In a statement posted on the program’s social media channels, UNLV coach Josh Pastner on Monday clarified comments he made last week referring to the athletic department seeking an “owner” for the Rebels men’s basketball team.
In an interview last week with KTNV in Las Vegas, Pastner, the former Memphis and Georgia Tech coach who is in his second season at UNLV, announced he was seeking out an investor who could help the Rebels compete in the NIL era. Using the potential for the city of Las Vegas to someday land an NBA franchise as his launching-off point, Pastner offered a more economical solution.
“I have told people, why buy the NBA team? Buy the college basketball team. You can be the owner of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels men’s basketball team,” he said. “And it’s a lot less expensive.”
On Monday, Pastner clarified his stance, announcing that “the Runnin’ Rebels are not for sale, and my reference to an ‘owner’ was meant to highlight the level of resources, sponsorships, and overall support needed to compete in today’s evolving college athletics landscape — not to suggest that anyone could own the program.”
UNLV went 18-17 in Pastner’s first season and finished tied for seventh place in the Mountain West Conference at 11-9. A proud program with the 1990 national championship to its name, the Rebels last made the NCAA tournament in 2013.
“We can make it thinking outside the box and being unique,” Pastner said last week. “You still get your excitement and your adrenaline rush being around basketball, being around the program.”
In last week’s interview, Pastner relied on the emergence of Las Vegas as a basketball city, making note that the NBA holds a summer league there and the Final Four is on track to be staged there in 2028. He said he hopes UNLV can earn a share of that notoriety, as well.
“If you have a $12 million check, you can compete against Kentucky, Duke, Arizona, UCLA for any player you want,” Pastner said. “Right now, if another school offers someone $1 million and our budget only allows us $100,000, it doesn’t matter how much the kid likes me.”
On Monday, he closed his statement reiterating his commitment to the program, a team that “belongs to UNLV, its students, alumni, fans and the Southern Nevada community.”
Pastner, 48, a former ESPN studio analyst, began his coaching career as an assistant to Lute Olson at Arizona then to John Calipari at Memphis. Pastner landed the Tigers’ top spot in 2009, when Calipari left for Kentucky, and was named the Yellow Jackets’ coach in 2016.
Pastner also played for Olson and the Wildcats. He was a member of their national championship team in 1997.
