Utah MBB Coach Alex Jensen Discusses Pressure To Bring Back Majerus Glory Days
Apr 15, 2025, 6:31 PM | Updated: Apr 16, 2025, 12:19 pm
(Otto Greu, Getty Images)
(Otto Greu, Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY- An exciting new era is officially underway for the Utah Runnin’ Utes as former NBA assistant coach Alex Jensen enters his first offseason at the helm of the program.
As preparations begin for next season, Coach Jensen hopped on the KSL Sports Zone to talk about what it will take to get Utah back to winning.
Alex Jensen On Returning Utah To Majerus-Like Winning Culture
Jensen played for the Runnin’ Utes between 1994 and 2000, with a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in between.
All four years that Jensen played at Utah were under legendary coach Rick Majerus, and during his four years, the Runnin’ Utes went an astounding 109-24 with four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the National Championship Game in 1998, where they were defeated by Kentucky.
The infamous Coach Majerus would go on to become the third-winningest coach in Utah history with a .773 win percentage and a record of 323-95. When he left Utah, he took over at Saint Louis, where he would later hire Jensen as an assistant coach in 2007.
Now, returning to Utah, this time as the head coach, Jensen has the tall task of guiding the program back to what it used to be when he played.
"The timing was good… As time went on, being diligent about the opportunity, it just felt like the right time," Alex Jensen said of his decision to return to Utah now with @KSLSportsZone
— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) April 15, 2025
“It’s hard because I don’t think the success that Coach Majerus had over the time he was here, I don’t think that could probably ever be repeated,” Alex admitted. “It’s a different landscape, you don’t get most guys for two, three, four years… I’m trying not to pressure myself into competing with that.”
One of the first steps for Jensen will be a return to the NCAA Tournament for Utah for the first time since 2016.
Alex Jensen On The Need For A GM In The Current Landscape
Back on March 26, Jensen and the Utah Runnin’ Utes hired Wes Wilcox, formerly the Assistant GM of the Sacramento Kings, as the program’s general manager, something almost entirely unheard of just a few years ago in college sports.
The move was driven by a desire to better navigate the unpredictable world of NIL and the transfer portal, and Jensen expressed the need he felt to bring in someone like Wilcox, who would be solely dedicated to that role.
“The portal and NIL, it’s definitely crazy, and it’s a big reason I wanted to get a GM,” Jensen affirmed. “Somebody who didn’t necessarily want to coach, but could help with that. I think as the coach, it’s hard to do both and be good at it.”
When asked what the working relationship would be like between him and Wilcox and how involved they would be in each other’s work, Coach Jensen assured that they would work closely, but have enough freedom to do what each does best, saying, “We’ll obviously work together, but I think the important part is that’s what he does full time… He has experience building and balancing rosters, relationships with agents.”
Jensen also admitted that the college game is starting to look more and more like a professional league.
“It’s very NBA-esque, like prepping for the draft I think in a lot of ways,” Alex admitted. “The pool is much larger and from different areas, but I think it’ll be a similar process.”
How Profesional Experience Will Help Alex Jensen At Utah
Jensen’s exposure as a coach at the professional level will obviously be valuable as college basketball begins to shift toward a professional model in many ways, and one experience that the new head coach said he would draw on was his time as head coach of the Canton Charge in the NBA G-League.
“I’m trying to do a lot of things at Utah that I did and learned in the G-League,” said Jensen. “You know, the roster, you don’t want to duplicate positions and players on the roster, there’s gotta be balance.”
