After four unproductive years, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels moved on from head coach Kevin Kruger. They have spent the last 30-plus years trying to recapture the glory days of the Jerry Tarkanian era, which saw them go to three final fours in five years, including back-to-back trips that netted the school's lone national championship in 1990. When Kruger was hired, there was hope among the fan base that the allure of Las Vegas and the school’s previous successes would be able to bring in a coach with name recognition.
This time, they were linked to some hot names like Eric Olen and Bryan Hodgson. Both ended up taking other positions, and it looked like once again the Runnin’ Rebels might get left off the coaching carousel. In what many viewed as a surprising move, in a late-night news drop, the school announced that former Memphis, Georgia Tech, and current ESPN analyst Josh Pastner would be the next head coach.
After some head scratching, perhaps some disbelief and knee-jerk angst that this was another coaching search that didn’t go the way it should’ve, you could begin to see why Pastner was perhaps the right choice. Undoubtedly, there isn’t a more enthusiastic man in college basketball than Pastner, and for a program that could use some reinvigorating, Pastner will certainly bring that. That enthusiasm has helped him recruit at a high level, first at Memphis, where he replaced John Calipari.
During his time at Memphis, he had Will Barton, Dedric, and KJ Lawson, and the No. 3 recruiting class in 2013 according to 247Sports. In 2016, he took the job at Georgia Tech, where in his seven years he brought in players like Jose Alvarado, Moses Wright, and Josh Okogie. He also had a top-five transfer class in both 2020 and 2021, showing he can also work the transfer portal. Knowing that UNLV isn’t in a place (yet) where they can rely on the glory days to bring players in, it’s easy to see how Pastner’s strengths would intrigue the school.
Struggles since the glory days
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was no more elite team in college basketball than the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. With four trips to the Elite Eight, three Final Fours, and a national championship from 1987 to 1991, UNLV basketball was the thing to see in Vegas. However, in the 33 years that have followed since Duke ended their undefeated season in the '91 national semifinals, this once proud program that stood on top of the college basketball world has made the NCAA tournament just eight times, amassing three total wins and none since 2008.
In the 16 years since their last NCAA tournament victory, UNLV has made the postseason and total of six times, including two trips to the NIT. With a fan base that is hungry to finally be excited about UNLV basketball and have the Thomas & Mack as the it place to be again, the work that Pastner has done since taking the job has to be encouraging.
Convincing some players to stay
It's more important than ever to be a good recruiter. Not only with the transfer portal and the high school ranks, but teams now have to recruit their own players to stay with the program. With the coaching change, UNLV's roster hit the portal, leaving Pastner with a lot of work to do early, as the entire contributing roster with eligibility left entered the portal.
Beginning with his own roster, Pastner was able to get 6'9 forward Jacob Bannarbie to recommit to the program, as well as redshirt-freshman James Evans, Jr., who is a 6'6 guard out of Wichita and a top-150 recruit out of high school. In addition to those two, the Runnin' Rebels were also able to keep a couple of incoming recruits in Mason Abittan and Tyrin Jones. Both of whom are Las Vegas natives, which is an important pipeline for Pastner to keep open. Abittan is the guard who grew up and went to high school in Las Vegas and is now committed to playing for his hometown team. He's a versatile guard with the ability to score at all three levels. Jones is a versatile forward who grew up in Vegas but went to high school at Layton Christian Academy in Utah. He has more polish on both ends of the floor, with the ability to stretch opposing defenses and guard multiple positions as a defender.
Pastner added to his recruiting class by grabbing Isaac Williamson. The 6'0 combo guard out of California was originally committed to New Mexico but landed at UNLV after the Lobos made a coaching change. The smooth shooting guard is equally comfortable with the ball in his hands or letting someone else facilitate the offense.
These five guys were a good start on building a roster, but he would need to do some serious recruiting in the portal, and he's done just that in quick order. Pastner's teams have always played aggressive defense, and when targeting players in the portal, he said he was looking for players with toughness and shooting ability. With the eight players he's brought in, he's certainly done that. The Runnin' Rebels' transfer class is one of the best non-power conference classes in the country. If there is one question about the roster thus far, it's that the frontcourt depth might be thin. But, there are still two open spots on the roster, so that could change. Looking at the talent on paper, this could be UNLV's most talented squad this century.
Putting in the portal work
Let's begin in the backcourt, where Pastner brought in four high-quality guards. Myles Che is a tough 6’2 guard who will be at his third school in three years, beginning at Chattanooga and having a bit of a breakout year at UC-Irvine last season. Despite shooting only 38% from inside the arc, he knocked down 43% of his shots from long distance. That statistic is a common theme in Pastner’s guard targets.
Both Al Green and Howie Fleming, Jr. led their previous teams in that category. Green played nearly 300 minutes fewer than the other two leading three-point takers at Louisiana Tech, and the 6’3 California native knocked down 42% of his attempts. Fleming, Jr. not only cashed in on 42% of his three pointers at UT-Rio Grande Valley, the 6’5 guard also led the Vaqueros in rebounding at 6.4 per game and dished out 2.4 assists. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn saw limited action in two years at Illinois. Unlike the other three guards, the three-point shot wasn’t a big success, but he was extremely good inside the arc, with a 68% field goal percentage on two-point shots.
Even though the frontcourt depth might be thin, what isn’t thin is the potential and athleticism of the group. Naas Cunningham was highly touted coming out of high school to be an impact player at the high-major level in his 6’7 175lb. frame. He redshirted at Alabama last season and needs to find some consistency with his effort, and Pastner will demand it if he wants to see the floor. If Cunningham puts it all together, UNLV has found itself a gem and could be a catalyst for how Pastner wants the Runnin’ Rebels to play on both ends of the floor.
Ladji Dembele spent two years at Iowa, where he developed a perimeter game to stretch the defense, knocking down 38% from beyond the arc on 34 attempts. The 6’8 Dembele was third on the Hawkeyes in rebounding with 3.5 per game despite playing just 17 minutes per game. One thing that will endear him to fans and coaches is that he led Iowa in offensive rebounding, grabbing 55 during his time on the floor. Another guy who likes to get his nose dirty on the interior is 6’7 Kimani Hamilton, who comes to Vegas after spending the last two seasons at High Point. He averaged 13 points and 4.6 rebounds last season, but is willing to bang the glass as much as needed, as evidenced by the 7.2 rebounds per game he pulled down in 2023-24. Hamilton shot 52% from the field last year and 63% on shots that came inside the arc.
The lone player over 6’8 that Pastner has brought in thus far is 7’0 210lb. Emmanuel Stephen, who played just eight games at Arizona. Stephen looks to be UNLV’s main rim protector as he was one of the best defensive centers in the country coming out of high school. He also has the athleticism to move and rotate fast enough to make things difficult for offenses. His offense is a work in progress, which is fine because he won’t be asked to be a big-time bucket getter right away.
While the hiring of Pastner may have initially been a head scratcher and a disappointment for some, the work he has done to the roster in less than two months has been exciting for this fan. If the fan base wants some excitement, the onus is now on them to pack the Thomas & Mack Center and support the culture Pastner is trying to build.