Josh Pastner has reportedly looked to his former team for his first transfer portal commitment as coach of the UNLV men’s basketball team.

Arizona freshman center Emmanuel Stephen is set to join the Rebels, according to 247 Sports.

The 7-foot Nigeria native appeared in only eight games as a freshman for the Wildcats this season after joining the team as a four-star recruit out of Dream City Christian in Glendale, Arizona.

Pastner played on Arizona’s 1997 national team as walk-on freshman guard.

Stephen will have room to grow at UNLV. He averaged 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in his limited playing time as a Wildcat.

During a press conference in November, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said he and Stephen considered utilizing a redshirt season as he developed. Stephen ultimately opted to play the entire season, recording two minutes of playing time in Arizona’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Akron on March 21.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.