Pastner’s UNLV philosophy: Playing hard isn't negotiable

UNLV coach Josh Pastner calls out to players during the first half of an exhibition game against Lincoln University at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Josh Pastner won over a few UNLV basketball supporters last week.

When guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn erupted for 31 points in the Rebels’ exhibition game Tuesday night, the first-year coach could have opened his postgame press conference by celebrating his team leader’s scoring explosion. Instead, Pastner did something that revealed everything about his coaching philosophy: He zeroed in on a single defensive lapse in the opening minutes and explained how it sparked everything that followed.

“The kid hit a three,” Pastner said after UNLV’s 123-59 win against Lincoln University of California. “(Gibbs-Lawhorn) had no sense of urgency on guarding that shot. He went underneath the screen. Hands were down. He didn’t have a hair-on-fire mentality, sense of urgency, desperation, life-or-death mentality. And you just (have) to come out (of the game).You just got to sit your butt on the bench.”

That moment encapsulates what Pastner is building in Las Vegas: a program where toughness isn’t negotiable.

As UNLV prepares to open its season 7 p.m. Tuesday against the University of Tennessee-Martin, the Rebels face immediate adversity. Five players remain injured, though all are expected back in the coming weeks. Pastner isn’t making excuses — if anything, the challenge fits perfectly into his vision of what this team needs to become.

His philosophy is impossible to miss. Walk into the UNLV locker room, and you’ll find it plastered on the walls: “Winning this possession is more important than breathing,” the signage proclaims.

“I’m a big believer in alignment, and all of the guys I’m most aligned with are the ones (for whom) winning that possession is more important than breathing,” Pastner said. “They will literally go after your legs to win that possession.”

It’s an old-school approach in a modern era, but one that resonates deeply with UNLV’s storied tradition. Pastner understands that connection — legendary UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian’s teams, after all, played suffocating defense.

Yes, it appears Pastner knew what he was signing up for when becoming the UNLV coach.

“People love basketball. It’s the fabric and DNA of the community,” he said. “So, I’ve loved it. There’s great intensity. There’s great pressure that comes with the job as being the head coach, and I don’t shy away from that. … It’s even more of a massive job than I originally thought.”

Pastner knows that winning is the only currency that will bring fans back to the Thomas & Mack Center. Average home attendance dropped to just 4,969 fans per game last season and the program missed the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight season.

The opener against UT-Martin won’t generate national headlines, but it matters immensely. With a depleted roster, UNLV will need to embody everything Pastner preaches — the toughness, the desperation, the hair-on-fire mentality that defines his program.

“You’ve got to have a motor and a little bit of craziness,” Pastner said. “If you’re cool, casual and cute, there is zero alignment with me. I don’t know how to coach that, I don’t want to be around it, and it’s hard to play for me if you’re that way.”

For Gibbs-Lawhorn, that message seemed to resonate immediately. After his defensive mistake sent him to the bench, he returned with renewed purpose. He locked in defensively. Only then did his offense explode, scoring 20 points in the first half and making five of his eight 3-point attempts.

“The reason Dra played the way he played wasn’t because of his offense,” Pastner said. “It was because when he sat and he went back in, he guarded at a high level, he defended, and based on his defense, he was able to really play at a high level offensively.”

That’s the blueprint for Tuesday. That’s the blueprint for the season. UNLV won’t out-talent everyone — the Rebels are short-handed and rebuilding. But they can out-tough anyone who steps on the floor.

“If anything, I’ve learned that this is even more of a massive job than I originally thought,” Pastner said. “And I love every aspect of it.”