In its quest to escape a recent rut of mediocrity, the Utah men’s basketball program is turning to one of its own.
The Utes have hired Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen, a starter on Utah’s 1998 Final Four team, as their next head coach, the university announced Thursday.
‘Alex brings with him tremendous experience coaching at the collegiate, NBA and international levels, and is widely-respected for his ability to develop players and teach the game of basketball,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “Alex has a vision and a plan for leading the Runnin’ Utes basketball program back among the nation’s elite, and I am confident that he will elevate our program and reignite the passion of our fan base along the way.”
Jensen has been an NBA assistant since 2013, working with the Utah Jazz from 2013-23 before joining Jason Kidd’s staff with the Mavericks before the 2023-24 season. Dallas made a run to the NBA Finals that season.
Jensen has college experience, as well, having spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Louis, where he worked under his former college coach, the late Rick Majerus, from 2007-11.
A Utah native and former Utah Mr. Basketball, Jensen was a starting forward on the Utes’ 1997-98 team that fell to Kentucky in the national championship game. As a senior in 2000, he was named the Mountain West player of the year before embarking on a seven-year professional career overseas.
He may not be the only former Utah player from that era to be on the Utes’ sideline next season, either. CBS Sports reported Thursday that Andre Miller, a 17-year NBA veteran who’s currently the head coach of the Denver Nuggets’ G League franchise, is “in the mix” to join Jensen’s staff.
Utah, which fired coach Craig Smith in late February, is 16-14 entering its regular-season finale against BYU. The program is in its first season in the Big 12 after spending the previous 13 years in the Pac-12.
The Utes are a far cry from the perennial national contender they were during Jensen’s playing days. The program has made the NCAA Tournament only three times since the 2005-06 season and hasn’t been in the 68-team field since 2016. Smith went 65-62 in his four seasons at the school.
By turning to Jensen, Utah is following a similar path to its most hated rival. After Mark Pope left for Kentucky after last season, BYU hired Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young, who has the Cougars at 22-8 in his first season and is set to bring in a top-10 recruiting class next season led by No. 1 overall prospect A.J. Dybantsa.
‘My basketball journey has been filled with so many people who have helped shape me as a coach and as a person, ultimately guiding me to this opportunity to lead the Runnin’ Utes basketball program,’ Jensen said in a statement. ‘I’m thankful for all of the great mentors I’ve had along the way as I embark on this next step to lead Utah Basketball. This is an exciting chapter for my family and me, and I’m looking forward to returning to a place that has meant so much to me. I can’t wait to get to work with our student athletes, coaches and the University as we move forward to achieve our goals.”