Josh Pastner Hires Three UNLV Men's Basketball Assistant Coaches

UNLV Athletic Director Erick Harper recently hired former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner to replace the recently fired Kevin Kruger and take over as the head coach of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team. The team formally introduced him to the Las Vegas and UNLV community, and he has since gotten to work.

TURN ME UP COACH 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/u1y0tBqSFQ
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) March 26, 2025

Pastner has begun to fill out his new coaching staff and has already made three hires. Pastner has brought in Scott Garson, Justin Hawkins, and Anthony Wilkins to be assistant coaches over the past few days. All three men come highly qualified and highly touted. This is the kind of staff the program hoped he would be able to build when they brought him on board.

Garson is expected to serve as an associate head coach and comes over after seven years as an assistant coach with the Santa Clara Broncos. He found plenty of success with Santa Clara and brings decades of experience with him to UNLV. The new Rebel coach is well-renowned for his ability to develop players and get the most out of them. In the last three years alone he turned two Broncos, Jalen Williams and Brandin Podziemski, into first-round picks in the NBA Draft. We also expect him to play a key role in game strategy and recruiting.

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐄 ☑️👏

Congrats to Scott Garson on being named Associate Head Coach for Men’s Basketball at UNLV! @Scottgarson @TheRunninRebels #JCA | #JewishCoaches pic.twitter.com/BJK45DFLL1
— Jewish Coaches Association (@JewishCoaches) April 1, 2025

Hawkins has been the director of player of player development for the Nevada Wolf Pack for the past three years. He also has major ties to UNLV. His college career was spent playing guard for the Rebels from 2009 - 2013. Not only was he a team captain for two seasons, but he played in four NCAA Tournaments and finished his career in the top 10 all-time in steals at UNLV. At Nevada, he handled the team's budget, coordinated logistics for the players and staff, ensured NCAA compliance, and managed player engagement.

Wilkins spent his last two seasons as an assistant. He was at Texas-Rio Grande Valley last season and Vanderbilt the year prior. However, much more importantly, he spent four seasons as an assistant at Georgia Tech when Pastner was their head coach and was promoted to associate head coach during Pastner’s final season there. So there is a built in trust, chemistry, and comfort between the two coaches who are once again joining forces.

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