It’s a critical offseason for Utah basketball. What are the priorities for rebuilding the roster?

Only one offseason into his tenure, Utah men’s basketball coach Alex Jensen is already facing a critical juncture.

After watching the Runnin’ Utes win just 10 games — only two of which came in Big 12 play — in his first year as head coach, the program is facing the reality of trying to become more competitive while dealing with a lack of player continuity, a luxury in the NIL era.

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As of Saturday, eight Utah players who finished the 2025-26 season on the roster — and two others who left midseason — are reportedly in the transfer portal.

Consider that the transfer window has only been open officially since Tuesday, and it’s clear another near-full reset is at hand after Jensen’s first group returned only one rotation player, Keanu Dawes.

“We knew that (we) were going to learn a lot because college is different,” Jensen told the Deseret News before Utah headed to the Big 12 tournament last month.

“We knew we didn’t have the answers, but having gone through a season, having gone through a portal process, a preseason, and especially the Big 12, I think your frame of reference is a lot better. With anything, we’ll be better in all aspects as far as the program goes moving forward.”

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Unlike last offseason, Jensen and his coaching staff have had the chance to fully scout the landscape and gather a more comprehensive recruiting game plan.

During an appearance on “Crimson Corner with Bill Riley” in late February, team general manager Wilcox said the staff had a list of 20-25 players at each position to get them ready when the transfer portal opened, a testament to the work that’s gone on over the past year.

The portal window officially opened Tuesday and will stay open through April 21, giving athletes 15 days to officially enter.

“Now that we’ve had more time, I clearly see a path to be competitive in the Big 12 and I think it can be done here.”

Utah basketball coach Alex Jensen

Players can withdraw from the portal at any time…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/critical-offseason-utah-basketball-priorities-023048384.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-12 02:30:00

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