It’s been a month to forget for the Dallas Mavericks.
From trading Luka Doncic to Kyrie Irving suffering a season-ending torn ACL last week, the hits have kept on coming for the Mavs and their fanbase.
On Thursday, the Mavericks got some more unfortunate news. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel reported that assistant coach Alex Jensen is leaving the team to become the head coach of the Utah Utes.
Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen has accepted the job as the next coach at Utah, sources tell me and @jeffborzello. He’s a former star player there and has been an NBA assistant since 2013. He’s a former head coach of the Canton Charge in the G League.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 6, 2025
Jensen’s return to Utah felt inevitable. He grew up in Centerville, Utah, 16 miles from Utah’s campus in Salt Lake City.
He was a prolific high school basketball player, taking home the state’s Mr. Basketball honor in 1994 and committed to play basketball for legendary head coach Rick Majerus and the Utah Utes.
After a strong freshman season, Jensen left the program for two years as he completed an international mission with the Church of the Latter Day Saints.
Jensen returned to Utah where he, along with future NBA players Andre Miller and Michael Doleac led the school to a 30-4 season. They lost to the Kentucky Wildcats in the national championship. It marked the last time Utah advanced past the Sweet 16.
Jensen’s Utah career ended in 2000 when he took home the inaugural Mountain West Player of the Year award. He went undrafted in the NBA Draft and played internationally for the next seven years.
When Majerus was named coach of the Saint Louis Billikens in 2007, Jensen retired from playing and joined Majerus’ coaching staff. He stayed on the staff until 2011, and then was named the head coach of the NBA D-League’s Canton Charge.
Jensen was named 2013 D-League Coach of the Year. He was hired as an assistant with the Utah Jazz following that season. He remained with the Jazz until joining Dallas in 2023.
