season, Mississippi State’s average attendance has jumped to 7,674 and featured multiple sellouts.
Senior night featured 7,280 fans who gave Smith a standing ovation as he left the floor.
"It's a surreal feeling to play my last game in The Hump," Smith said.
Jans admits recruiting Smith to return for a new coaching staff felt like a win. Getting him to buy in was massive. Having the fans follow soon after was almost as crucial, and pushing toward a March Madness bid − MSU is among the last four in, according to ESPN − is a large reason he has been rewarded in Year 1.
But with a high seed in the NIT as an alternative destination for the Bulldogs, Jans hopes new memories are made at Humphrey Coliseum in the distant future.
"Hopefully it's the last time we play in this building this year," Jans said.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Chris Jans, Tolu Smith build Mississippi State for March Madness
