Utah got its man the second time around.
One week after the University of Utah announced it was parting ways with men's basketball head coach Craig Smith, athletic director Mark Harlan has found his replacement — Alex Jensen.
ESPN's Pete Thamel was the first of multiple national reporters to report that the former Runnin' Ute star who's spent more than a decade in the NBA as an assistant coach — first with the Utah Jazz, then most recently with the Dallas Mavericks — will replace Smith as Utah's head coach.
The university made it official Thursday afternoon.
"This is an exciting day for our men's basketball program and for the University of Utah community, as Alex Jensen officially returns to Salt Lake City as our new head coach," Harlan said in a statement.
"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. 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. I'd also like to thank (University of Utah) President (Taylor) Randall and the Board of Trustees for their support through this process. It's exciting to welcome back a beloved figure in Runnin' Utes basketball history, as well as his family!"
Jensen was a candidate for the job when it opened four years ago but withdrew his name during the process and Smith was hired from Utah State to replace Larry Krystkowiak.
Smith went 65-62 as Utah's head coach before being fired last week. During his nearly four seasons, the Utes made the NIT semifinals once but never made it back to the NCAA tournament.
It's been nine years since the Utes have played in the NCAAs, and the hope is that Jensen, who grew up in Utah and played at Viewmont High, will be the guy to return the Utes to the national tournament.
"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. I want to thank University of Utah President Taylor Randall, Athletics Director Mark Harlan and the University of Utah Board of Trustees for their faith in me as we move into the future of Utah basketball."
Jensen played for legendary Utah coach Rick Majerus and was a part of the Utah team that played Kentucky in the 1998 national championship game.
Following an eight-year international playing career, Jensen started coaching alongside Majerus as an assistant at Saint Louis from 2007-11, then became the head coach of the NBA G League's (then called the D League) Canton Charge from 2011-13 and was named the league's Coach of the Year his final season.
Jensen then moved on to be an assistant with the Jazz from 2013-23, working under Quin Snyder and being involved in player development.
Two years ago, he took a job with the Mavericks after Snyder and the Jazz parted ways.
Now, Jensen takes over a Utah program that has been to the NCAA tournament just twice since moving to the power conference level with the Pac-12 back in 2011.
Both of those NCAA appearances came under Krystkowiak and were headlined by NBA talents Jakob Poeltl and Delon Wright.
This year, the Utes are in their first season in the Big 12 and have exceeded the preseason expectation that they would finish last in the league.
Instead, with one game left in the regular season, the Utes are 16-14 overall and 8-11 in Big 12 play. That final game before postseason play is at rival BYU Saturday.
Still, the Utes are too far off the bubble to be considered in contention for the NCAA tournament at this point — even with wins over Kansas, Kansas State and BYU — barring a run to the Big 12 tournament championship.
That NCAA drought is a big part of the reason for Jensen's return to Utah, and now, the process begins to see what the next generation of Utes basketball will look like.
