As the Las Vegas Raiders wrapped up in the NFL draft on Saturday and selected players they’ll use to build toward the future, UNLV men’s basketball coach Josh Pastner couldn’t help but draw parallels to his own situation.
With only five players secured on his roster for the upcoming season, Pastner still has his work cut out in the transfer portal. Upbeat as ever, Pastner used a metaphor to describe the nuances of the current basketball landscape.
“(Recruiting) is a very inexact science. The NBA, NFL, MLB and the NHL spend millions of dollars in evaluating prospects for their draft process over years of time and probably only get it right 50 percent of the time,” Pastner told the Review-Journal on Saturday. “College coaches, you’re trying to make decisions on who you’re bringing to your team in two to three weeks, and those decisions will impact what your season does Nov. through March — which is a direct correlation to your success and livelihood.”
Not to mention that a mid-major coach like Pastner isn’t working with anything close to a pro level budget.
But in the same breath, Pastner noted that he’s excited for the future despite the new normal.
“This is how it could be every single year. It’s part of the landscape that we’re in,” Pastner said. “We’ve got to embrace it.”
No question marks
The Rebels’ only confirmed returners are rising sophomores Tyrin Jones and Issac Williamson. They’ll be joined by incoming transfers Terrance Ford Jr., MJ Thomas and Cam Miles.
That’s just five players. The roster can have up to 15. Pastner utilized all of those spots last season, and said he’s confident he’ll be able to do the same this upcoming season.
Offseason basketball workouts usually start in mid-June or early July, for those watching the calendar.
“It’s not about rushing, it’s about finding the right guys,” Pastner said.
Despite that quote, Pastner said that he’s been “on edge” since the team’s season ended in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament against Tulsa last month.
Including outgoing seniors and the Mountain West conference’s leading scorer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, Pastner has said goodbye to 10 players since that final game.
Kimani Hamilton, Al Green, Howie Fleming Jr. and Walter Brown all graduated, although Fleming Jr. is pursuing more eligibility and entering the transfer portal.
Fleming is not expected to return to UNLV, nor is anyone else who entered the portal.
It’s another one of those near-certainties of the landscape. Pastner is looking for players at every position thanks to it, he said.
New mottos
Ole Miss transfer Corey Chest, who played his first collegiate season at LSU, committed to McNeese State on Thursday after reportedly receiving interest from UNLV.
The 6-foot-8 Chest holds career averages of 4.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Although Pastner did not comment on Chest specifically, he noted that players like Chest are banking huge pay days from name, image and likeness compensation and benefits, even if they don’t have super impressive stats.
“Guys are making more than first-round draft choices,” Pastner said. “We have been on some really good guys but unfortunately towards the end, we just got outbid.”
The staff even played the long game on two high school seniors, who both opted to commit to high major universities this month.
That’s why Pastner and his staff have consistently relied on a singular philosophy:
“We’re looking for guys who are undervalued and under the radar. And then we help increase their value,” Pastner said, noting that all of his key players improved last season.
Instead of looking to write the biggest checks, Pastner is relying on a few new mantras after wearing out “grit and toughness” last season.
“Evaluation and intel,” Pastner said of his staff’s latest motto.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Callie__Fin on X.
