‘I don’t want to wait’: Pastner eager for quick rebuild with Rebels
Josh Pastner said he got chills the first time he put on his red UNLV polo shirt Wednesday morning ahead of his introductory news conference as the school’s new men’s basketball coach.
A self-described “basketball guy,” Pastner remembers watching the Rebels’ glory days in the 1980s and early 1990s. Those memories planted the seed that UNLV was an elite job.
“I had always felt like this was a dream job. This was the ultimate job,” Pastner said. “And when this became open, my motor — which runs a lot — was at another level.”
Pastner’s enthusiasm about being UNLV’s new coach was evident Wednesday morning. He made his first appearance as the Rebels coach at the Strip View Pavilion at Thomas &Mack Center in a room full of program supporters.
“The last two years, I’ve had a lot of opportunities and I never felt it in my gut that it felt right,” Pastner said. “When (the UNLV job) opened, it was the gut feeling that this was the one and that’s why I was so excited.”
Pastner received a five-year, $4.8 million contract. He replaces Kevin Kruger, who was fired after four seasons.
Pastner will be paid $500,000 his first season, which takes into account UNLV paying a buyout from the last year on Pastner’s Georgia Tech contract, before getting paid $1 million his second and third seasons.
Athletic director Erick Harper said Pastner’s passion for coaching, as well as his desire to lead the Rebels, came through in the search process.
“He was relentless on wanting this job,” Harper said. “It wasn’t about just wanting a job, he wanted this job. He knows this job, as the Runnin’ Rebels head coach, is a job that you can win championships. It’s proven that you can win an NCAA championship. … He wants to do that and he can do that here.”
Win ‘as soon as we can’
When asked if Pastner was his first choice to fill the coaching vacancy, Harper’s answer was simple: “Yes.”
Pastner, 47, has a lot of work ahead of him to get UNLV back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
The Rebels have been through six coaches since last participating in March Madness.
That includes Todd Simon’s interim stint at the end of the 2015-16 season and Chris Beard’s 19-day stay before bolting for Texas Tech.
Pastner, who has spent the last two seasons as a TV analyst, believes he can get UNLV back in the NCAA Tournament soon. He has a career record of 276-187 in 14 seasons at Memphis and Georgia Tech and has reached the tournament five times.
“I want it (to be quick), I don’t want to wait,” Pastner said. “You got to get on the floor and win games and do all that stuff. The goal is to get to the tournament as soon as we can. We want to win championships as soon as we can, but we have to get the work done.”
Personality an asset for NIL
Pastner’s initial tasks will include navigating the transfer portal to fill out the Rebels roster and working to raise funds for the program’s name, image and likeness collective.
Harper believes Pastner’s engaging personality will help UNLV get donations. He said everyone he’s talked to has been excited about the hire.
“That’s so important as it relates to NIL and being able to engage with the donors and engage with the community,” Harper said. “You want to have someone that says, ‘I like the way that person carries themself, I want to go support that individual.’”
Pastner said he talked to coaches about navigating the ever-changing world of NIL and the transfer portal while working in television. He is optimistic he can take on those challenges.
“This is the deal. This is the world we’re living in,” Pastner said. “You can’t complain about it. It takes a lot of work … Instead of three or four years (recruiting a player through high school), it’s a three-week deal and you can streamline and be way more efficient than ever before.”
‘Ignite the city’
Pastner said his first order of business will be meeting with players from last year’s team that are in the portal, a group that includes star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr.
“I’ve talked to some already, but I want to get in there (Thursday) and be able to focus,” Pastner said. “I’ve said to myself the most important thing is the current team, recruiting and hiring staff and everything after that. Those three things have to be my focus.”
Pastner said he would emphasize getting into the community and connecting with past players to generate excitement for the program, but added he’s aware it all comes down to winning.
“That plan will be to rejuvenate, to re-energize and most importantly, to ignite this city,” Pastner said. “It’s a sleeping giant. I understand what it’s going to take to get it back.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
