Latest / ESPN 700 & 92.1 FM | Utah's #1 Sports Talk / Alex Jensen on the Runnin Utes preparing for the season, What he's learned from exhibitions, What does progress look like (?) + more

Transcript

Alex Jensen on the Runnin Utes preparing for the season, What he's learned from exhibitions, What does progress look like (?) + more · ESPN 700 & 92.1 FM | Utah's #1 Sports Talk

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: You're tuned to the Sean O'Connell Show from the Murdoch
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Chevrolet studio of ESPN 700 and 92.1 FM. All right,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: welcome back to the Sean O'Connell Show. We are deep
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: in football season, but it's also time to start turning
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: an eye towards the running utes and basketball season, a
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: regular season right around the corner. Of course, exhibition matches
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: already happening up there at the Huntsman Center. And joining
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: us now to talk about this running Utes team and
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: the outlook for 2026-2027 is the head man, Alex Jensen.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: Welcome, coach.
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: How are you?
• 0:37
  Speaker 4: I'm doing good, Sean. How are you?
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: You know, doing great.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: It's a really fascinating time in the sports landscape here
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: in our state. You've got an awesome hockey team, a
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: great outlook for the Utah Jazz, I think.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: To start getting a lot better.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Your team, getting some things put together, good football being
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: played right now. And, you know, you and I grew
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: up in a similar era, at least at the University
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: of Utah. You were there a little bit before me.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: And it just feels like, you know, everything is coming
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: up Utah right now.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: It's a big, big time in the sports landscape of
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: our state. Do you get to feel that when you're
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: so focused on everything that's happening with your program?
• 1:15
  Speaker 4: Oh, no, no, you do.
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, fall's a great time, right? Football's getting
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: into full gear basketball is about to start. You have
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: the baseball playoffs, but yeah, great, great day of football
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: yesterday for the state of Utah.
• 1:31
  Speaker 4: So no, no, you, you feel it.
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: It's, it's, it's you know, like I grew up the
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: same era, but it's a fun time.
• 1:39
  Speaker 4: It's exciting.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: Before we get into any like X's and O's stuff
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: right now, I want to talk to you about the
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: off season and what you're coming out of where, you know,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: you have to, continue to shape the direction of the
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: program and the roster construction stuff for everybody. This past
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: off season was really interesting because of the this sort
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: of hanging question about whether or not a fifth year
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: of eligibility was going to be granted to certain players
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: and guys that may be flirted with the pros, whether
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: they were going to be able to come back. And,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: you know, I know that there's all these landscape changes
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: that we've been dealing with for years and years now,
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: but was this past off season particularly strange or hard
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: to navigate because of some of those questions and the
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: answers coming from courts and lawsuits and temporary restraining orders
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: and things like that?
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it was difficult. I mean, we faced the same
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: thing everybody else is facing. You ask a lot of
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: questions that there just aren't answers to, and you're kind
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: of not sure who's in charge. So hopefully they can
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: get a couple guardrails to make it easy. I mean,
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: it seems like there's a few simple ones they could
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: put in place that would make it easy for everybody.
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: But I will say, As hard as that was, it
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: was a little easier, I think, for me and my
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: staff because having been here a year and kind of
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: had a year to prepare for it helped. But, yeah, no, it's,
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: you know, it would be nice.
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: If the powers that be would get out.
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Ahead of it instead of trying to play catch up
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: because that makes it really hard and brings more questions
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: than answers.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: You may be partially answered my next question. How much
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: difference does a year make? Because obviously this time last year,
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: everything was still pretty new and pretty fresh. And you're,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: you're just bringing people in to get them settled down
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: in their jobs and things like that while you're also
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: preparing for a basketball season. And now you've had, you know,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: a little more continuity. How much of a difference does
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: that make?
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: Oh, it's huge. I mean, not, not just for the,
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: the players, but the staff, you know, Most people, most
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: guys on my staff and women, I knew him before,
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: but that takes a while. The continuity is still underrated. So,
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: but no, we're not much better placed than we were
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: a year ago. And it takes time. And then, you know,
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: the other thing is, is, you know, the big 12 is,
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: is a monster, you know, and you know, you watch it,
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: you hear about it, but until you, you go through it,
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: it's hard.
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: To, I mean, it's, it's a, it's a tough league.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: And you knew that intuitively and intellectually, right? There was
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: an understanding of that when you see this team preparing
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: for a big 12 slate and when you're getting ready
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: to coach it and knowing, all right, there's going to
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: be a bunch of NBA guys on these other rosters. And,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: but was there a difference between your expectation and what
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: it actually was having been around basketball for as long
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: as you have?
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: You know I think it was like I said going
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: through it and seeing it and living it like it's
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: I mean the coaches in the league are phenomenal like
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: established coaches that have won for years and you know
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: it's changed since the last time in college leagues are
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: bigger the travels you know it's not it's not like
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: in a particular region but no it's unforgiving there's not
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: a at least for us last year there wasn't a
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: you know, there wasn't an easy game, which is hard
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: over a, you know, a conference, you know, an 18
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: game conference season.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Do you feel like, you know, you and your coaches
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: and the players that remain that there's a better understanding
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: now of exactly, you know, what it's like to have
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: to keep swimming, no breath of fresh air, no, like,
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: all right, we can, take our foot off the gas
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: pedal for this one.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: Cause I just mentioned, there's no easy game.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: Uh, does it inform the way that practices are happening
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: even right now?
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Well ahead of when you're getting into the big 12 slate.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: Yeah, no, we say we talk about all the time.
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: Like you can't, uh, you know, you can't in college basketball,
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: you can't have a couple of bad weeks and recover.
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: I mean, the season's as short as it.
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: Is, but, uh, No, I think, I think that's the
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: same thing we did last year. This year we'll do
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: in the future. It's like, you know, there's only so
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: many days and every, every, every practice, like you can't
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: turn it on in the game, every practice, it's kind
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: of like an every possession thing. We don't look past
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: the next, you know, the next game in front of.
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: You, you know, easier said than done.
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: And everybody says it, but I think we've done a
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: pretty good job of that. And, you know, just think
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: about what lies directly ahead of you instead of looking
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: for too far down the road. Okay.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: So you've, you've had a couple of exhibition matches, mixed
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: results in those. And obviously another one coming up this
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: Wednesday against Oregon. What is the main goal? If I
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: walk into your office right now and I look at
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: the whiteboard and there's a list, a hierarchy of needs,
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: we have to get this accomplished in these preseason games.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Give me a sense of what those things are. What
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: are you looking to accomplish most in this exhibition season?
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: Hopefully in the future. we won't have as much turnover
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: on the rosters we do. And I think the number
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: one thing that I'd like to accomplish is just having
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: a game with each other, right? Most of these guys
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: haven't played together. So that's a huge part of it.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: And just kind of setting a base for the program,
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: like things you can do every night. And, you know,
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: the one thing that stuck out after these last two
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: games is, For guys, you can't go out there and
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: do your own thing. How do I fit into the picture?
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: What's my role? How do the pieces of the puzzle
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: come together? I think the exhibitions are a great idea.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: They've been very helpful to us.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: How different in your mind is the player experience now
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: because of some of what you just mentioned? Constant roster turnover,
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: having to integrate yourself maybe multiple times during your career
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: to a new coaching staff, a new program, a new locale,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: whatever it is.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: And you've got to hit the ground running.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: There's less of a grace period for all these players
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: because of expectations and the expectations attached with NIL and
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: all that kind of stuff. How different is the player
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: experience from what you experienced when you were, of course,
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: running it yourself?
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: Oh, it's huge.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: Big difference.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: And I think the players are kind of the losers
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: with everything that's going on. I mean, you could say
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: that they get paid, but I look back to my
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: college experience, the best part was you have your you
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: kind of grow, become a man with your teammates and
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: you just relationships. I always say that in basketball, the relationship,
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: winning in relationships are what makes it worth it. You know, and,
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: you know, and I feel, you know, at some point, most.
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: Of these guys, 99% of them, they're, uh, you.
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: Know, they're probably not going to play after college. And, uh,
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: It's kind of unfortunate. You go to two, three, four
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: different schools. Who knows how far you are.
• 9:15
  Speaker 4: Away from your degree?
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: And it's kind of unfortunate because there's so much to
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: college other than making money. So hopefully that legislation passes
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: and they put in the five from five, and I
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: think that'll help kids out.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: So how do you accelerate the chemistry, the team-building process,
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: with a roster like this one where, where guys have
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: to come together and they have to gel quickly. And,
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: you know, there's, there's some guys that you look at
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: them yourself, that that's an, that's an Alex Jensen guy.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: That's a Utah guy.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: That's a, you know, someone who, you know, pull your
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: bootstraps kind of guy. And then other ones, it's like, okay,
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: let's see how he's going to fit in. How do
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: you accelerate that process? to get ready faster?
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: Well, I think it starts in the portal.
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: And recruiting, you know, it seems like a simple phrase and, but,
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: but we try to get players that want to be here.
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: That makes sense. It's kind of, you know, you recruit them,
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: you talk to them and, uh, They like it.
• 10:21
  Speaker 4: You like them.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: And then the money tends to work out instead of
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: like a bidding war. I think it starts there with
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: putting your roster together. You get that type of person. And,
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: you know, and obviously I think, you know, it was
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: interesting for me. I realized recruiting this last year, you know, kids,
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: I think this is, you know, kids don't remember Utah
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: basketball being good, which is probably the first time that's
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: happened in a long time. but, uh, you know, just
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: getting the right kid that wants to be here on
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: the front end. And I think that'll help on the
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: back and try to, you know, keep them and, and, uh,
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: have them come back. And winning, winning, winning secure for
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: most things.
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: Isn't it interesting how, you know, we, we complain about
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: everything until the winning happens. And then the world is great. Uh,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: Alex Jensen is our guest here on the Sean O'Connell show.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: And there's that chicken and the egg argument that we
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: have to have with college sports. Now, you know, uh,
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: you win and then the money comes or the money
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: comes and then you win. And that's obviously reductive and
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: oversimplifies probably both ends of it. But do we know
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: which is more important, the chicken or the egg in
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: that case?
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: You know, I think, you know, I think when I
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: got here, I think Kyle Whittingham said it, you know,
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: the top 25, I think it's the same in football
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: and basketball for the most part are going to represent
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: the teams that invest the most. And, you know, but
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: I think, I think it's not all about that, but yeah,
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: definitely is very, very important to, to, to be competitive there.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: You don't have to have the most money, but you know, there's,
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: you know, the teams that spend, you know, top spenders
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: that involves a lot of issues and problems too. You know,
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: it's hard to pay a kid. I don't know however
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: many millions and then not play them. You know, it's
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: kind of like an NBA thing. you know, if you
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: max out a player, it's really hard to sit him. So,
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: but no, I think if you have a, you'd be
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: in the middle of a pack, I think you can
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: be competitive.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: What have you learned in these first few weeks with
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: these guys, you know, see them in live competition. Now
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: it's not an official stuff that counts, but I thought
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: that what we saw from your squad against UNLV was
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: pretty encouraging. I'm sure you had a couple things that
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: you want to fix after the Nevada contest, etc. What
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: have you learned in the early goings about your players,
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: maybe individually or as a unit?
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: Well, first, that we have a long way to go
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: as a unit and individually. And the nice part is
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: we have practice and another exhibition to talk about it.
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: But now, again, just kind of... you know, what's, what's
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: your role, but, but I'm actually at the same time
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: encouraged because I think it's, I think we'll be as
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: the weeks and months go by, I think we'll get,
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: we'll get better individually and collectively as a unit. So like,
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: that's the exciting thing, a lot, a lot to do,
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: a lot of buy-in and, you know, there's going to be,
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: it's not going to be easy, you know, season, there's
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: always going to be the ups and downs, but I
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: think we'll get a lot, a lot better as the
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: months and months go on.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: When, when guys are learning their role, how often are
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: you also learning their role right alongside them? Cause I'm
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: sure you have a vision and your staff has a
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: vision of where you want a certain player and his
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: size and his talent to fit in.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: And then of course the competition kind of.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: Weeds itself out or allows people to weed themselves in
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: or out of a lineup or more minutes, fewer minutes,
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: whatever it is. So, How concurrent is the learning for
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: you and your coaching staff alongside the players adopting the
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: right mindset around their roles?
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: It's big for me and my staff. How we can
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: help them, whether it's rotations who they play with. A
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: lot of our guys... even some of the older ones,
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: I mean, they're going to have to change their game.
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: Like they're going to have, we're asking them to do
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: stuff that maybe they haven't been counted on to do. So,
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: you know, it's got to get out of your comfort zone,
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: but I think they're very capable of it, but it's no,
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: just how all the pieces fit together. But you're right. Like,
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: you know, a great Majerus line was, Coaches don't choose
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: who plays players do. So it's kind of the message
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: that we've given to them. Like, if you want to
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: play like this is what it's going to take. And,
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: you know, the best thing for a coach is in
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: a good, it can be good and bad, but you know,
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: who to play and who not to play.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: Can you give me an example of a, of a
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: player or a role that.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: You know, maybe they haven't been asked to do this
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: and you're going to ask them to do that. Like,
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: just give me an example of one of those, if
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: you don't mind.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: Um, you know, a lot of, uh, you know, I
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: hate to use the word leadership. We have a lot
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: of guys, um, you know, from Trey Campbell, our fifth
• 15:33
  Speaker 3: year kid from Northern Iowa, Alec Anabata from, from Germany. Um, uh,
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: you know, they, they played real roles, but like, we're
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: going to have to lean on them like more. And
• 15:45
  Speaker 3: that doesn't necessarily mean scoring, but just kind of It's
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: funny how if you have one guy that blocks out
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: or runs hard, then two, then three, and then before
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: you know it, hopefully nobody wants to be the guy
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: not doing it, if that makes sense.
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: So more of a leadership.
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: And it doesn't necessarily mean talking, but just kind of
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: propelling the group forward. And it's something I don't think
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: they've had to do as much where they've been. So
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: it's definitely... I think they're very capable of it, but
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: just getting out of their comfort zone and doing it.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: I've probably asked you some version of this question before
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: in previous conversations, but how coachable is that when you
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: need somebody to be, maybe you do need someone to
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: be more of a vocal leader or you need someone
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: to let their work ethic kind of set the example
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: or whatever it is, especially when there's a lot of
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: turnover and there's fresh faces, new bodies, guys don't know
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: each other quite as well as they would in a
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: more traditional old school type of program. Uh, Can you
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: pull a guy into the office and say, Hey, Trey, look,
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: I know that it wasn't part of your role before,
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: but I need you to yell at these young guys.
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: I need you to be the one that is an
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: extension of our coaching staff. Is that a coachable thing?
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 17:01
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: I think it's a, I think you have to keep
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: it simple, you know, starting with one or two things.
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: And then I think at the same time, you have
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: to be honest. You can't ask players to be something
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: that they're not necessarily not. Then you just get negative returns.
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: But I think you just keep it simple at first.
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: And you pick one or two things that you can
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: do every day, which we try to do with all
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: of them. And then I think it kind of grows
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: from there. And it takes time in a lot of instances.
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: But just I think the simplicity of it for each
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: guy and collectively as a group. Like things you can
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: control every game. You know, you're not going to shoot
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: well probably every night. You can't control the rest. But
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: you know what?
• 17:44
  Speaker 4: You can.
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: You can talk on defense. You can space on offense.
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: So just kind of keep it simple at first, I think,
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: and then you don't want to– you've got to be
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: sure that what you're asking is from a player that
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: they're capable of it.
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: Alex Jensen, Utah head basketball coach for another couple minutes
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: here on the Sean O'Connell Show. Talking all things running Utes.
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: What does progress look like for you this year, Coach?
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: In your mind's eye, what is– the correct step forward.
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: Obviously all of us want you to win 20 games,
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: but I think we're going to be realistic and say that,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: you know, progress does take time. What is a milestone
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: or a, a step forward look like for you?
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: Uh, you know, it's, uh, you know, another thing I
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: was blessed by, by my, my mentor, um, coach Majerus was, uh,
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: you know what, like progress is to be better when
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: we play Oregon here on the exhibition game. And I truly,
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: I feel this way. I think it's not a line,
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: but like literally it's, I think progress is, you know,
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: one week at a time, obviously winning is the best
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: way to show up, win more games than last year.
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: And I think progress is, you know, I think ultimately,
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: which is tied into winning is getting more people in
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: the onsen center, getting it closer to what it used
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: to be.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: Is there a way that an undefeated football team and
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: college game day coming to town this week can be
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: beneficial and helpful to you on the basketball front?
• 19:21
  Speaker 4: Yeah, no, I think, I think it's great.
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: But, but, but Morgan's done phenomenal year. Like I think, yeah,
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: like I think it, you know, creates a buzz and
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: I think, you know, hopefully we'll try to, you know,
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: replicate it in our way and kind of build from it.
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: But I think it's, You know, I think it's great
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: for us, and it has been.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: Well, Coach, I know it's a very, very busy time
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: of year, and we've got high hopes for a big
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: step forward for you and your youths and appreciate you
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: giving us some time today we'll see you around very
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: soon thank you again.
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: God thank you sean my pleasure
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: Alex alex jensen head coach for utah men's basketball giving
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: us some time today here on espn 700 and 92.1
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: fm