Why Alec Anigbata chose Alex Jensen’s vision for Utah basketball
Sep 9, 2026, 11:42 AM | Updated: 9:25 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — One of the most important additions for Alex Jensen and Utah basketball this offseason was German forward Alec Anigbata.
The 6-foot-9 forward committed to the Runnin’ Utes after developing in Germany’s basketball system and competing professionally for Ratiopharm Ulm.
He spent this past season competing against professionals, many of whom had already played in college. And over the last few seasons, Anigbata demonstrated the combination of length, athleticism and shooting ability Jensen wants throughout his lineup.
What Utah fans did not know at the time was how far Jensen and his staff had gone to secure that commitment — or how much their international experience helped convince Anigbata to leave Germany for Salt Lake City.
Utah’s recruitment of Alec Anigbata
Jensen and staff began recruiting the German forward around the end of 2025. At that point, coaches introduced their vision through a series of Zoom meetings and began the relationship building process there.
Over time, the interest became more significant. Members of Utah’s staff — namely Jensen, general manager Wes Wilcox, and assistant coach Raphael Chillious, traveled overseas multiple times to meet with him and watch him play.
For a player accustomed to the European basketball system, that personal investment contributed a lot to his eventual decision to commit.
“It meant a lot, for sure, because I’m used to different things,” Anigbata said. “You don’t really have coaches flying out just for one person to talk to you. I feel like it’s a privilege for people to want to talk to you and want you to commit and join their system. I felt very, very blessed.”
The pitch was centered on what Jensen and his staff believed they could build at Utah — and how Anigbata would fit within that foundation.
“I believe in what Jensen is trying to build here,” he shared. “They believed in me as a player, they believe in what I can become offensive & defensively, and I want to do all I can to build the program back up.”
Obviously, Jensen being in his first year with the program, there was an element of projection involved on both sides. Utah believed in the player Anigbata was and more importantly, what he could become. And the German forward was being asked to believe in Jensen’s program still early in its construction enough to leave the comforts of home.
Martin Schiller’s presence helped the transition
Anigbata, meanwhile, was leaving a familiar basketball environment in Germany for a different country, a different style of play and his first experience with college basketball.
What helped connect the two sides was that Utah did not feel entirely foreign.
Assistant coach Martin Schiller had previously coached Anigbata with Germany’s under-20 national team. Jensen played professionally in Spain and Turkey and later worked with the German national team. Graduate assistant Kim Tillie also played at a high level overseas, while Schiller’s coaching career has included stops throughout Europe.
Together, those experiences gave Utah’s staff what Anigbata described as a “European touch.”
“They know where I’m coming from,” Anigbata said. “They’re helping me every day. After practice, we talk about the transition from European basketball to American basketball, and that really helps. It was also a part of why I joined Utah.”
Schiller’s presence was particularly valuable. Joining a new program becomes easier when one of the coaches already understands a player’s background, game and personality. For Utah, that relationship provided more than a familiar face; it gave the program credibility during the recruitment and a built-in bridge once Anigbata arrived in Salt Lake City.
Utah was the right choice for Alec Anigbata
The early returns have reinforced his decision to commit to Utah.
Anigbata said he has been impressed by the professionalism surrounding Jensen’s program and the resources devoted to daily improvement. The development plan Utah presented during his recruitment has become something he can now see and experience inside the program.
“I’m really impressed with how professional everything is,” Anigbata said. “I’ve really enjoyed being here, I’ve felt really good about my teammates, the coaching, and development I’ve experienced.”
Anigbata arrives with considerably more high-level experience than a typical newcomer. He appeared in 57 games, including 18 starts, for Ratiopharm Ulm and helped the club finish as the runner-up in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga in 2025. Before establishing himself with Ulm’s top-level team, he averaged 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds for OrangeAcademy during the 2024-25 season.
“Everybody encourages you to get better every day,” he shared. “You really feel that you’ve got people testing you and really helping you try to get better every day.”
That background should give him a chance to contribute in several ways for Utah. Anigbata describes himself as a versatile forward who can attack the basket, create offense through cuts, space the floor with his shooting and defend multiple positions.
“I think I’m pretty much an all-around player,” Anigbata said. “I do a very good job going to the basket and also playing off the ball with cuts. I have a good shot, I can stretch the floor and, defensively, I can take on one through five. I think I’m a really good rebounder as well.”
The Bottom Line
The transition will still require some patience. European professional basketball and the college game differ in spacing, pace, physicality and officiating, and Utah is incorporating Anigbata while also bringing together an almost entirely new roster.
Still, Anigbata brings the athleticism, length, positional versatility and experience to a roster that has made size and defensive flexibility central to its identity.
Utah first sold Anigbata on the opportunity to help build something. A few months into his time in Salt Lake City, the commitment and attention that convinced him to come have carried over into his daily work.
