With a connection to its successful past, Utah Utes will open the season bolstered by renewed hope and a new coach.

Alex Jensen, who helped lead the Utes to the 1998 NCAA national championship game as a player, will make his head-coaching debut with the Utes against San Jose State Spartans on Monday in Salt Lake City.

Jensen, a protege of the late Rick Majerus and the 2000 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, left the NBA this offseason after being an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz (2013-23) and Dallas Mavericks (2023-25) to take the reins at his alma mater.

Jensen's coaching career -- after an overseas pro playing career -- also includes a four-season stint as Majerus' assistant at Saint Louis and three seasons as the head coach of the Canton Charge in the NBA's then-D-League.

"It's a special place and, myself and the team, we want to do the teams and the people who have come before proud," Jensen said after the Utes' recent exhibition game. "A lot of great games there and hopefully there'll be many more to come."

Jensen is hoping to help the Utes return to the NCAA Tournament, which they haven't participated in since 2016. Utah went 16-17 last season, including a season-ending 86-84 loss to Butler in the first round of the College Basketball Crown tournament.

This season will include a lot of new names and looks for Utah. Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Terrence Brown scored a game-high 27 points with six assists for the Utes in their 80-77 exhibition loss to Nevada.

"To be honest, I'm still searching for a strategy in the rotations and substitutions -- new team, new coaches, trying to find the best combinations," Jensen said. "It might vary by every team we play."

The Spartans are coming off a 15-20 season, which ended with a 73-70 loss to Loyola Chicago in the first round of the NIT last March.

Javaughn Hannah had 17 points and eight rebounds in San Jose State's 73-60 exhibition win against Cal State East Bay on Monday.

"It was a good experience for our guys to go through. We struggled for a while in that first half ... but guys figured it out," San Jose State coach Tim Miles said. "I thought we had a much better defensive second half. It's always good to know you can win a game (when) you've still got a lot of stuff to get better at."

San Jose State is starting the season on the road with three away games against the Utes, UC Santa Barbara and Michigan State.

Utah will host in-state foe Weber State on Nov. 8 as part of a home-heavy early season slate. The Utes' first true road test is at Cal on Dec. 2.

--Field Level Media