Mavericks lose coach to college head coaching job

The turnover of the Dallas Mavericks continues.

Feb 4, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz acting head coach coach Alex Jensen addresses the media after his team beat the against the Brooklyn Nets at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The in-season turnover of the Dallas Mavericks continues. After reports came out a few days ago that Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Alex Jensen was a leading candidate for the University of Utah's head coaching job, Jensen has now been offered and accepted that position, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

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 starred at Utah under Rick Majerus in the late 1990s, winning Mountain West Conference Player of the Year in 2000. After playing for seven seasons overseas, Jensen transitioned to coaching, starting as an assistant at Saint Louis University. He then became the head coach of the Canton Charge, winning D-League (now the G-League) Coach of the Year for the Cleveland Cavaliers' affiliate, moving to an assistant job with the Utah Jazz from 2013-2023, and most recently an assistant with the Mavericks for the last two seasons.

READ MORE: Bucks coach Doc Rivers reacts to Mavericks' Kyrie Irving's season-ending injury

Feb 4, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz acting head coach Alex Jensen watches from the sideline during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The move makes a lot of sense for both the Utah Utes and Jensen. He gets to return to a program he had a lot of success at and gets to return home. He was Utah's Mr. Basketball in 1994 and went to high school in Bountiful, Utah. And the Utes get a familiar face with NBA experience to lead their program.

This is at least the second assistant coach to leave the Mavericks this season, as Slovenian native Marko Milic left after the shocking Luka Doncic trade in early February.

READ MORE: 3 takeaways from Bucks blowout win over short-handed Mavericks

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