Alex Jensen, Utah basketball face critical offseason
Mar 10, 2026, 6:44 PM | Updated: Mar 11, 2026, 12:03 pm
Jan 20, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Utah Utes head coach Alex Jensen waits to talk to his team during a timeout in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
KANSAS CITY — Utah’s season ended in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, but for Alex Jensen the real takeaway from year one wasn’t just wins and losses.
After a season navigating the physical grind of the Big 12 and the realities of rebuilding a program in the modern college basketball landscape, Jensen and his staff now turn toward what may be the most critical phase of the process.
With the transfer portal looming and roster decisions imminent, Utah enters a pivotal stretch that will help determine how quickly the program can take its next step forward.
Turning toward the offseason
With the season finished, Utah’s attention officially shifts to roster construction — a process that will unfold quickly in the modern era of the transfer portal. Jensen outlined the immediate plan for the program.
“We’ll go home, give them a day off, then we’ll have a team meeting,” Jensen said. “After that, then we’ll start to meet with all of them individually.”
Those conversations will shape what the roster looks like moving forward.
“It’s obviously interesting times,” Jensen added.
Experiencing the realities of the Big 12
The season marked Jensen’s first year as a college head coach after years in the NBA and overseas.
The experience, he said, provided an education in the unique demands of college basketball — and particularly the Big 12.
“It’s a different game… and the Big 12 is a whole other beast,” Jensen said. “Very physical, really a lot of good teams.”
The biggest lesson? Possessions matter more.
“The possessions are more precious because there’s fewer of them,” Jensen said. “Free throws, block-outs, turnovers… those things end up being the difference.”
For a Utah team that often hovered within reach of opponents but struggled with consistency, those small details frequently determined the outcome.
Development could be key to Utah’s offseason
Despite the record, Jensen and his staff saw meaningful development within the roster — progress they believe will matter both internally and on the recruiting trail.
Guard Terrence Brown and forward Keanu Dawes each expanded their roles over the course of the season, taking on greater offensive responsibility and leadership within the team.
“This is the first year where I’ve had a bigger role producing more,” Dawes said. “The coaches gave me nothing but confidence.”
Brown said the jump in competition forced him to grow in other areas of his game.
“The Big 12 is a gauntlet every single night,” Brown said. “You’ve got to bring defense and find other ways to help your team.”
Jensen echoed that sentiment, and added that the growth required both players to step outside their comfort zones.
“I want to thank both of them,” Jensen said. “It’s not easy… the things we’ve asked them to do. I think they’ve made big strides.”
Their development can serve as valuables example when pitching future players on Utah’s program. Clearly, players who come to Salt Lake City will be challenged, pushed beyond their comfort zone, and given the opportunity to evolve their games at the highest level.
For Utah, it’s about finding the type of guys that embrace that sort of coaching and opportunity to improve.
Critical offseason in the program’s rebuild
Despite the challenges of the season, Jensen emphasized that Utah’s long-term foundation remains intact.
“I think there’s definitely a base there,” Jensen said. “There’s history, there’s a fan base… we didn’t come here just for next year. We came here to build it for the years after that.”
The coming weeks represent a critical phase in Utah’s rebuild, as the staff evaluates the roster, meets individually with players, and prepares for the opening of the transfer portal.
In today’s college basketball landscape, offseason roster construction often determines how quickly a program can take its next step — particularly in a league as deep and physical as the Big 12.
“Having gone through this year,” Jensen said, “that pathway for us has become clearer.”
Utah must get bigger up and down the lineup. The Utes could benefit from an impact player around the rim on both ends of the floor. It’s also clear that Utah needs a little more playmaking —but more so for others on the floor.
For Jensen and his staff, the lessons from year one will directly shape those decisions. The roster must go through significant changes and the culture has to evolve to better handle the conference’s demands.
That means identifying which returning players form the program’s core and where the staff must add experience, shooting, and versatility through the portal and recruiting.
Figuring Out Utah’s Recruiting Puzzle
Building the roster will require navigating multiple recruiting avenues — high school players, the transfer portal, junior college additions and international prospects.
“In my perfect world, there’s a balance of all those,” Jensen said previously on Scotty G & Friends on KSL Sports Zone. “I think that helps with continuity.”
That philosophy has already shown up in Utah’s 2026 recruiting class, which blends high school prospects, junior college experience and some international flavor.
- PG Styles Clemmons, OTE
- CG David Katoa, HS
- F Simeon Suguturaga, HS
- F Jaxon Johnson, HS
- F Zati Loubaki, JUCO
- F Fynn Schott, INT
“You’ve got Europe, you’ve got the portal, and you’ve got high school — thousands of players,” Jensen said. “The recruiting spectrum is huge.”
As Utah dives deep into roster construction, these resources will continue to be evaluated and mined. Utah has leaned into the international resources and should only continue to add from overseas.
Unless a program consistently lands elite high school prospects, Jensen believes finding talent in multiple places will be essential.
“Unless you’re Duke or Kentucky or one of those places,” Jensen said, “I think at Utah we’ll need that.”
The next couple of days will likely determine the majority of decisions for current players. That is step one in clarifying exactly what Utah will need to address this offseason.
Even before that process begins, improving the depth is a must. Utah’s bench players this season had to punch above their weight class. A few of them will benefit from moving down a level of competition. So, improving the ability and skill off the bench will be a top priority.
Rebuilding a program with history, personal connection
For Jensen, the job carries significant personal meaning. And while this season has been difficult, the opportunity to rebuild the program he once played for still resonates.
“It has sunk in in a lot of ways,” Jensen said. “Going through this year and struggling, it’s also made me realize how special this place can be.”
He remembers what the Huntsman Center once was— an intimidating, home court advantage.
“That place was full for years,” Jensen said. “There’s a great history there. I just want to get that place full again and make it like it always has been — a really hard place for teams to get wins.”
Jensen said one of the encouraging aspects of returning to Utah has been hearing from former players and alumni connected to the program.
“I’ve talked to a lot of them,” Jensen said. “Even guys I didn’t play with and what’s interesting is that all of them enjoyed their time here and they want it to be good.”
He believes reconnecting that network will be important to Utah’s future.
“My goal is to bring that all back — the connection to the fans, the community, and the alumni,” Jensen said. “There’s a great history here. A lot of people have good memories of games played in this building.”
While the wins have been difficult to come by this season, Jensen believes the experience has laid the groundwork for the next phase of the program.
And ultimately, the goal remains restoring Utah basketball to the level its history suggests is possible.
“We want to get it back to making more memories,” Jensen said.
The Bottom Line
Year one under Alex Jensen delivered plenty of difficult lessons. Utah experienced the demands of the Big 12, learned how small details often decide games, and gained clarity on what is required in order to compete at a high level in this league.
Now the focus shifts to implementing what they’ve learned into the roster construction process in the coming weeks and months.
Through the transfer portal, recruiting, and continued player development, Jensen and his staff must reshape the roster to better match the demands of the conference while continuing to build the culture around the program.
The pathway forward, Jensen believes, is clearer now, but the challenge will be executing it.
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.
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