Mavericks assistant leaving to take college head coach job

The Dallas Mavericks continue to sink, and a notable assistant coach is now set to jump ship.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on Thursday that Mavs assistant Alex Jensen has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Utah. Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein adds that Jensen will still likely have the chance to finish out the season with Dallas if he so desires.

The 48-year-old Jensen is in his second season as an assistant for the Mavs under head coach Jason Kidd, including last year when they made it to the NBA Finals. Prior to that, Jensen spent a decade as an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz.

A native of Centerville, Utah, Jensen has some deep ties to the area. He was Utah’s 1994 Mr. Basketball and then went on to play four total seasons for the Utes (including being named MWC Player of the Year in 2000 after leaving the university for two years to complete a Latter-day Saints mission). Jensen later had a seven-year professional career overseas (in Spain, Japan, and Turkey).

Utah just made the stunning decision last month to fire head coach Craig Smith in the middle of their first season in the Big 12. Assistant coach Josh Eilert was named the team’s interim coach and will likely be leading them for the remainder of this season (in which the Utes are currently 16-14 overall).

As for the Mavs, their situation has gotten worse and worse ever since last month’s history-altering Luka Doncic trade. A few weeks ago, another one of their assistant coaches was arrested for assault, and the team has since been hit with an absurd deluge of injuries. Now Jensen’s impending departure is the latest blow for the Dallas franchise.