Alex Jensen is coming home. The Utah Athletics Hall of Famer and starter on the Runnin' Utes 1998 Final Four team has been named the 17th head coach of Utah's men's basketball program, Utah Director of Athletics Mark Harlan announced. Terms of the multi-year deal were not announced.

Jensen is currently in his second season as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks after serving 10 years on the Utah Jazz coaching staff. He began his coaching career in 2007 at St. Louis University on the staff of his former Runnin' Utes coach Rick Majerus, a position he held for four seasons before becoming head coach of the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League in 2011. Jensen is in his 18th year coaching basketball at the collegiate and professional levels, and has international coaching experience with USA Basketball and the German National Team.

"This is an exciting day for our men's basketball program and for the University of Utah community, as Alex Jensen officially returns to Salt Lake City as our new head coach," Harlan said. "Alex brings with him tremendous experience coaching at the collegiate, NBA and international levels, and is widely-respected for his ability to develop players and teach the game of basketball. Alex has a vision and a plan for leading the Runnin' Utes basketball program back among the nation's elite, and I am confident that he will elevate our program and reignite the passion of our fan base along the way. I'd also like to thank President Randall and the Board of Trustees for their support through this process. It's exciting to welcome back a beloved figure in Runnin' Utes basketball history, as well as his family!"

A 2015 inductee to the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame, Jensen played a key role on one of the most beloved teams among all sports in the storied history of the University of Utah. Utah made a run to the NCAA Championship game in 1998, and compiled a record of 30-4, with Jensen earning All-West Region honors during the NCAA Tournament.

"My basketball journey has been filled with so many people who have helped shape me as a coach and as a person, ultimately guiding me to this opportunity to lead the Runnin' Utes basketball program," said Jensen. "I'm thankful for all of the great mentors I've had along the way as I embark on this next step to lead Utah Basketball. This is an exciting chapter for my family and me, and I'm looking forward to returning to a place that has meant so much to me. I can't wait to get to work with our student athletes, coaches and the University as we move forward to achieve our goals. I want to thank University of Utah President Taylor Randall, Athletics Director Mark Harlan and the University of Utah Board of Trustees for their faith in me as we move into the future of Utah basketball."

In his current role with the Mavericks, Jensen has continued to cement his reputation as an elite developer of talent with an exceptional ability to strategize and teach. He was hired by the Mavericks in July 2023 after spending the 2013-14 through 2022-23 seasons back in Salt Lake City with the Utah Jazz. Among the players who blossomed under Jensen's tutelage with the Jazz was three-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. As a rookie, Gobert averaged 2.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, and improved those numbers to 8.4 and 9.5, respectively, by his second season, en route to career averages of 12.6 and 11.7 over 12 NBA seasons.

In the 2013 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Jensen coached the D-League Select Team to a 4-1 record against NBA team entries and advanced them to the quarterfinals of the inaugural summer league tournament. He also was awarded the D-League Coach of the Year in 2013 after leading the Charge to the East Division title with the league's No. 1 scoring defense.

Jensen also spent time as a court coach at the 2018 USA Men's National Team minicamp in advance of the 2018 FIBA World Cup, and in 2022 served as head coach of the 2022 USA Basketball AmeriCup team.

Jensen, who hails from Centerville, was Utah's Mr. Basketball in 1994 as a senior at Viewmont High School. He led Viewmont to a state championship in his junior year.

Following his freshman season at Utah in 1994-95, he went on a two-year mission. Upon his return, Jensen earned a spot in the starting lineup for the 1997-98 season and helped lead the Utes to one of the best years in school history with a run to the Final Four and an appearance in the NCAA Championship game.

As a junior, Jensen took another big step in his development, earning All-Western Athletic Conference honors and being named to the WAC All-Defensive Team. He averaged 12.1 points and 7.6 rebounds, and was the 1999 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament MVP, as he led the Utes back to the NCAA Tournament.

Jensen capped his senior season in 1999-2000 by winning the first Mountain West Conference Player of the Year award in the league's inaugural season. He averaged 13.1 points and 7.5 rebounds that season and finished with 1,279 points and 896 rebounds in his college career. Jensen was part of four conference championship teams and made four trips to the NCAA tournament in his time with the Runnin' Utes.

After his stellar collegiate playing career at the U, Jensen played seven professional seasons in Turkey, Spain and Japan, and one season with the Yakima Sun Kings of the CBA. The Sun Kings won the 2003 CBA championship, and Jensen earned all-defensive team honors. While playing in Europe, Jensen was named All-FIBA Europe Cup Defender of the Year in 2004 and was named to the All-FIBA Europe Cup First Team.

Jensen earned his Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Utah's David Eccles School of Business. He and his wife Natalie are the parents of three daughters.