Chris Jans has coached basketball long enough to understand the process of a coaching change, but he still admits the move from New Mexico State to Mississippi State was “fast and furious” and there’s rarely good timing to make a move.

“It can be a tough business at times,” Jans said. “It’s been a bittersweet day for me and my family. We love it here in Cruces, we love New Mexico State. People have been so kind to us, so welcoming, treated us so well. I’m excited about a new adventure, a new challenge. But it’s going to be tough because this place means so much to us.”

Jans said taking the job professionally is an opportunity to compete against the best.

“When I first started this journey, that certainly was a goal,” he said. “You never know if you’re going to make it to that level. It’s a bigger stage, it’s a bigger platform. You’re going to compete against the best players, the best coaches each and every night. Certainly it’s going to be a challenge for us, but that was probably the biggest deciding factor.”

Jans went 122-32 the past 5 seasons in Las Cruces, and led the 12th-seeded Aggies past No. 5 seed UConn 70-63 in the first round before they lost 53-48 to 4th-seeded Arkansas on Saturday.