Alex Jensen

For the fictional character, see List of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon characters § Alex Jensen.

Alex Jensen
Dallas Mavericks
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1976-05-16) May 16, 1976 (age 48)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolViewmont (Bountiful, Utah)
CollegeUtah (1994–1995, 1997–2000)
NBA draft2000: undrafted
Playing career2000–2007
PositionSmall forward
Career history
As player:
2000–2002Darüşşafaka
2002Girona
2002–2003Yakima Sun Kings
2003–2005Tuborg Pilsener
2005–2006Türk Telekom
2006Mitsubishi Melco Dolphins
2007TED Ankara Kolejliler
As coach:
2007–2011Saint Louis (assistant)
2011–2013Canton Charge
2013–2023Utah Jazz (assistant)
2023–presentDallas Mavericks (assistant)
2015Germany (assistant)
2022United States
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Alex Jensen (born May 16, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player, and current assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a standout college player at the University of Utah.

College career

Jensen, Utah's 1994 Mr. Basketball from Centerville, played for coach Rick Majerus at Utah. As a freshman, he averaged 24.8 minutes, 6.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Following his first season, Jensen left to complete a two-year Latter-day Saint mission in England.[1]

Upon returning from his mission, Jensen entered the starting lineup for the 1997–98 season. Jensen and teammates Andre Miller, Michael Doleac, and Hanno Möttölä, led the Utes to one of the best seasons in school history, as the Utes went 30–4 and played for the 1998 National Championship, losing to Kentucky. Jensen averaged 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds and was named to the All-West Regional team for the NCAA tournament.

As a junior, Jensen took another step in his development as he made the All-Western Athletic Conference team (Pacific Division) and the WAC All-Defensive team after averaging 12.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He was also the 1999 WAC men's basketball tournament MVP as he led the Utes back to the NCAA tournament. As a senior, Jensen was the first Mountain West Conference Player of the Year as the Utes became a charter member of the league. Jensen averaged 13.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game that season and scored 1,279 points and collected 896 rebounds for his college career.[2]

Professional career

Following the close of his college career, Jensen began an international career that would bring him to Spain, Japan and Turkey.[3] While he was in Turkey, he was named All-FIBA Europe Cup Defender of the Year in 2004. He also played a season in the Continental Basketball Association for the Yakama Sun Kings, winning a league championship and earning All-Defensive Team honors in 2003.[4][5]

Coaching career

In 2007, Jensen left professional basketball to become an assistant coach for his mentor, Rick Majerus, as a member of his new staff at Saint Louis. Jensen remained on Majerus' staff for four seasons, until he was offered the job as the first head coach of the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League.[4] Jensen was named the NBA D-League's Coach of the Year for 2013 in just his second season.[6] On July 23, 2013, Jensen was added to the Utah Jazz coaching staff to work as a player development assistant.[7] Two years later, on June 26, 2015, he joined Chris Fleming's staff as an assistant for the Germany national team.[8] In August 2022, Jensen led the United States as head coach for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup.[9] In 2023, he parted ways with the Jazz, and joined the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant coach.

References

  1. ^ "Utah Utes Men's Basketball player bio". University of Utah. 2011. Archived from the original on December 15, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  2. ^ "2011–12 Utah Utes Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Utah. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  3. ^ Tom Reed (October 18, 2011). "Much-traveled Alex Jensen can relate to the D-League players he's about to coach". The Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Bob Finnan (October 12, 2011). "Cavaliers hire Alex Jensen to coach NBADL team in Canton". The News-Herald. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "Alex Jensen minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "Canton's Alex Jensen Named 2012-13 NBA D-League Coach of the Year". Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  7. ^ "Jazz Names Alex Jensen as Player Development Assistant". nba.com. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  8. ^ "Jazz Assistant Coach Alex Jensen to Join German Men's National Team Coaching Staff". nba.com. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "Jazz Alex Jensen To Coach USA Basketball AmeriCup Team". kslsports.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.