Alex Jensen Wants Utah Basketball Built the Houston Way — Brick by Brick

SALT LAKE CITY — If you want to understand what Alex Jensen is trying to build at Utah, you don’t have to guess. Since his hire last March, Jensen has often sang the praises of Kelvin Sampson and Houston Cougars basketball.

“I have admired Kelvin,” Jensen said. “He’s one of the few coaches he’s won wherever he’s gone, and he started at Montana Tech.”

Sampson didn’t realize Jensen had been referencing his program as a blueprint. But Sampson was quick to describe what he sees in Jensen and why he believes it’s only a matter of time before Utah returns to form.

“Utah can turn around quickly, there’s a lot of tradition here, and Alex is the right guy,” he shared. “He’s a Ute, I know he’s coming from the NBA, but being a Ute matters, that’s important to him.”

Kelvin Sampson: Culture Before Ceiling

Sampson is obviously no stranger to success, so when he speaks about what it takes to win, you listen. He described what matters — culture, recruiting the right kids, effort, attitude, patience — he might as well have been outlining Jensen’s plan for the Utes.

“That was recruit good kids, build a good program, and win with effort and attitude,” Sampson said. “Attitude and effort is important, man. Talent’s great. There’s a lot of really, really talented teams that never make the tournament.”

But that doesn’t always mean success is instant, even in today’s game. Houston didn’t become Houston overnight.

“My first year at Houston, we were 13 and 19,” Sampson said. “We weren’t talented but we played hard, we really tried.”

That first year wasn’t about banners or highlights or even big recruiting wins. It was about establishing the behaviors necessary to win.

“We just kept doing the things that I knew would, culture-wise, would get us there eventually,” he said.

Though tonight’s 66-52 result highlighted just how far Utah has to go to become a program like Houston, that’s the part Jensen is trying to install at Utah — the habits that exist before the wins.

“He does have a culture,” Jensen said of Sampson. “He recruits a particular type of player. I’d say all of his guys are high character guys and are part of the group. And that’s something that I think we want to do the same thing here.”

Jensen didn’t talk about recruiting the talent level or copying schemes. He talked about people with the right basketball character.

“Get those guys and build it where it kind of attracts that type of player too after a while,” Jensen said of his vision.

That’s how programs become self-sustaining, the culture recruits for you.

“Again, we went 13-19 my first year, that was as good as we could do, but the next couple years, we just got better,” Sampson said. “Eventually, if you do it the right way and if you do it brick by brick, you do it with good kids and good enough players, you’re going to have a good program.”

That’s the model Jensen is studying — not to mimic Houston, but to replicate the process. He knows what Majerus built in this building because he was part of it. He understands Utah’s basketball DNA. And Sampson even acknowledged it.

“Utah has great basketball tradition, DNA,” Sampson said. “They’ve had a lot of success here. Rick Majerus was so good for the game. I’m sure that he learned a lot from Rick, it’s probably why he got into coaching.”

Tradition gives you history. Culture gives you sustainability. Right now, Utah is in the habit-forming stage. The wins will follow only if the foundation holds.

Effort is Houston’s identity

Houston’s calling card is effort weaponized — on-ball defense, physicality, rebounding, defensive cohesion. Sampson boiled it down simply.

“Attitude and effort is important, man,” Sampson shared. “Talent’s great, there’s a lot of really, really talented team that never make the tournament.”

Despite his record-setting night, Emmanuel Sharp talked about the pride he plays with on the defensive end and that more than anything else being the reason for their sustained success.

“It’s mainly what our coaches have preached to us since we’ve gotten here,” Sharp said. “They give us the formula for winning and its always started on the defensive end. Our offense can come and go, but our defense can travel anywhere, cause all that is is our attitude and effort.”

Jensen echoes that same emphasis, just framed through growth.

“You might not make shots, but you can talk, you can block out, you can hustle for loose balls” Jensen said. “Effort is something you can control and do every time.”

Utah’s small margin for error

If Houston represents the finished product, Utah right now represents the early construction phase.

“It’s hard to win games when you have as many turnovers as points and give up 20 points off those turnovers,” Jensen said.

He’s said it repeatedly this season: Utah’s margin for error is thin. Against a team like Houston, it gets microscopic.

“If you hold the ball or you over dribble, they can really make you look bad,” Jensen said.

That’s not just tactical. That’s cultural pressure. Houston forces discipline. It punishes hesitation. It exposes immaturity. And Jensen understands that those exposures are part of the process.

“I think it’s a good game for us as a team and individually to realize… how far we need to go and what we need to work on,” he said.

The Big 12 reality check

Part of Utah’s rebuild has been learning the difference between competing and sustaining.

“I think a thing all of us are learning is the Big 12 is a lot different than our non-conference schedule,” Jensen said. “There’s a lot of good established programs, coaches and systems,” he said. “I think it helps us with the vision for where we want to be in the future.”

Houston is one of those established programs. Kansas is another. Arizona another. The league doesn’t give grace periods. Sampson made that clear too.

“You’re not going to win in this league and have great success your first year,” he said.

The Houston mold isn’t easy. It’s demanding. It’s disciplined. It’s relentless. And if Alex Jensen sticks to it — recruiting character, demanding effort, shrinking the margin for error through maturity — Utah will return to the form many Ute fans are dying to see.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

Take us with you, wherever you go. Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

Follow @BartleKSLsports