The Utah Utes men’s basketball team moves into a new era as Alex Jensen takes over the program for the 2025-26 season.
Jensen has never been a college head coach, but he has deep ties to Utah. He played for the program and under one of its legendary coaches, Rick Majerus. He spent several years as an NBA assistant coach, much like the second-year leader of the school’s archrival, Kevin Young at BYU.
How will the Utes do in their first season under their new coach? Here is a preview of the Utah Utes.
Utah Utes
2024-25: 16-17, 8-12 in Big 12, 11th place. Lost in the first round of the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament. Lost to Butler in the first round the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.
Head coach: Alex Jensen, a former Utah star who carved out a professional career overseas and has spent the past several seasons as a NBA assistant, takes over the program where he was named the Mountain West Conference player of the year in 2000.
Big 12 history: Utah joined the Big 12 last season after spending more than a decade in the Pac-12. The program won the NCAA Tournament in 1944 and last went to March Madness in 2016. The program last went to the Final Four in 1998.
2025-26 Schedule: Click here for the full Big 12 men’s schedule.
Utah 2025-26 Roster Review
Gone: Gabe Madsen (15.2 PPG), Ezra Ausar (12.5 PPG), Lawson Lovering (8.4 PPG), Mike Sharavjamts (7.2 PPG), Mason Madsen (6.8 PPG), Jake Wahlin (6.3 PPG), Miro Little (5.3 PPG), Hunter Erickson (3.8 PPG), Zach Keller (2.8 PPG), Caleb Lohner (2.8 PPG), Jayden Teat (1.3 PPG in 2023-24), Ayomide Bamisile (1.3 PPG), Joul Karram (0.6 PPG).
Returning: F Keanu Dawes (8.3 PPG), G Jerry Huang (0.6 PPG), F Ibi Traore (redshirted last year due to injury).
Incoming transfers: G Terrence Brown (20.6 PPG at Fairleigh Dickinson), G Don McHenry (17.0 PPG at Western Kentucky), F Babacar Faye (15.2 PPG at Western Kentucky), G Elijah Moore (5.2 PPG at Syracuse), F Seydou Traore (5.9 PPG at Iowa), F Josh Hayes (3.8 PPG at Appalachian State), James Okonkwo (6.9 PPG at Akron), Jahki Howard (4.2 PPG at Auburn), Alvin Jackson (6.4 PPG at Salt Lake CC), G Jacob Patrick (junior from MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, averaged 5.5 PPG)
Incoming freshmen: F Kendyl Sanders (last at IMG Academy), G Obomate Abbey (from Jyväskylä, Finland)
Projected Starting Lineup
G Terrence Brown: Averaged 20 ppg a year ago and that should translate at the high major level.
G Don McHenry: WKU transfer should play right away.
C James Okonkwo: Previously played in the Big 12 with West Virginia.
F Babacar Faye: Played with McHenry last year with the Hilltoppers.
F Keanu Dawes: The one holdover that’s worth a starting spot entering the season.
Starting Lineup Crashers
F Seydou Traore: Brings solid experience to the program from Iowa.
Lineup Competition
This is a near-complete flip for Jensen, who is likely to bring NBA principles to the offense, much like Young did at BYU a year ago. This means he’ll probably use several combinations of lineups early to figure out who fits where. There is solid depth across the roster and only two freshmen, which are likely to be redshirted. He has three high-level scorers, all of whom played at the mid-major level a year ago. How they make the transition to high-major basketball will be a critical point of emphasis.
Early Prediction
There is pressure on Jensen since he’s an alumni, although much of that will be self-imposed — at least to start with. He was part of the Utes’ last Final Four team and Utah wants him to help get the program back to the NCAA Tournament. The roster will probably be a bit of a mess to start with. There are plenty of new players and Jensen is a college head coach for the first time. The Utes could be among the worst teams, by record, as conference play starts in January. But there’s enough talent there to give most teams in the Big 12 trouble come league action.
