How a Former Walk-On Has Been Vital to MSU Men's Basketball Winning Streak

A former walk-on has started every game for MSU during their winning streak.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs were at their lowest point after a 99-67 blowout loss to Alabama, dropping to 3-6 in SEC play. To add insult to injury, the Bulldog's veteran starter and arguably their best defender, D.J. Jeffries, went down with an injury in Tuscaloosa. 

Despite the setbacks, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans had confidence in his team's ability to bounce back.

"I am pretty confident I got a group of men who understand that we gotta move on," Jans said. 

With Jeffries out, the Bulldogs turned to the sophomore Shawn Jones Jr. to help fill the void Jeffries left behind. The Texas native is another gritty player for the Bulldogs, who plays hard and is relentless on defense. 

The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder is often asked to guard bigger players, but he always accepts the challenge. MSU had dug itself into a hole early in conference play, and the Bulldogs were in a must-win game against Georgia. 

Also, this would be the first game Jeffries would miss, so Jones was inserted into the starting lineup and played well. The former consensus three-star recruit put up seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. 

The identity of this MSU team is their selfless players like Cam Matthews and Jones, who sometimes struggle on the offensive end. They do not let this phase them, as they use their athletic ability to defend and be active with their hands, leading to steals, blocks, and countless hustle plays.  

"He's playing hard, like he usually does," Jans said. "He is one of our better checkout guys that we got he is consistently shielding his man, from getting offensive rebounds."

The offensive end of the floor has been a struggle at times for Jones, but he has made minor tweaks to his game to make him a more effective player on offense.

"With Shawn, just driving in that lane and playing off two feet and making others better and understanding that, if he doesn't have a clear path to the goal, there are other people that are open," Jans said. "Before, he had kind of had a one-track mind when he drove the ball.... he was trying to score each and every opportunity, and he's really improved." 

Jones has gotten the start in every game during this four-game winning streak for MSU, and Jans described Matthews as the "personality" of this team. Jones also possesses those same traits as Matthews: effort, intensity, unselfishness, and willingness to do whatever it takes to win. 

Mississippi State is a tough team, and that toughness has taken the Bulldogs from a 3-6 conference record to a 7-6 team above .500 in league play. Jones encapsulates this team and his coach; he is selfless and gritty and will do anything to win.

Also, credit goes to Jans and his staff for playing to the strengths of all his players and putting them in positions to succeed. Mississippi State will be back in action Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT as it heads to Baton Rouge to take on LSU.

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