The Utah Utes recently decided to fire head basketball coach Craig Smith, who won 20+ games just once in four seasons at the helm.
Now, the school reportedly has eyes on a replacement.
Who Is Alex Jensen?
According to insider Jon Rothstein, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Alex Jensen has emerged as a top candidate to replace Smith at Utah.
Rothstein notes that no offer has been made, but Jensen is a primary candidate here.
Sources: Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen has emerged as a primary candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Utah.
No offer has been made yet, but he’s at the top of the Utes’ list to replace Craig Smith.
Played under Rick Majerus and was an assistant with the Utah Jazz.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 4, 2025
A former player at Utah, Jensen played for Hall of Fame coach Rick Majerus from 1994-95 and 1997-00. He has additional ties to the state of Utah as he was an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz from 2013-23.
A former college assistant at St. Louis University, Jensen also has experience coaching at the college level.
Jensen looks like one of those potential hires who has been on the school’s radar for a while, especially considering his deep ties to the region.
How Jensen Can Change Utah
Utah’s basketball program has not exactly been elite over the last few decades.
The team has not made the NCAA Tournament since the 2015-16 season and has earned a trip to the big dance just three times in the last two decades.
But while Jensen played under Majerus during his college career, the program enjoyed plenty of success. From 1994-00, the school made six consecutive NCAA Tournament runs, including a Sweet 16 run, an Elite Eight run, and a national championship game appearance.
Jensen has the chance to bring back a taste of the glory days to the present-day program, and it starts with finding success in the Big 12. The program has not finished in first place in regular-season conference play since the 2008-09 season when Jim Boylen was the head coach.
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It is time that the Utes find a way to get back on top of the conference. If Jensen can lead his alma mater back to that kind of level of basketball, the future could be bright in Salt Lake City.
Time will tell if the school ultimately decides that Jensen is the right man to lead the program moving into the future.
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