New coach on a mission to rekindle citywide passion for UNLV basketball

UNLV head basketball coach Josh Pastner, center, stands between UNLV Officer In Charge Chris Heavey, left, and Erick Harper, UNLV athletics director, during a news conference at UNLV Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

When a basketball skitters loose across the hardwood of the Thomas & Mack Center next winter, expect to see a UNLV player hitting the floor first.

The commitment to hustle isn’t just a tactic for new coach Josh Pastner—it’s an obligation.

“That is what is owed to the fan base at UNLV,” the 47-year-old said.

Pastner, whose résumé includes NCAA Tournament appearances at both of his previous coaching spots of Memphis and Georgia Tech, has devoted his initial weeks in Las Vegas to laying the groundwork for the program’s revival.

For the Rebels to end their painful 13-season NCAA Tournament drought, Pastner stressed that success will require more than just on-court changes.

It demands a unified community effort.

“I want to have everybody understand that this is not going to be about me and a couple players,” he said during an introductory news conference March 26. “This is going to be the whole city getting back involved, and getting everybody to come (to games), to help build the program back to where we want to get—back to NCAA tournaments and winning championships. That’s what we want to do. Absolutely.”

Basketball flows through Pastner’s veins, a coaching destiny apparent since childhood. While other teenagers filled scrapbooks with trading cards, Pastner was already analyzing talent, publishing the “Josh Pastner Scouting Report” to showcase Houston-area prospects. It was an early glimpse of the basketball obsession that would shape his career.

That eye for talent has been paramount in recruiting, where Pastner is considered elite.

In 2010 at Memphis, he assembled the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class. He followed this success in 2013 with another stellar group, ranked No. 3 nationally.

When UNLV Athletic Director Erick Harper outlined his coaching search criteria, he said he sought a tireless recruiter with proven experience who would bridge past glory to future promise. He wanted someone who would not only embrace UNLV’s storied legacy by reconnecting with program legends, but commit to rebuilding that greatness over the long term.

In Pastner, Harper discovered the embodiment of his vision.

“I’ve watched him grow as a coach,” Harper said. “I have been impressed with his ability to lead. He is a guy that I have great respect for and look forward to working with him to build a championship program.”

Pastner’s basketball roots run deep at the University of Arizona, where he was part of the Wildcats’ 1997 national championship team as a player. His coaching career began in the same program, where he served as an assistant from 2002-2008 under the mentorship of legendary coach Lute Olson.

The Arizona connection has stirred mixed emotions with some of UNLV’s faithful supporters. Jerry Tarkanian, the revered patriarch who guided the Rebels to three Final Fours between 1987-1991, was famously outspoken about his rivalry with Olson.

“I remember being with coach Olson and talking in meetings about UNLV and Arizona, the rivalry between the two, and how awesome it was to try to compete to be a juggernaut in the landscape of college basketball,” said Pastner, who has a 276–187 head coaching record over 14 seasons. “And so in my mind, I had always felt like this was a dream job, like this was the ultimate job.”

Now comes the hard part: winning.

The program’s decade-long decline has devastated attendance at home games, with UNLV averaging a mere 4,969 fans across 17 games last season.

Pastner vividly recalls those legendary UNLV teams of yesteryear competing before packed, thunderous crowds. He’s determined to reignite that magic and restore the Rebels as a contender.

“This is going to be our team,” he said. “This has to be Las Vegas’ team.”

This story originally appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.