Copy-cating Utes can’t help themselves copying BYU in grabbing an NBA assistant coach.
If you can’t compete, you copy. Even if it is the enemy.
Hmmmm. It’s the beginning of my prophetic Dec 11 2024 post when we KY signed AJ.
Man I’m good!
The difference is that Jensen actually played for Utah as college player.
KY never played for BYU.
I believe he’s saying the analogy is that both were NBA assistant coaches and has nothing to do with who they played college ball with. Fact Checked 
Sounds like a good move by the Utes. Wasn’t Jensen considered a candidate for the BYU job? Probably never a real candidate, but it seems like his name was mentioned by the press as somebody who might be a candidate, among others, when Young was actually who BYU wanted all along.
How can you ask someone to Fact Check when you say “I believe he is saying”? That is your assumption of his comments, not something that Pmac stated as fact. I pointed out the big difference why they selected a former player who happens to be a NBA assistant coach (not Assoicate HC as was Young).
BTW, Utah is not the only school that hires assistant NBA coaches to coach their college teams. Many before, many will happen after!
Second, Jensen was on the short list when Utah hired Craig Smith, not sure why they selected him over Jensen because Alex was doing a good job for the Jazz back then.
Jensen is LDS, and yes, he was mentioned, but I think at the time, he wanted to focus more on the NBA ladder. The dude is a really good coach. Donovan Mitchell said Alex helped him become the player he is today.
While I didn’t say explicitly state it, h actually read my mind and got what point of emphasis I was trying to make. Dang! Did not see that coming!
I give Knell credit when so will give h credit.
That’s a dangerous game…
I do not think they are copying BYU, I think they wanted Alex from the start and “politics” got in the way, so Smith got the nod.
It is not uncommon for a college to hire a NBA assistant coach especially when they played there.
Here are a few examples:
Granted most of these schools probably had a lot more cash to float, than BYU did up until Young, but you get the drift.
Fred Hoiberg – Iowa State
Avery Johnson – Alabama
Patrick Ewing – Georgetown
Chris Mullin – St. John’s
Mike Dunleavy Sr. – Tulane
You stand corrected as I did have the right fact check response. 
Interesting that none of those schools you mentioned who hired NBA guys still employ them except BYU. Looks like it will work for BYU. I will be interested to see how Jensen works for the U.
Checking the records of those guys Hoiberg is still coaching college ball and has had some success. Ewing and Dunleavy were failures and Johnson was just fair.
To be fair, Young has only been at BYU for one year.
These other coaches did last several years at the college level.
The most famous NBA coach to succeed in the college ranks was Larry Brown with Kansas.
It what both Jazz Coaches said about Alex is true, he will be a good HC. He is LDS and so, I do not think you will get the nonsense of former coaches about BYU from him.
Hoiberg graduated ISU was a successful coach there and left for the NBA, stank it up at the Bulls and is now building a different program in college ranks again…making Nebraska great again…with no history of bball success whatsoever.
Mullin, Ewing, and Dunleavy all had losing records at the college level. Johnson was Ok, he had a winning record but only made one NCAA tournament according to college basketball reference.
Young is off to a good start and appears to know how to recruit. I think most have big expectations for BYU basketball. I guess time will tell.