Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner shouts out to his players against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half of the first round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Josh Pastner Details Challenges Of College Basketball After Taking UNLV Head Job

Originally posted on UNLV Rebels on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 10:49 AM ET

This offseason, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball program hired Josh Pastner to be their head coach. He has held jobs at places like Memphis and Georgia Tech in the past before taking a break from coaching for a bit for a TV gig. However, a lot has changed in a short period of time in college sports. He spoke about how different things are now than they were even just a few years ago.

Josh Pastner On His Experience When He Took The Jobs At Memphis And Georgia Tech:

“When I took over Memphis and Georgia Tech, you already kind of had your team. It wasn’t (about) the portal at those times. You really didn’t go fundraise. You had to go out and see the different high school coaches, AAU coaches."

Josh Pastner On How Different It Was When He Took The UNLV Job:

“I had to get a whole new team (at UNLV). I didn’t go around seeing high school guys and high school coaches. I had to go around my first couple weeks on the job and raise money. In the past, you kind of had a fundraising area within the athletic department. Now, the head coach probably is more of a fundraiser than actually a coach, but that’s the reality of where the world is right now in college athletics."

Josh Pastner Believes The Fact That He Likes People And Gets Along Well Gives Him An Advantage In Today's Game:

“I think it’s really hard to like this new model if you don’t like dealing with people. There’s a lot of things I’m not good at, but one of them I’m good at is dealing with people. I like human beings.”