Six-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Jon Judkins wrapped up his 20th season on the Utah Tech bench in 2024-25, where he has compiled a 338-229 overall record that includes a 318-217 mark during the program's 19 seasons in the NCAA era.
Coach Judkins (622 career wins; .635 W%) became the first men’s coach in Utah collegiate basketball history to reach the 500-win plateau when his Trailblazers defeated Hawai’i Hilo (81-72) back on January 28, 2017. He then reached the pinnacle when he became the all-time winningest college coach in Utah history with career win No. 583 in UT's 114-49 triumph over SAGU-American Indian College (12/15/21).
The Trailblazers posted a 7-26 mark in 2024-25 season, won a pair of home WAC contests over UT Arlington and Tarleton State to open conference play and defeated No. 8 seed Southern Utah, 72-65 in the opening round of the WAC Tournament before falling to WAC regular season champion Utah Valley in the quarterfinals in Las Vegas.
Freshman guard Madiba Owona was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team after appearing in 18 games for the Trailblazers, making eight starts, and finished fifth on the team averaging 8.0 points per game.
The French native tallied five games in double figures, including a season-high 22 points at Southern Utah on Feb. 13, and led the team in scoring in three WAC contests. He also dished out a season-best four assists in a pair of games and grabbed a season-high three rebounds in three contests.
Coming off an 11-win campaign in the 2023-24 season, the Trailblazers finished ninth in the WAC with a 7-13 mark. Utah Tech posted a 6-7 mark at home earning wins over Utah Valley, FIU, Stephen F. Austin, UTRGV, Southern Utah and California Baptist.
With four Trailblazers averaging double figures, freshman Aric Demings was named to the WAC All-Freshman Team after averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Demings scored in double figures in 10 games, including a pair of 19-point efforts vs. Florida International (12/30) and at UT Arlington (2/24). Demings dished out four or more assists four times, highlighted by a season-high seven dimes on the road at CSUN (12/11).
In 2022-23, Judkins’ Trailblazer squad finished 14-19, but ended the year on a high note, recording the program’s first-ever NCAA Division I postseason victory with an 80-76 overtime victory over sixth-seeded Stephen F. Austin in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament. The 2022-23 campaign also included a six-game winning streak that featured victories over the likes of Weber State and UTRGV, while senior point guard Cameron Gooden earned Second Team All-WAC honors after averaging 16.1 points per game during the regular season and scoring a career-high 35 against Southern Utah on March 9.
In the 2019-20 season, Judkins led the Trailblazers to a school-record tying 23 victories (23-7) and to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title (17-5). The 23 victories, which tied the record previous set in the 2017-18 campaign, included a 10-game season opening winning streak (and 23-game regular season win streak dating back to the 2018-19 campaign), and a program-best No. 6 ranking in the NABC national poll (No. 5 in the D2SIDA media) during the streak.
Judkins would go on to guide then-Dixie State to its ninth and final NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, and the No. 3-overall seed in the 2020 South Central regional, but the tournament was eventually canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Judkins' program wrapped up its 14-year NCAA Division II affiliation with a 266-122 (.685) overall record.
The previous season in 2018-19, Judkins led UT to an 18-9 overall record, including a 16-6 mark (t-2nd place) in the program’s RMAC debut season.
In 2017-18 he led the Trailblazers to a school-record 23 victories (23-7), which included a school-record 17-game winning streak, along both the 2018 Pacific West Conference regular season championship and second PacWest tournament crown, to become the first head coach in that conference’s history to sweep both titles twice in the same season. Judkins also guided Utah Tech to its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance.
In 2016-17, Judkins led UT to a 19-9 overall record, which included a 16-4 (3rd place) mark in Pacific West Conference play, while in 2015-16, Judkins led Utah Tech to an 18-9 overall record and a 15-5 PacWest mark, which was good for a t-first place finish in the league standings.
Overall, Judkins led the Trailblazers to 12-straight winning seasons (2008-09 to 2019-20) with seven 20-win campaigns, which includes 22 victories in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons. He has also guided them to six Pacific West Conference championships overall, including four-straight titles from 2009-13 and another crown in 2014-15, along with a PacWest Tournament title in 2013. In addition, Judkins has led UT to nine trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last 11 seasons overall from 2010-17, advancing all the way to the “Sweet 16” in the 2011 West Regional final.
In 18 years of NCAA play, Judkins has made the Burns Arena one of the most difficult home court advantages in the NCAA ranks. During his tenure, Judkins-coached teams are 165-54 (.753) overall inside the Burns Arena, which included a dominant 87-12 (.878) mark in PacWest play, and a 19-3 (.863) combined record in two seasons of RMAC action.
Under Judkins direction, Utah Tech has posted eight 10-win seasons at home overall, including a pair of 12-win campaigns this season (12-2) and a perfect 12-0 record in 2009-10. Additionally, Utah Tech is 142-124 (.534) away from home during the Judkins-era (11-5 in 2019-20), which includes a 109-89 mark (.550) in true road games and 28-22 (.560) in neutral-site contests.
Prior to his arrival at Utah Tech, Judkins served as head coach at Snow College for 12 full seasons and part of another season (1992-93), and posted a 284-128 overall record. He led the Badgers to a pair of Scenic West Athletic Conference titles in 1999 and 2000, which earned him SWAC Coach of the Year honors. Prior to becoming head coach at Snow, Judkins was an assistant coach at Snow from 1988-1993, and served as interim head coach for the final 11 games of the 1992-93 season. In 2014, Judkins was inducted into the Snow College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Judkins played for one season at Dixie State (junior college) in the 1983-84 season before transferring to Utah State, where he became the first Aggie to post a triple-double. During the 1987-88 season, he helped lead the Aggies to the PCAA title and an NCAA Tournament bid.
A native of Salt Lake City, Judkins graduated from USU with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1988. He and his wife, Lanette, are the parents of four children - Jaelle, Janessa, and twins Justin and Jillian; and the grandparents of one grandson (Jett), and one granddaughter (Millie).
Coaching Experience
1992 - 2005
Head Coach, Snow College
2005 - present
Head Coach, Utah Tech University
| Year |
Win |
Loss |
Pct. |
Conf. Record |
Conf. Finish |
| 2005-06 (Junior College) |
20 |
12 |
.625 |
--- |
--- |
| 2006-07 (NCAA era start) |
11 |
14 |
.440 |
0-0 |
N/A |
| 2007-08 |
13 |
14 |
.481 |
10-8 |
3rd (PacWest) |
| 2008-09 |
16 |
11 |
.592 |
8-4 |
2nd (PacWest) |
| 2009-10 |
20 |
6 |
.769 |
14-2 |
T-1st (PacWest) |
| 2010-11 |
22 |
7 |
.758 |
13-3 |
T-1st (PacWest) |
| 2011-12 |
20 |
7 |
.740 |
15-3 |
1st (PacWest) |
| 2012-13 |
22 |
7 |
.758 |
15-3 |
1st (PacWest) |
| 2013-14 |
21 |
7 |
750 |
15-5 |
T-2nd (PacWest) |
| 2014-15 |
19 |
7 |
.731 |
17-3 |
T-1st (PacWest) |
| 2015-16 |
18 |
9 |
.667 |
15-5 |
T-1st (PacWest) |
| 2016-17 |
19 |
9 |
.678 |
16-4 |
3rd (PacWest) |
| 2017-18 |
23 |
7 |
.678 |
18-2 |
1st (PacWest) |
| 2018-19 |
18 |
9 |
.667 |
16-6 |
T-2nd (RMAC) |
| 2019-20 |
23 |
7 |
.767 |
17-5 |
T-1st (RMAC) |
| 2020-21 |
8 |
13 |
.381 |
4-10 |
T-7th (WAC) |
| 2021-22 |
13 |
18 |
.419 |
6-12 |
10th (WAC) |
| 2022-23 |
14 |
19 |
.424 |
5-13 |
12th (WAC) |
| 2023-24 |
11 |
20 |
.355 |
7-13 |
9th (WAC) |
| 2024-25 |
7 |
26 |
.212 |
2-14 |
9th (WAC) |
| Utah Tech Total (20 seasons) |
338 |
229 |
.596 |
|
|
| Utah Tech NCAA Era (19 seasons) |
318 |
217 |
.594 |
213-115 |
--- |
| Snow College (12 seasons) |
284 |
128 |
.689 |
|
|
| TOTALS |
622 |
357 |
.635 |
|
|
