3 tasks new Utah mens basketball coach Alex Jensen should complete soon
Is Big Al Jensen the guy to bring Utah basketball back? He might be. Also: Starch Madness, a Zach Wilson bombshell and the most vulgar MLB caps known to mankind.
Alex Jensen was just hired as Utah head mens basketball coach this past week.
» I'm sure that despite a very high level of excitement not seen in this state since Big Rick Majerus himself was prowling the sidelines in his cream-colored Reebok sweater and the Runnin' Utes were perennially ranked, fans and alums alike have plenty of questions as to what the Ute alum and legend should do with his time in the basketball office. To be certain, testimonials from former coaching colleagues poured in—including one from his former boss, Dallas Mavericks head coach and Hall of Famer Jason Kidd.
These suggested tasks are not in order.
Hire Andre Miller as an assistant
If there were an order of importance, this would probably be at the top since Miller, like Big Al, is and was beloved by this fanbase. Miller is currently a head coach of the NBA G-League cq this, but it is well known that he covets a position on the Utes coaching staff after having had a long NBA career.
Miller has also been recognized as one of the NBA's top development coaches recently, so it's hard to say whether he'd leave that all behind for a position on Jensen's staff. My gut says yes, but I also know that Miller has been enjoying his time in the league.
Convince Ezra Ausar to stay for his senior year
Ezra is a walking bucket, capable of getting a double-double at any moment. If Ausar isn't irked at the way that Utah athletic director Mark Harlan fired Ezra's head coach [Craig Smith] then the athletic wing should be Priority No. 1 for Jensen and his yet-to-be-named staff.
The Atlanta native Ausar is averaging 12.5 points per game to go with 4.8 rebounds, numbers that a good development staff headed by a great development coach should be able to increase significantly. Those numbers Ausar had this year were still good enough to rank him second in scoring on the Runnin' Utes. Can you imagine what he could be with another year on the Hill? [Getting Mike back wouldn’t be a horrible idea, too.]
Get fans and alums back in the Huntsman Center
When the 15,000 seat arena is even part-empty in its famed bowl shape, it is very noticeable when you're watching on TV. I can't even imagine what deep berths of empty seats look like in person. It has to be unnerving to all the fans and alums that comprise the 7,000 fans that come to home games--a shocking average, considering how storied this program is. I know it’s unnerving to AD Mark Harlan, who unveiled plans earlier this week for a replacement to the JHC:
That part is personal. As a young pup in the 1970s, my mom and I walked up from our apartment in University Village, often. [My dad attended school there and was on the debate team.] As a teenager long after we’d lived there, I’d take the bus up The Hill for an hour to that silvery Special Events Center dome to watch games [and NCAA tourneys] when my dad wasn’t able. To lose that — particularly now that my mom is gone — would hurt. It would be a sad day for me. It was one of my first memories.
Anyway, back to the story: Folks, if you're counting at home, that's a half-empty arena that only sold out ONCE all season, and that was when BYU visited for the annual Holy War rivalry game. That said, it was a damned sight better than last year, when Utah officials closed the entire upper level off with black curtains. The poor attendance is a barometer for how far this program has fallen.
Is Big Al the guy to bring Utah basketball back?
In closing, it will take everything the new coach Jensen has to bring the Utes back so that they can once again be Runnin' Utes. But, if anyone can do these three things that I mentioned in this listicle, Big Al is that guy. By the way, this graphic goes so hard it’s unreal:
Jensen’s a local, he grew up in Centerville and played at Viewmont High alongside one of my best friends from Magna who moved there. Also, Big Al is beloved for what he's done for the Utah program as a player, and is an even better person. In this age of name, image and likeness, it’ll take all the skills the new coach has to convince his guys to play great defense and fly out the gym like Big Rick once did.
The good news is that Coach Jensen probably still has a few more months to get things situated. According to a report Monday from KSL Sports, Jensen met Utah’s players at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, and, provided these Utes play in a postseason tournament under the interim coach Josh Eilert, Big Al may be afforded even more time to convince some of the current Utes to stay. «
Overthink This Photo 📸
📷 » Big Sky Conference
In Boise, the Big Sky Conference has transformed its postseason basketball tournaments. Normally held for three days, “Starch Madness” is now an event that runs for nearly a full week—five whole days.
If you too asked yourself why, the answer is I don’t know. I suppose it’s a way to make more money, not only off visiting fans who will likely be purchasing one or more suh-weet “Starch Madness” T-shirts, playing with their funny bones but most importantly, credit cards.
In sum, one Big Sky power that be drove up from their Ogden headquarters hauling those kickass potato-inspired shirts in boxes shoved into his truck bed. [I know this because they tweeted it on X/Twitter.] As for the games, they tacked on several extra rounds [!] and dragged out the suspense [!!] from Saturday [!!!] to Wednesday [🤯].
That emoji makes sense since Idaho has several nuclear facilities. But, even if you can’t make sense of this tournament spectacle that is a play off of the state’s no. 1 export, you do have to admit it is intriguing. «
📸 » Jon Kasper
» Zach Attack Is Back
RUMORS » I had heard from someone close to the Wilson family that Zach might be near a deal with a different NFL team; I just didn’t know when. And, I definitely didn’t know that the BYU legend was considering Miami and the Fins. But, it turned out to not only be accurate—they didn’t wait very long into the free agency period to make this a reality: One year at roughly $7 million, on a team that has a starter [Tua Tagovailoa] who’s been battling serious head injuries.
For Zach, I like the Dolphins; you’ve got the health of Tua that’s to this day a bit of a mystery, and so a legitimate shot at the starting job is a possibility for the signal caller out of BYU. That, and the backup position is also up for grabs—at the moment, Ute great Tyler Huntley holds that job down for Miami.
What I’m curious about, however, is how Zach grew after a year of being under the tutelage of Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who has developed several Hall of Fame quarterbacks at previous stops.
Zach was in another no-win situation with the Broncos; he was their 3rd string QB after having been pushed out of the starting job on the New York Jets by both the team, its inability to develop and by Aaron Rodgers himself. «
#WhatAreWeDOING Playoffs [Most-voted candidate advances to next round; two candidates per week]
» #1 Candidate: I don’t know whose idea it was to create “Overlap” MLB hats but I can tell you that the company responsible is based in Buffalo, New York and the Mafia is back in full force. Now, I’m not saying that the two are intertwined, but who in their right mind would create hats that say “Anaels,” “Ashos,” and, the mother of all, “Tetas”?!? This one’s probably a threat to win the playoffs:
» #2 Candidate: All I’ve gotta say is Balenciaga has. lost. their. Damned. MINDS! What in the hell is this nonsense at “Paris Fashion Week”? What are these clown running shoes supposed to be??
Advancing to the #whatarewedoing playoff second round thus far:
Frat pledge set on fire
Player pushes his coach
Ohio State female coach
Dad uses baby to clean off car
Rob Ryan rant
Tiger Woods misunderstanding
BYU little girl anthem hater
Thanks for reading; be safe and be well. I’ll see ya next time. «