The Pastner Plan: NIL has to be name of game for UNLV basketball under new coach

UNLV head basketball coach Josh Pastner speaks during a news conference at UNLV Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

When Josh Pastner was introduced as UNLV’s new head basketball coach Wednesday during a press conference at the Thomas & Mack Center, the first thing the 47-year-old did was acknowledge his wife and children.

He then immediately pivoted to his NIL pitch.

That’s how important name, image and likeness money is in college sports, and the biggest takeaway from Pastner’s first day on the job was how seriously he is taking the task of raising enough money to fund a winner at UNLV.

“I want to have everybody understand that this is not going to be about me and a couple players,” Pastner said in his opening remarks. “This is going to be the whole city back involved and getting everybody to come here to help build the program back to where we want to get it.”

In other words, let’s get the money flowing.

The UNLV basketball program was decently financed during Kevin Kruger’s four-year tenure, but the Scarlet and Gray are routinely outspent by other Mountain West teams. The starting point guard, rising junior D.J. Thomas, is currently in the transfer portal, presumably fielding big-money offers from deep-pocketed programs.

More than any X’s and O’s concerns, being able to recruit and retain players with cold, hard cash has to be priority No. 1 for UNLV under Pastner.

“Obviously, coaching and college athletics has changed in the last couple years just because of NIL and the portal,” Pastner said. “So you’ve got to attack that the right way and deal with that. We know how important that is.”

Some blue-blood programs have more money than they can spend, but at a school like UNLV the head coach must be active on the fundraising scene.

Pastner made it clear he recognizes that, describing himself as a “people guy” who doesn’t just tolerate the gladhanding and networking efforts required to schmooze donors — he actually enjoys it.

“It’s got to be a hands-on approach,” he said. “It’s not going to be where you can just sit in your office and make a phone call here or there — you’ve got to get into the trenches. You’ve got to be into the grassroots of it. You’ve got to be able to go out, go work. You’ve got to have a high motor and be energized about it.”

It wasn’t just Pastner preaching the importance of NIL on Day 1.

Acting university president Christopher Heavey touched on it in his statement to the gathered fans and boosters.

“When people write checks to support the programs of the university, that warms my heart beyond description,” Heavey said. “We know that a sports program needs those kinds of people to bring the resources to the table to make it possible to compete at the highest level.”

Athletic director Erick Harper said Pastner’s potential as a fundraiser was a key factor in the decision to hire him.

“In this day and age that is so important, being able to engage with the donors and engage with the community,” Harper said. “His ability to connect with donors and connect with these players and connect with this staff is going to be an asset in the space of raising additional dollars for NIL.”

Even UNLV women’s basketball coach Lindy La Rocque, who has known Pastner since she was a young girl, touted him as the right type of coach for this money-driven era of player empowerment.

“I do think fundraising is a more prevalent skill that is needed to have a successful program now more than ever before,” La Rocque said. “There is nobody that’s going to work harder than him, and I put my name on that. He’s got the charisma, the personality to engage with anyone that he comes in contact with. I think recruiting, whether it’s money or players or fundraising, there are transferable skills. A lot of that is being a people connector, and Josh is an incredible people connector.”

Pastner did touch on other topics while meeting with the media. He called UNLV a “dream job” and expressed his desire to coach the Scarlet and Gray for the next 30 years. He thinks the program can pull off a quick turnaround and compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament as soon as 2026. He wants to work quickly to fill out his staff of assistants.

He also noted that spending the last two years as a television analyst have shifted his perspective and made him a better coach.

How, exactly?

“I’ve been allowed to study the game, study different programs,” he said. “I’ve been able to talk to so many coaches about what has worked with the NIL, what hasn’t worked with the NIL.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.