Dallas, TX
Utah hires Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen as its next men’s basketball coach
In its quest to escape a recent rut of mediocrity, the Utah men’s basketball program is turning to one of its own.
The Utes have hired Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen, a starter on Utah’s 1998 Final Four team, as their next head coach, the university announced Thursday.
“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,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “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.”
Jensen has been an NBA assistant since 2013, working with the Utah Jazz from 2013-23 before joining Jason Kidd’s staff with the Mavericks before the 2023-24 season. Dallas made a run to the NBA Finals that season.
Jensen has college experience, as well, having spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Louis, where he worked under his former college coach, the late Rick Majerus, from 2007-11.
A Utah native and former Utah Mr. Basketball, Jensen was a starting forward on the Utes’ 1997-98 team that fell to Kentucky in the national championship game. As a senior in 2000, he was named the Mountain West player of the year before embarking on a seven-year professional career overseas.
He may not be the only former Utah player from that era to be on the Utes’ sideline next season, either. CBS Sports reported Thursday that Andre Miller, a 17-year NBA veteran who’s currently the head coach of the Denver Nuggets’ G League franchise, is “in the mix” to join Jensen’s staff.
Utah, which fired coach Craig Smith in late February, is 16-14 entering its regular-season finale against BYU. The program is in its first season in the Big 12 after spending the previous 13 years in the Pac-12.
The Utes are a far cry from the perennial national contender they were during Jensen’s playing days. The program has made the NCAA Tournament only three times since the 2005-06 season and hasn’t been in the 68-team field since 2016. Smith went 65-62 in his four seasons at the school.
By turning to Jensen, Utah is following a similar path to its most hated rival. After Mark Pope left for Kentucky after last season, BYU hired Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young, who has the Cougars at 22-8 in his first season and is set to bring in a top-10 recruiting class next season led by No. 1 overall prospect A.J. Dybantsa.
“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,” Jensen said in a statement. “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.”
Ex-Dallas Stars Goalie Signs Try-Out With New Jersey DevilsOver the past several years, the Dallas Stars have put an emphasis on signing undrafted free agents, including between the pipes. Names like Landon Bow, Matt Murray and most recently prospect Ben Kraws are just some of the undrafted goaltenders the Stars signed to their system over the past decade.
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US President Donald Trump has strongly condemned the beheading of an Indian-origin hotel manager allegedly by a Cuban illegal immigrant in Dallas last week.
“The time for being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER under my watch,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah, 50, was attacked with a machete by his co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez in front of his wife and child, following a heated argument over a broken washing machine. The accused, who is now in custody, has been charged with murder.
Trump has long vowed tougher enforcement against undocumented migrants, making it a central plank of his policy.
Trump said Mr Cobos-Martinez “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent” of the law and will be “charged with murder in the first degree”.
He also criticised the Biden administration in his post saying Mr Cobos-Martinez was previously arrested for several crimes, including alleged child abuse, but was “released back into society because Cuba declined to accept his return”.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Mr Cobos-Martinez is an undocumented immigrant, with a final order of removal from the US.
The department claims he was in custody at a detention center in Dallas but was released on an order of supervision in January after Cuba “would not accept him because of his criminal history”.
Nagamallaiah, who belonged to the southern Indian state of Karnataka, worked at the Downtown Suites Motel in Dallas.
He went to school and college in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru before moving to the US in 2018. His son graduated high school recently and is preparing to begin college, according to a news report on NDTV news channel.
The assault took place on 10 September. The police said they received a “stabbing” call and a preliminary investigation determined that Mr Cobos-Martinez had cut the victim with an edged weapon several times.
He then reportedly kicked the head of the victim “around like a soccer ball”, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged Mr Cobos-Martinez with the Dallas County Jail, where he is being held.
Nagamallaiah’s funeral was held on 13 September in Flower Mound, Texas, and was attended by family and friends.
A fundraiser launched to support his family has raised more than $321,000 (£2,36,723), according to news agency PTI.
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The Dallas Cowboys are putting their salary cap space to full use.
After trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, they were able to extend DaRon Bland and Tyler Smith. They tied up $180 million in salary on those two players alone, but they’re not the only ones who landed new deals this year.
MORE: Cowboys insider reveals main holdup in deal with Jadeveon Clowney
Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones agreed to terms with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa before the start of free agency. He also gave extensions to receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin, fullback Hunter Luepke and tight end Jake Ferguson.
This sudden trend of getting ahead of free agency is like a breath of fresh air, and they might not be done. Dallas has several other players set for free agency and could look to continue locking up their core players.
The top two platers set for free agency are wide receiver George Pickens and kicker Brandon Aubrey. Initially, Pickens seems like the player who should be extended since he plays a skill position and is going to be an unrestricted free agent.
Aubrey, however, is going to be a restricted free agent. While that gives Dallas more security, he’s still the player they should extend first.
Now in his third season, Aubrey has connected on 78-of-87 field goals and is 25-of-28 from 50-plus yards. Kickers might not typically land lucrative deals, but Aubrey is far from typical. He’s a weapon who has bailed the offense out multiple times.
For that reason, he should be the player Jones sits down with next.
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