Harold Jensen (born c. 1965) is an American former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He is best remembered as a key player in

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

's surprise 1985 NCAA championship victory. He shot the winning basket in the final minutes of the 1985 showdown against Georgetown. Jensen was a 6'4 swingman from

Trumbull High School Trumbull High School is a large public high school located in Trumbull, Connecticut. The current principal is Marc Guarino. History Trumbull High School was founded in 1961 following a population increase in Trumbull during the 1950s. It was ...

Trumbull, Connecticut Trumbull is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders on the cities of Bridgeport and Shelton and the towns of Stratford, Fairfield, Easton and Monroe. The population was 36,827 during the 2020 census. Trumbul ...

. He played for coach

Rollie Massimino Roland Vincent Massimino (November 13, 1934 – August 30, 2017) was an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Stony Brook University (1969–1971), Villanova University (1973–1992), the University of Nevada, L ...

at Villanova from 1983 to 1987. Jensen played little as a freshman, but as a sophomore was the

sixth man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in. The sixth man often plays minutes equal to or exceeding some of the sta ...

for the Wildcats' 1985 National Championship team. For the season, Jensen averaged 4.1 points per game, but he came off the bench in the 1985 NCAA title game to shoot a perfect 5-5 from the floor and hit four clutch free throws in the closing minutes as Villanova beat the defending champion

Georgetown Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C. Georgetown's athletics department fields 23 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the National ...

66–64 in what is considered by many to be one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Jensen was named to the All-tournament team for his performance and would be remembered as one of the surprising heroes of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

tournament history. Jensen built off his surprise sophomore tournament performance to become a starter for his junior and senior seasons. He led the Wildcats in scoring as a senior (15.9 points per game) and netted second team All-

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

honors. Jensen also received national recognition as a two-time first team Academic All-American - the first basketball player in Big East and Villanova history to be so honored.2010-11 Villanova men's basketball guide
accessed October 14, 2011 For his career, Harold Jensen scored 1,155 points and dished 231 assists. After graduating from Villanova, Jensen was drafted in the

1987 NBA Draft The 1987 NBA draft was held on June 22, 1987, in New York City. This draft included two future members of the NBA 50 Greatest Players list, David Robinson and Scottie Pippen, as well as fellow Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was named to t ...

by the Cleveland Cavaliers (sixth round, 121st pick) but did not play in the NBA. He played one season in the

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

(USBL). He then entered a career in business as a marketing executive. Jensen is happily married with a son and daughter. Jensen was elected to the Philadelphia Big 5 basketball hall of fame in 1995., page 83

References

External links

Picture of Villanova's 1985 NCAA Championship Team
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Harold 1960s births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Connecticut Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Trumbull, Connecticut Shooting guards United States Basketball League players Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players