Despite finishing out the NBA season as the assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks, Alex Jensen has been hard at work carefully establishing his new Runnin' Utes basketball staff, and so far, his two hires have received a plethora of praise.
While many thought that former Utah great Andre Miller would be the surefire choice for the assistant coach spot, Jensen went another route, hiring one of the best talent developers in the game, Raphael Chillious. Former NBA Star Isaiah Thomas praised the hire, saying, "Amazing hire! One of my favorites."
Now, Jensen has made his second hire, dipping into the NBA pedigree pool once more as current Sacramento Kings assistant general manager Wes Wilcox has taken the general manager position for the Utes.
Much like Chillious, when the news broke that Wilcox was hired, it was received with a slew of praise from the fanbase as it signified just how serious the school is about turning the once storied program around.
However, an extra layer of assurance was added when former NBA insider and current general manager for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies basketball program, Adrian Wojnarowski, dropped a Woj bomb take on the hire.
"Tremendous hire!" Wojnarowski said.
The Runnin' Utes have been a program of little hope for a while now, and in a matter of less than a month, Jensen has turned the sentiment surrounding the team into one filled with positivity and hope.
Utah basketball used to be the lifeblood of the university, and while it remains to be seen how Jensen and Co. build out the squad and utilize NIL to become a force in the competitive Big 12, the signs are all pointing in the right direction, which hasn't been the case in a long time.
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This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 11:32 AM.