Josh Pastner Sets Bold Vision for UNLV: 'We Want to Win Now'

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team officially introduced new head coach Josh Pastner to their community, alumni, and fans on Wednesday. Pastner takes over for former head coach Kevin Kruger, and his job officially started today after the hiring was announced yesterday.

The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach came in and shared his vision with the excited crowd. Despite the general perception that the UNLV job is essentially a full rebuild after multiple starters including star guard Dedan Thomas Jr. entered the transfer portal, Pastner made it clear that his plan is to win now, saying, "We want to win now," Pastner said. "We want to get this done as fast as we can, absolutely. And in order to do that, whether it's our team, my staff, everyone's [that's] around, I'm gonna make sure my motor and our intensity and our standard and the level we're going is gonna be raised here."

"This is the sports capital of the world.”

New UNLV head coach Josh Pastner, who discusses why Las Vegas is an attractive spot for coaching jobs and his goal of restoring the Runnin' Rebels to their former glory atop the Vegas sports scene.

🎥: @armani_lingo8 | #UNLVMBB pic.twitter.com/5Ke601hTx7
— Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) March 26, 2025

He also stated how he wanted to bring UNLV back to their glory days and reminisced about the days when they were a top team out west when he was playing his college ball. "It's a sleeping giant, this job," Pastner said. "It's an absolute sleeping giant. And again, I understand what it's gonna take to get it back."

It was only Day 1, but it was good to hear that Pastner intends and believes that he can bring UNLV back to being the basketball powerhouse he remembers them being. The Rebels haven't earned an NCAA Tournament bid in a dozen years, which is widely considered unacceptable by anyone who surrounds or supports UNLV. Hopefully, this was the first step towards the Rebels making deep runs and making new magical moments in March. The program made the right hire, but the real work starts now to bring the Rebels back to the top of the Mountain West Conference and potentially further.

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