UNLV Runnin' Rebels Head Coach Josh Pastner: "Las Vegas Is Becoming The Epicenter"

UNLV Runnin' Rebels head coach Josh Pastner speaks on numerous topics.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels head coach Josh Pastner waits for the start of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Josh Pastner took over as the head coach of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team this season. It was his dream job to bring them back to prominence after growing during the glory days of UNLV and the Arizona Wildcats, for whom he played for in college. Pastner sat with Bruce Pascoe of Tucson.com to talk about a number of topics after joining the Rebels. Those topics included getting fans to come back to watch games, Las Vegas getting an NBA team, and NIL deals.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels Head Coach Josh Pastner On Meeting People And Getting People Back In The Area To Watch Their Games

“Everywhere, I’ve gone, I’ve given out my business card — people I meet on the planes, people I see at the gym, ‘Hey, buy UNLV tickets. We need you to buy tickets,’” Pastner said. “I’m trying to be as hands on as I can be to get people back in the Thomas & Mack...

Even if you’re in Tucson, get your tickets at UNLVtickets.com and then email me at joshua.pastner@unlv.edu. That’s my email. Even if you don’t want to use the tickets, please buy tickets and then I will give them to different groups in the community to come to the games.

I’m wearing multiple hats. Yes, I do my own email.”

Pastner On The Glory Days Of UNLV And The Arizona Wildcats

“It was a spectacle. It was showtime, like with the Lakers. Part of the reason the city is what it is today is because of that ‘80s and ‘90s run.

Coach Olson and coach Tarkanian, they had the two juggernauts on the West Coast for so long. What coach Olson did for the city of Tucson and the University of Arizona is what coach Tarkanian and his staff and players did to UNLV and the city of Las Vegas.”

Pastner On Las Vegas Getting An NBA Team

“I do believe they’ll get an NBA team. I think it’s an awesome thing. Yes, there’s more things to do, but Las Vegas is becoming the epicenter of not just the entertainment world, but also the sports world.”

Pastner On His Concerns With NIL Deals

“It’s still in the early process. The question becomes if somebody gets denied on one of those (NIL deals), do they sue? I’m not a legal expert on that. I don’t know. But could that hold up in a court of law, (with somebody) saying you can’t deny me, if somebody’s born in the United States of America?”

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