WAC Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)
By Joey Loose
4. Chris Jans – New Mexico State (2017-2020)
Few people appreciate second chances as much as Jans, who has done marvelous work with New Mexico State these last few seasons. He was a junior college head coach who assisted Porter Moser and Gregg Marshall, helping lead Wichita State to the Final Four in 2013. He spent just one season as head coach at Bowling Green, fired for inappropriate behavior. New Mexico State offered him that second chance and he has taken advantage.
He inherited a great program, but Jans has kept the train rolling. He’s won all three WAC regular-season titles and likely would’ve made it three Tournament titles had this past season not been ended prematurely. His record with the Aggies is 83-17, and the pair of NCAA Tournament bids is impressive alone. His 2019 team was seconds away from upsetting future Final Four team Auburn and could have been the Cinderella team of the Tournament.
New Mexico is a sleeping giant at the mid-major level, and Jans has this program in tremendous shape. One of these years, this is a team that could make a Sweet Sixteen run, or perhaps makes even more noise in the postseason. Jans has proven recently that he’s an incredible choice and could look to parlay this success into a more prominent job. Until that day, expect him and these Aggies to continue to impose their will on the WAC.