A Super Talk Mississippi Media Production.

This is a Thunder and Lightning Extra here on Super Talk, Mississippi.

I'm Brian Hayden, and I'm joined today by former Bulldog basketball star.

Bart Heisch, who has got some big news.

He wants to share with us about the Four of the Players Classic,

which is going to be a Bulldog NIL event coming up on April

the 25th in West Point at the Mossioch golf course.

But before we get into that, Bart, we got to talk some basketball.

I know as a guy who played on that Final Four team, you had to be thrilled with what you saw

from Chris Jans and this team this season.

Just sort of tell us about your feelings watching

Bulldog basketball get back to the NCAA tournament. Thanks for having me, Brian, enjoy all the

great work you do for the Bulldog family. But yeah, it just, you know, I think the momentum

kind of started growing and through some circles, you know, I, Coach Jans and I had mutual friends.

And so when he got the state, you know, just kind of developed a relationship with him. And then through our administration, I went to a couple of games. And it was, it wasn't that it always wasn't fun, but, you know, the last, last few years haven't been the best to go to home games. You know, nobody really there. We weren't really, you know, we weren't really where Mississippi State basketball needs to be and where a lot of us are used to it being. And so when excited started coming, I went down to Fort Myers, man, and I just saw how they were playing. And I saw they were buying in. And I just kept going. And it was exciting. And then we just started seeing it build. You can see when a guy can coach and you can see when a culture is changing. And we all started seeing that. And some of us former players got to talk in and we all decided we liked him. And then the fans, everybody started getting behind and the momentum rolled. And it was just a great year all the way around. I can't tell you this, Brian. It's the first time since 1996, actually, that I wore my final four travel suit jacket.

I wore it to Dayton, just because I was trying to bring Zach some fives, and it didn't quite work out, but future's bright, man. And so I just, I'm excited for, you know, our current players or staff, but more importantly, it's always great.

You're going to have that.

But I'm glad our fans are back into it, man, because we've got a great fan base, and it needs to be celebrated.

And I think the biggest reason the fans are back is that Mississippi State fans will always buy into a blue collar, gritty, play tough kind of team.

And that's what this team was.

That's what this team was. That's what this team was.

And it just have to beat you in the mud, if you will. That's what Coach Jans calls it, you know, and drag people down into that to where you cannot get a, you're not going to be able to score in the half court. And when you do shoot it, you're not going to be able to get a rebound. But like we saw, you know, Brian, it's very difficult to continue getting stops

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