Josh Pastner Turns Transfer Turmoil Into Triumph In First Offseason At UNLV

After the UNLV Rebels hired Josh Pastner this offseason there was a massive roster overhaul through the transfer portal. While he lost a ton of great talent, it was still considered an overall success for Pastner in his first offseason as the team's head coach.

Mountain West Connection even pegged them as one of three teams in the Mountain West Conference that benefited from the transfer portal in 2025. This is what they had to say: 

"Is it crazy to put UNLV on here? All things considered, I think Josh Pastner’s done a good job with the portal despite losing 10 bodies from last year’s team, including star guard Dedan Thomas Jr. Again, it’s still too early to make any final conclusions because none of these teams have finalized their rosters... But I think nabbing former UC Irvine guard Myles Che and High Point’s Kimani Hamilton were phenomenal gets; Jack has them as two of the MW’s top-5 incoming transfers, and I think that’s a fair assessment. We will obviously have to see it in practice—and I still think there are some pressing needs he must attack—but I think Pastner’s building a program that could crack the top-5 next season. Those are my initial, way-too-early thoughts anyway."