How a snub has 'a fire lit up under' Jackson State basketball team ahead of 2023-24 season
If Jackson State men’s basketball coach Mo Willams has any say, his team will not finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. According to the SWAC preseason poll taken among the league’s head coaches and sports information directors Monday, the Tigers will finish fourth in the league.
Williams, who is in his second season as Jackson State coach, has not let go of the lack of respect given the program last season, when the Tigers finished third (12-6) in the SWAC after being picked to finish seventh in preseason. He joked that with none of his players making the postseason All-SWAC, he should have been chosen coach of the year.
“We have a fire lit up under us,” Williams said. “To finish third in the league and not get anybody on the all-conference team and to not get one player selected, that was disappointing.”
Because of the perceived disrespect, the team’s slogan this season is “Two dogs one bone.” When asked to expound on it- Williams said, if you put two dogs in one kennel and throw one bone in there, they are not going to share it.
This season the Tigers return all five starters and a newcomer who should play a significant role. Senior Jordan O’Neal, a transfer from Alabama State, finished second in the league in blocked shots in 2022-23. The two go back to when Williams recruited him when he was coaching Alabama State.
“We are very deep and we are the best team in the SWAC,” Willams said. “Our mindset is different. We want to be great. We want to be undefeated in our league. We want to be champions and we want to go to the NCAA Tournament. That is our mindset.”
This season, three JSU players were selected to the preseason All-SWAC team.
Senior guard Chase Adams made the first team. Last season, Adams averaged 8.0 points, 3.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. His best game of the season was when he scored 21 on the road at Bethune-Cookman.
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JSU big man Romelle Mansell was selected to the second team. Mansell's season bests were 24 points against Florida A&M and 14 rebounds against Abilene Christian.
“He’s gotten so much better from last year,” Williams said of Mansell. “He can put the ball on the floor. He is getting more vocal. He is shooting the ball at a higher clip and expanded his range out to the 3-point line. His IQ of the game is so high. He is going to have a terrific year for us. I would be shocked if he is not Player of the Year.”
Ken Evans Jr., a redshirt junior, also was selected to the second team. Evans scored in double figures in 19 games and averaged 11.3 points per game last season.
Jackson State opens the season at Memphis on Nov. 6.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Preseason SWAC ranking irks Jackson State basketball coach Mo Williams
