The Dallas Mavericks organization is facing loss after loss this season. After the controversial Luka Dončić trade, things haven’t exactly gone Nico Harrison’s way. Anthony Davis got injured in his first game as a Maverick, and Kyrie Irving just tore his ACL. It is a nightmare that seems to have no end. As if the on-court headaches weren’t enough, Dallas may face a loss on the coaching side too. There is a chance that Alex Jensen, one of the top assistant coaches for the team, might return to college basketball.
Jensen has made quite the impact during his time with Dallas. After joining in 2023, he made a finals run with the franchise within his first two years. However, Craig Smith‘s surprise firing might be a sign for Jensen to come home. See, the assistant coach is a University of Utah alum, and has played under Rick Majerus.
Not only that, his roots go even deeper as he was an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz too! He was with his hometown NBA team for ten years and during this time, the Jazz went through a complete transformation. If returned to Utah, it would definitely mark a fresh start for the college. The Utes right now aren’t doing all that well either, standing ninth in the Big 12 conference.
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
It would be amazing for Utah to get the NBA-level coach. His experience and strategic intelligence would definitely guide the team towards success. He doesn’t have many expectations to beat, either. Under Craig Smith, the Utes were 65-62 over his three and a half seasons with the team. Not to mention, they haven’t made an NCAA tournament appearance within that span either. Jensen’s addition would be a definite boost for the Utah team. It would also not be the first time that a college basketball team is going after an NBA coach to fill vacancies.
Utah following in BYU’s footsteps, a new trend in college basketball?
Apparently, going after coaches from NBA is the new trend for troubled college teams. Prior to this season, the BYU Cougars were facing the same issue that Utah is dealing with now. They just could not get things going under Mark Pope’s leadership, the current Kentucky coach. Under his leadership, the BYU only made the NCAA tournament twice and both appearances were first-round exits.
However, it all changed when Kevin Young took over. With Pope’s move to the Big Blue Nation, the Cougars brought in massive NBA experience to shake things up! In his last NBA stint, Young had been the associate head coach of the Phoenix Suns, but he decided to come back to the college basketball scene.
And BYU has been thanking him for it. The program has new life in it now that Kevin Young is behind the wheel. The Cougars are currently 12-6, standing sixth in the Big 12 conference. Not only that, the coaching change has attracted many young stars to the university. AJ Dybantsa, the projected #1 overall prospect for next year, has committed to being a Cougar, and fans couldn’t be more excited!
Things are looking up for BYU, and Utah hopes to end up on a similar path. They might not have a strong foundation right now, but the right coach could change everything. If Alex Jensen decides to sign with the Utes, it will signal a new era for the University of Utah, and for college basketball as a whole.
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