Josh Pastner is expected to be hired as the UNLV men’s basketball coach, sources said Monday night.
He replaces the fired Kevin Kruger.
Pastner 47, is the former coach at Memphis and Georgia Tech. He has a career record of 276-187 over 14 seasons. He took five teams to the NCAA Tournament and two to the National Invitation Tournament, including a runner-up finish in 2017.
Kruger was fired after four seasons and no NCAA Tournament appearances. The 41-year-old leaves the school with a 76-55 record.
The Rebels haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013.
It was thought earlier Monday that Arkansas State coach Bryan Hodgson was headed to UNLV, but he reportedly took the South Florida job and a six-year contract instead.
Multiple sources confirmed Hodgson was offered the Rebels’ position before turning his attention to South Florida.
Pastner began his coaching career as an assistant at Arizona — where he was part of the 1997 national championship team as a walk-on freshman — from 2002 to 2008.
He left there to become an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under John Calipari at Memphis. Pastner earned a reputation as a tireless recruiter nationally.
He became the Memphis coach in 2009 at age 31 and in seven seasons led the Tigers to a 167-73 record and into four NCAA tournaments, never advancing past the round of 32.
He didn’t find, however, as much success at Georgia Tech.
Pastner went 109-114 with the Yellow Jackets, advancing to the NCAA Tournament once. They did win the 2021 ACC tournament title, a first for the school since 1993.
Georgia Tech parted ways with Pastner in March 2023.
The transfer portal opened Monday. UNLV could lose several players, including star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Ed Graney at [email protected]. Follow @edgraney on X.
