HOME PAGE
|
Friday, February 04, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
'Throwback' Jensen main man for Utes
The unselfish senior is a big reason Utah brings a 23-game conference winning streak into Saturday's game.
By Steve Carp
Review-Journal
He's not the biggest or the strongest. He's not the swiftest or the quickest. He's not the best shooter or the top scorer. He's not the best rebounder or best passer.
Alex Jensen is none of those things. He's merely the best basketball player in the Mountain West Conference.
Don't think so? Ask any coach who has to prepare for the Utah senior forward. The 6-foot-7 Jensen does everything well. There are virtually no flaws in his game.
Because he's so unselfish, he'll never lead the league in scoring, rebounding or assists. But chances are he'll still be playing in late March when most players have packed up their gear for the season.
"The guy's unselfish to a fault," Utah coach Rick Majerus said of his star, who will lead the 18th-ranked Utes against UNLV on Saturday at 7:35 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Despite constantly giving up the ball to his teammates, Jensen is averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. He's shooting 58 percent from the floor, 52 percent from the 3-point arc. His assists-to-turnovers ratio is 1.54.
"Obviously, the system here fits me," Jensen said. "In my four years here, I've been fortunate to play with great players. But I've also been fortunate to play with some great role players."
Jensen has always fit in. Whether he was playing alongside Keith Van Horn, Michael Doleac and Andre Miller or with current Utes Hanno Mottola, Nate Althoff and Tony Harvey, Jensen has always contributed and accepted whatever role Majerus gave him.
He was a major factor as Utah won last year's Western Athletic Conference Tournament, and he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Jensen was selected to the Mountain West's preseason all-conference team. And when Mottola injured his knee in November and required surgery, it was Jensen who went from being the ultimate complimentary player to Utah's go-to guy. It's not a role he relishes. Yet he performed admirably. The fact Utah is 17-3 overall and stayed together during Mottola's six-plus-week absence was a tribute to Jensen's ability to switch roles.
"It was tough," he said. "I'm the one who looks to help everyone else. Now, I'm the guy they're looking to. It's a different team than the others I've played on.
"This is the first time I've played with a freshman point guard. I used to take instruction from the guards. Now, I'm barking out instructions."
And he's taking charge.
Last week, Utah was on the brink of suffering its first Mountain West Conference loss, trailing Air Force by four points in the final minute. But Jensen hit a 23-foot 3-pointer, then scored on a layup in the final seconds and was fouled. His made free throw was the difference as the Utes beat the Falcons, 64-63.
The Utes have not lost a conference game since UNLV beat them in the 1998 WAC Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. Since then, Jensen and his mates have reeled off 23 straight league wins.
"I'm a little surprised we're undefeated," Jensen said of the Utes' 6-0 start in the MWC. "We've had many close calls, but we've found a way to win.
"It's been tough because we've had so many guys get hurt. We haven't had a lot of continuity on the court. But it's a tough group of guys, and it's helped us in the close games."
Jensen is a model of consistency. He has started the last 87 games he has dressed for and through hard work has developed into a potential pro.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about the NBA," Jensen said. "If it happens, great. But I've accomplished more in basketball than I ever dreamed of."
Majerus said Jensen's been a dream to coach.
"I don't get effusive in my praise, but I rate Al very good in all areas," Majerus said. "He does so many things well, he's so fundamentally sound."
UNLV coach Bill Bayno said: "What makes him such a great player is he does everything so well consistently, night in and night out. There's no question he's one of, if not, the best player in the league."
-- REBEL NOTES -- At the close of business Thursday afternoon, approximately 4,000 tickets remained for Saturday's game. Bayno said if the game sells out by today, he'll shave his head. UNLV officials said no individual has stepped up at this point to purchase the remaining tickets to ensure a sellout. ... Forward Chris Richardson sprained his left ankle after landing on a teammate's foot during a drill in Thursday's practice at the Thomas & Mack Center. He is listed as day-to-day, but Richardson said he'll be ready to go Saturday. ... Former San Diego State coach Fred Trenkle watched the Thursday workout. Trenkle is assisting NBA Director of Scouting Marty Blake.
E-mail this story to a friend:
Give us your FEEDBACK on this or any story.
BEST OF LAS VEGAS
Fill out our Online Readers' Poll
|
Printable version of this story
Alex Jensen
Visit the Review-Journal's
Runnin' RebelsWeb site
|
