Josh Pastner’s Transfer Overhaul Has UNLV Climbing Mountain West Power Rankings

It has been an offseason of significant transition for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball program. Not only did they make a big splash hiring Josh Pastner to be their head coach after the firing of Kevin Kruger, but Pastner wasted no time attacking the transfer portal. The team has seen massive roster turnover after facing an exodus of players through the transfer portal after the Kruger firing then a huge haul of players through the transfer portal after the Pastner hiring. 

It's an understatement to say that the UNLV program has been disappointing in recent years and has been a shell of what they were in their heyday, nonetheless, Pastner brings hope of potential resurgence and return to their glory days. Nevada SportsNet recently released their Post-NBA draft withdrawal deadline Offseason Mountain West basketball power rankings, and they expect the Rebels to take a step forward in Pastner's first season as the head coach. They ranked UNLV fourth in the Mountain West and had this to say:

"UNLV moves up a spot from our last rankings with one of the best mid-major transfer classes. This is a complete rebuild as the Rebels return only 33 of their 2,285 points from last season under first-year coach Josh Pastner, who lost six to seven starting-level players, including star Dedan Thomas, Jr. (LSU). Pastner needs to nail the transfer class. Some of the top additions include Illinois' Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (5.9 ppg), Louisiana Tech's Al Green (10.2 ppg), Texas-Rio Grande Valley's Howard Fleming Jr. (12.3 ppg), UC Irvine's Myles Che (12.1 ppg), High Point's Kimani Hamilton (13.1 ppg), Iowa's Ladji Dembélé (4.5 ppg), Alabama's Naas Cunningham and Arizona's Emmanuel Stephen. This ceiling is high if they gel."

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