After firing Craig Smith as the head coach of the Utah Basketball program, the Utes have moved quickly to identify their next target.
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen appears to be the primary candidate in the eyes of the Utah athletic department.
“Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen has emerged as a primary candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Utah,” Rothstein said. “No offer has been made yet, but he’s at the top of the Utes’ list to replace Craig Smith. Played under Rick Majerus and was an assistant with the Utah Jazz.”
The potential add was received with optimism among Utah fans as the team looks to duplicate the success of their in-state rival BYU. The Cougars addressed the loss of Mark Pope by turning to the NBA level to bring in Suns assistant Kevin Young, who has his team comfortably in the NCAA Tournament and fighting for one of the top seeds in the Big 12.
While Jensen’s NBA ties should inspire confidence among Big 12 fans, the Dallas Mavericks have been a teach-tape of what not to do as of late. The group traded away superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, increased the prices of season tickets, kicked out fans for opposing the group’s main executive, and witnessed season-ending injuries to both Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
Since firing Craig Smith, interim head coach Josh Eilert is 1-1 with a blowout win over Arizona State and a blowout loss to No. 24 Arizona. Utah has two more regular season games on its schedule and will finish the year off with a matchup against the Cougars on Saturday, March 8th.
