Behind The Scenes In Utah’s Pursuit Of Alex Jensen For Head Coach
Mar 6, 2025, 11:43 AM | Updated: 11:48 am
SALT LAKE CITY— Alex Jensen has agreed to become the newest head coach of men’s basketball.
After a surprising decision to make a change about 10 days ago, Utah acted quickly to secure a new program leader.
Though swift, Utah conducted a pretty thorough search. Here’s a rundown of what transpired during Utah’s coaching search.
Details of Utah’s search for a new head coach
When Utah announced that they would be changing leadership, Jensen became the immediate favorite for the job. Utah still had to go through the process to ensure he was best suited for the job. Here’s a rundown of what is believed to have transpired behind the scenes with Utah’s coaching search.
-On Tuesday, Mark Harlan flew to Los Angeles to meet with Alex Jensen. The Dallas Mavericks were there to play the Los Angeles Lakers, giving Utah a quick flight to conduct their first meeting of the process. This meeting set the tone for what was to come, as both parties expressed great interest in one another.
-Following that initial meeting, Jensen continued to have conversations with prominent Utah officials on Wednesday. And he continued to express his strong interest in the job. At some point in the week, Jensen also got on a phone call with Andre Miller to discuss the opportunity of working together.
-Between Thursday and Sunday, Utah continued to do its due diligence in the coaching search. After reviewing a number of candidates, Harlan landed on four candidates for interviews. They interviewed Jensen, New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino, college basketball TV analyst Josh Pastner, and Andre Miller, who met with Utah on Sunday.
-According to a source, both Pitino and Miller impressed in their interviews. Pitino is among the hottest names in college basketball, having turned New Mexico into a top contender in the Mountain West. His interest was significant, and he made a good impression. Meanwhile, Miller made clear in his interview what the University of Utah means to him.
-With their interviews completed, Utah officials met Sunday and Monday, ultimately confirming Jensen as their top choice as reported.
-After that, Utah went to work on their offer. Over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, Utah finalized the terms of the deal with Jensen’s representation.
-Finally, on Thursday morning, Jensen accepted Utah’s offer—believed to land him somewhere in the top half of the Big 12 in head coach salaries— to become the next head coach of the men’s basketball program.
Why is Alex Jensen the right guy for Utah?
“You always have to have someone that develops talent. It’s just you might not have multiple years to develop that talent,” Utah AD Mark Harlan shared on his Hear It From Harlan podcast when asked about what he’s looking for in the new head coach.
“A great person, a solid leader, who’s got proven abilities to do that, and someone that understands the importance of Utah basketball to this community and to involve the community in the highest of levels,” he added.
Jensen very easily seems to check those boxes. His coaching resume speaks for itself, with 12 years in the NBA and the success he contributed to with the Jazz and Mavericks organizations. He’s played a big role in the development of individual players as well. He’s garnered great respect from many in the league for his work.
Beyond that, many former Utah players have clamored for him to take the job because of his connection to the community. Jensen went to Viewmont and played a big role for the Runnin’ Utes under Majerus. He understands the need for connection to the community and over the last few days, a number of offers have been extended to in-state prospects.
The belief in him as the guy is strong. The support his hiring is expected to bring is significant. Utah’s resources are expected to multiply with him at the helm.
With Jensen now in place as head coach, the program’s future looks much brighter. This is a big win for Utah and is expected to reignite the fanbase’s passion.
It’s an exciting moment for Utah basketball fans to now have someone who can lead them into the future while possessing a connection to the program’s storied past.
