Sports Illustrated (Mar 16, 1998) - Rounding Up The Dark Horses

March 16, 1998

Rounding Up The Dark Horses
Sports Illustrated

With the help of a precocious coach-in-training at Arizona, we check out the long shots and speculate on which of them might gallop to the Alamodome

Alexander Wolff

Perhaps the least suspenseful moment in last Sunday's NCAA selection show was the unveiling of the tournament's top four seeds. We've known who they would be since November. History nonetheless tells us that they won't compose the Final Four, and hence our task: finding, scaring up or otherwise raising an Arizona—some improbable team that, like last season's Wildcats, will make a run deep into the tournament, if not win it.

To do so, we could have scrolled through the power ratings, rankings and other cybereffluvia clogging the Internet, or trotted out the usual follically impaired TV pundits whose verbiage is fouling the airwaves. But we came up with a better idea. We found an obscure flesh-and-blood college basketball polymath who has barely started shaving, let alone lost any hair. He knows cold both the Arizona team of a year ago (for he was on it) and all that has transpired in the game this season (for he has seen it).

Meet Arizona sophomore Josh Pastner, a 5'11" reserve guard who spends up to 25 hours a week in the film room of the Wildcats' basketball office. "I've wanted to be a coach since the fourth grade," says Pastner, who began reading all he could about the game as a grade-schooler and by age 12 was phoning college coaches to pick their brains and cadge game tapes. By 13 Josh had started his own high school scouting service. By 14 he and his dad, Hal, had founded a traveling AAU team, the Houston Hoops. By the time he was 15, coaches from the top programs were calling him at home in Kingwood, a Houston suburb, for a dose of The World According to Josh. A year later he was running the Hoops on his own, directing tryouts and arranging flights as well as handling the X's and O's, despite being younger than the players in his charge. Josh even started a girls' team so he could steepen his learning curve.

Three Top 20 programs offered Pastner assistant coaching jobs out of high school. (He declines to name the schools, for obvious reasons.) Instead, in 1996 Pastner, who's known as the Doogie Howser of college basketball, accepted a scholarship to play at Arizona. Now 20, he shows up at the Wildcats' basketball offices at seven each morning to help coach Lute Olson and his staff. Except to go to classes, he doesn't leave the McKale Center until 10 or 11 at night, after supervising extra shooting by players such as his roommate, point guard Mike Bibby, and swingmen Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon. Along the way, Pastner watches tape. So much tape, in fact, that he can tell you exactly why he likes....

Mississippi. All the way down to its red-and-blue uniforms, Ole Miss has that Arizona look: The Rebels have passers, handlers and shooters at every position—beginning with SEC player of the year Ansu Sesay, Pastner's homey, a graduate of Houston's Willowridge High—and, with four players scoring nine or more per game, they spread the points around. Also like Arizona, Mississippi is a good three-point-shooting team that defends against the shot so well (opponents don't make even one in three) that there's little percentage in taking it.

Ole Miss has never won a tournament game, but that doesn't faze Pastner, who notes that the edition of the Rebels that reached the NCAAs a year ago is back essentially intact. And there should be no question about the moxie of a team that fell behind 24-11 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 14 and then came back to beat Kentucky. " Mississippi is experienced," says Pastner. "It has a star player. And its style will be hard to prepare for on short notice."

The same is true of TCU and its star, forward Lee Nailon. Horned Frogs coach Billy Tubbs, who made NCAA tournament noise with perennial underdog Lamar in the late 1970s and took Oklahoma to the '88 championship game, has another fearless, up-tempo crew. Like Arizona, TCU has three perimeter scorers and the ability, with reserve James Penny, to field five players who can score facing the basket—although point guard Prince Fowler, like Bibby, doesn't look first to shoot. Also like the '97 champs, the Horned Frogs can claim that they have been denied respect. Though Texas Christian hopped through its WAC schedule unbeaten, it wasn't admitted to the coaches' Top 25 until Feb. 16. "TCU plays that style, up and down," says Pastner. "The Frogs are like us in that they don't have set places on the floor. How do you set up your scout team?"

It's hard to think of a No. 2 seed as a team that might sneak up on anybody, but there's such a perception gap between the four No. Is and the rest of the field that Connecticut arguably qualifies as a sleeper. There has been very little whoopee surrounding the Huskies this season—certainly nowhere near the amount of two years ago, when UConn took All-America Ray Allen and a top seeding into the tournament, only to fail to reach the Southeast Regional final. Now that Olson has finally had his hair messed up in a Monday-night celebration, the Huskies' Jim Calhoun shares the mantle of Coach Most Overdue with Kansas's Roy Williams and Purdue's Gene Keady.

Other evidence of UConn's Arizona-ness: a precocious freshman point guard, Khalid El-Amin, who does the nation's best impression of the Bibby of a year ago; a three-guard attack; and a victory over Stanford thanks to speed, versatility and defensive pressure. "With Khalid and sophomores Kevin Freeman and Jake Voskuhl, the Huskies aren't real old," Pastner points out, intending a compliment. "Last year we had a sense of confidence that all the work we put in, the extra shooting and extra weightlifting, would pay off. That's one of the good things about being young-you don't know any better. In the tournament we were just kids running around."
Clemson is like the 1996-97 Wildcats in that it received a middling No. 6 seed as a result of a rocky regular season, and in that one of its critical cogs, guard Terrell McIntyre, has been hampered by infirmities, as Simon was a year ago. But Clemson, picked as high as No. 5 in the preseason, is at full strength again. "From the tape I saw of the Tigers' second game with Duke, they're very disciplined," Pastner says. "Remember, too, that they have experience. They made the Sweet 16 last year." Pastner also notes that Clemson finished tied for fourth in the ACC and made the NCAA field at 21-9. A year ago Arizona placed fifth in its league and lost nine games.

Pastner to Memphis, where does that leave possible UK recruits?

Pastner to Memphis, where does that leave possible UK recruits?

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/pastner-to-memphis-where-does-that-leave-possible-uk-recruits/

April 6th, 2009 Filed Under: Cats Tags: demarcus cousins, john calipari, john wall, josh pastner, Memphis Tigers, nolan dennis, xavier henry

So, Josh Pastner is not going to be an assistant at UK. However, if you somehow allow that to dampen your optimism about John Calipari as the coach of Kentucky…well, you shouldn’t. UK hired John Calipari, not Josh Pastner, and while it would have been nice to have Pastner on the staff for a year or two, that’s the longest he would have been around.

Is it possible that Pastner presence would have made a difference in one of the recruits that UK is after for next year? Maybe. Is it likely? I doubt it. Where Pastner could make a difference is in retaining guys who signed with Memphis like Xavier Henry and Nolan Dennis. I don’t think he’s going to be able to grab DeMarcus Cousins or John Wall away from the big boys.

Let’s take a look at these four guys and where they are now that the dust has settled a bit after Coach Cal’s arrival.

John Wall-Wall has targeted April 18th as the day he will narrow his list. That’s coming up soon folks. No one can seem to get a handle on his recruitment. Some think he’s a Duke lean because he wants to stay close to his sick mother. Some think he’s a UK lean because he wants to follow Coach Calipari. Some think UNC is going to swoop in at the last moment and steal him away. Kansas, Miami, Baylor, and NC State are still lurking as well. What we do know is that this is a kid who is a program changer, even though he’s only a one year player. He is priority number one for both UK and Duke, and if I had to guess, I say it will be one of those two schools, and I don’t think he fits in at Duke. However, his family considerations could loom large.

DeMarcus Cousins-There has been some buzz yesterday and today that a decision from Cousins could be forthcoming (as in early this week). When the Calipari thing first broke, my gut was that Cousins would end up elsewhere. However, I have been slowly coming to the other side of the fence has time as passed. I really haven’t heard any other schools emerge for his services, so I have to think UK is the favorite at this point. However, there is some consternation over the fact that Josh Pastner was involved in Cousins recruitment to Memphis. I think, though, that a kid ultimately commits to a head coach and a school, not an assistant. We’ll see if Pastner can work his magic.

Xavier Henry-Honestly, I always thought Henry was a long shot, and Pastner taking the Memphis job doesn’t change that, it just makes him a long shot for a different reason. People are talking, and word is that Henry’s father, Carl, may be in line for a position on Pastner’s staff at Memphis. Add to that the fact that Xavier’s brother, CJ, would have trouble transferring without sitting out a year, and he spent last year at Memphis. Kansas has gone from losing out on Henry to Memphis, to the favorite for Henry, to looking like they very well could lose out to Memphis after all.

Nolan Dennis-Something always made me think Dennis would end up at Memphis, even after Calipari’s departure, and I think Pastner being named as coach makes it even more likely for him to hold to his Letter of Intent.

Sports Illustrated (Feb 3, 2003) - Whiz-kid Coach

February 03, 2003
Sports Illustrated

Whiz-kid Coach

At age 25, hoops-obsessed Arizona assistant Josh Pastner is on the fast track to a top job

John O'keefe

LAST NOVEMBER, Arizona assistant basketball coach Josh Pastner was on a date when he felt his cellphone vibrate. Recognizing the number of a prized recruit, 6'10" forward Ndudi Ebi from Houston, Pastner excused himself from one promising prospect and spent the rest of the movie talking to another. Two weeks later Ebi signed with the Wildcats, but Pastner's budding romance fizzled. "On his dates his phone will ring or he'll be watching TV during dinner," says Arizona associate head coach Jim Rosborough. "No girl will go out with him very long."

Pastner, 25, has been making sacrifices to his hoops obsession nearly his whole life. When he was 10, his father, Hal, founded the Houston Hoops AAU team, and Josh often traveled with the team around the country. At 13 he launched The josh Pastner Scouting Report, a 100-page annual based on his observations of national AAU talent. Three years later Hal handed his son the coaching duties.

In the summer of '95 Josh, then a high school senior, sent a letter to Rosborough inviting the Arizona staff to a workout in Houston to check out his team's college prospects. Rosborough was impressed with the workout—and with the precocious Pastner. "I just called him every Sunday for a year," says Pastner. A slow 5'9" point guard at Kingwood High, Pastner was hardly Division I material, but he marketed himself as a "coach in training." Rosborough and coach Lute Olson offered Josh an athletic scholarship.

At his first team meeting, Pastner stood up and preached the value of hard work to All-Pac-10 guard Miles Simon and future NBAers Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson and Jason Terry. The players laughed. Soon, though, Simon started doing the drills Pastner had recommended to help his stroke. Bibby joined the workouts, and then Terry and forward Bennett Davidson. Says Bibby, now a point guard with the Sacramento Kings, "A lot of those drills I still use today."

By season's end Bibby and Pastner had become roommates. Arizona finished fifth in the Pac-10 but caught fire in the NCAA tournament and stormed to the national title.

Pastner averaged just 0.9 points a game in four seasons but contributed in other ways. By his senior year he was scouting opponents, breaking down film and running the scout team at practice. After serving as a graduate assistant, administrative assistant and recruiting coordinator, last summer he was hired as a full-timer.

Pastner makes no bones about his goal of being a head coach. In the summer of '98, following his sophomore year at Arizona, he applied for the vacant Los Angeles Clippers head coaching position. Since then he has sent his résumé whenever an NBA head job has opened. The last two summers he has pursued Division positions at Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern. Both times he visited the campuses uninvited, introducing himself to the president and the athletic director. He was seriously considered by each school. Prairie View athletic director Charles McClelland ultimately chose Jerome Francis Jr., 10 years Pastner's senior, but says, "Josh is going to be a heck of a coach someday."

Meanwhile Pastner will continue his tireless efforts for the Wildcats. He sleeps four hours a night and is at his office daily by 7 a.m. He lives in a one-bedroom apartment 10 minutes from campus, stocks only milk and cereal in the kitchen and uses plastic forks and paper plates. "I'm a different dude," says Pastner.

"He's way beyond his years in terms of his understanding of the game," says Olson. "I think he really wins over guys with his dedication to making them better."

Still, Rosborough tries to find Pastner some nonbasketball interests—namely female companionship. "I feel very lucky to know exactly what I want to do," says Pastner. "Whoever I date is going to have to understand that this is who I am."

Tucson Business Edge 40 Under 40 - Josh Pastner

Tucson Business Edge 40 Under 40
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/tbe/40under40/winners07/pastner.php

Josh Pastner

Assistant men's basketball coach, University of Arizona

Age: 29

Community involvement: The Event; The Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson; Boy Scouts of America; The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, celebrity waiters dinner; Special Olympics

Best advice you've received: A person's true self-worth is how you treat others when they can do nothing for you.

Proudest professional accomplishment: Being able to go to work every day and never once feel like it is a job. That is cool! I love what I do.

Unique thing no one knows about you: I have never had any alcohol or any carbonated drink in my life.

A word from the nominator: "Josh has the most positive outlook on life and it radiates throughout his personality, and this community benefits from it. Never a negative word or attitude will come out of his mouth or actions. He is truly the person that believes the glass is always half full." - Monica Armenta, senior office specialist, UA athletics department

Josh Pastner, Interview Conducted 9/12/2008

Interview With Josh Pastner
September 15, 2008

http://http://interviewbasketball.com/2008/09/15/josh-pastner/

Memphis Assistant Basketball Coach Josh Pastner’s success can easily be attributed to this quote:

PASTNER: “I sometimes don’t know what to do with myself when I have some down time or some free time, because I’m just not used to relaxing.”

The son of legendary Houston AAU Basketball Coach Hal Pastner, Josh was eager to succeed in his father’s profession once he could start dribbling a basketball.

While many of his middle school classmates were learning how to run a basic motion offense, Pastner created the Josh Pastner Scouting Service, a 100-page yearly annual, at just 13 years old.


PASTNER: “I was doing the Josh Pastner Scouting Service at 13. Some coaches loved it. I was sending it out to all the schools in the country just because I wanted to get my name out there and I also enjoyed doing it.”

“I enjoyed going to these national tournaments and AAU national events. After our team was done playing, I liked to watch the other teams and follow these kids when they are younger. So early on, I was on the kids who would be good.”

In High School, Pastner was named the Head Coach of the AAU Houston Hoops team which he also played for. He handled travel, hotel arrangements, pregame planning, and strategy decisions.

Pastner signed a basketball scholarship in 1996 to play for the University of Arizona. He was a little-used reserve on the 1996-97 Arizona Wildcat Championship team.

Pastner played sparingly for four years at Arizona. Having scouted basketball since middle school, he was realistic about his level of athletic talent.

PASTNER: “I was going to give all the effort that I could possibly give to play at that highest level, but there’s limitations. I just was not good enough to play in the NBA or professionally overseas, so I always said to myself, ‘the next best thing to playing is coaching’ and I channeled a lot of my efforts and energies towards that goal.”

Pastner also channeled his efforts in the classroom. He graduated in 2 1/2 years, the earliest ever by a University of Arizona athlete.

He did not enter the University with any college credit nor did he take any classes during Summer semesters.

Most semesters, he took 21-24 hours of classes while also fulfilling his responsibilities as an athlete.

Unbelievably, Pastner took 33 hours of classes the Fall semester of his Junior season to complete his degree in Family Studies.

PASTNER: “I got little sleep. I don’t recommend it, but I did make sure to exercise to keep sane.”

One year later, he earned his Master’s Degree while still in his Senior year of basketball eligibility.

Immediately after the 1999-2000 season, Lute Olson hired Pastner as a video/recruiting coordinator and administrative assistant.

When Assistant Coach Jay John left to take the Oregon State Head Coaching position in April 2002, Pastner replaced him.

He remained on the Arizona staff until May 2008, when he accepted an Assistant Coach position for the Memphis Tigers.

PASTNER: “It’s a whatever Coach [Calipari] wants me to do type deal. Whatever he says. I’m the type of guy who will do what they want me to do. If it’s sweeping the floors, I’m on it.”

Pastner is already on the road recruiting, looking at High School prospects from the Classes of 2009 to 2012.

PASTNER: “At Memphis, you’re selling John Calipari, one of the great coaches in the game today and is going to be a future Hall of Famer.”

Once practice begins, he will assume floor and gameplanning responsibilities as well.

Even though Pastner can spend as many as 18 hours a day working, he shows no signs of burnout from his profession.

PASTNER: “I’ve always loved the game of basketball. I didn’t have a chance to play in the NBA, and I blame that on my parents because they blessed me with poor athletic skills. I figured the next best thing to playing is coaching.”

GOAZCATS.COM - How the legend of Josh Pastner was born

How the legend of Josh Pastner was born
GOAZCATS.com
By Ben Hansen

Since he arrived at Arizona as a walk-on fresh man in 1996-97, UA assistant coach Josh Pastner has been described as many things.

Among the adjectives used to portray Pastner, tireless, relentless, overachieving, driven and successful fall into the positive column.

On the flip side, he has been illustrated by his critics as being ostentatious, brazen and even annoying – a characterization which likely stems from Pastner's constant hamming it up for television cameras during Arizona's run to the 1997 NCAA national championship when he appeared on TV jumping up and down nearly as often as star players Miles Simon and Michael Dickerson.

Much of Pastner's story is known by now, including that he earned his degree in record time by taking as many as 30 units in a semester. But the fascinating aspects of his life mostly took place pre-Arizona, as his father, Hal Pastner recounts below.

--Josh has been focused and driven to succeed in the game of basketball since he was in elementary school," Hal Pastner said. "He immersed himself throughout his school years reading every book about the game and studying all aspects of basketball. He was never fast, quick, or could jump but he worked very hard and many days throughout high school would stay in the gym even after the lights were out until the maintenance crew kicked him out since they had to go home.

"As we traveled the summer basketball circuit with our team the Houston Hoops Josh would stay in the gym from morning until the end of games. He would study the players from teams around the country and his excitement was when he spotted a young man who he believed was going to be a great player that no one knew. He wrote scouting reports at the age of 13 or 14 and sent them out to college coaches writing about the players he would watch throughout the summer. At that time, college coaches were not allowed at most of the tournaments.

"We continually received calls and letters from schools wanting to order the "Josh Pastner Scouting Report" and I would tell the schools this is my 13 year old son and the report is free. Josh would sit in the gyms for hours and pick the brains of every head coach during the "live" (open to college coaches for evaluating players) recruiting period when he was young to learn all he could.

"It became evident to me when he was 16 that he would succeed as a college coach as I turned over our Houston Hoops AAU program to him. He had the respect of every player - many who ended up in the NBA and most of them were the same age or older than him. He handled travel arrangements, hotels, practices, the problems with players, etc. All that was necessary in running a successful program, he did it. His years of being a head coach for the Houston Hoops at the level we played were a valuable experience. When he was very young we would travel into the remote communities in Texas hearing about a player and meeting their Moms and Dads in their homes to recruit them talking about the positives of playing with the Houston Hoops. In 1999, he coached a team comprised of Emeka Okafor, TJ Ford, Lawrence Roberts, Marcus Spears (1st round pick of the Cowboys who could have been an NBA player too) and Carlos Hurt (who I still believe was one of the greatest high school players I've seen). Josh won the Global Championships in Oregon with this squad on a buzzer shot and I was so happy for him and the kids since I knew how much they wanted to win.

"I'll never forget the tournament we played in Lafayette Indiana (1993) on Purdue's campus and we went to the championship game and Josh was a player on my 16under team that I coached. I really didn't play Josh much because we were at such a high level and he was a good high school player but not at the level we played in the summer. Anyway Stephen Woods (SMU guard) and Will Smith (LaBradford's cousin and UTEP guard) went down with cramps and I had to put Josh in the championship game at point guard with a minute to go against the Illinois Warriors who had three future NBA players on their squad. The night before, Gerald Brown, who is now playing in Europe and Stephen Jackson (now with the Pacers) and Josh came to me and said how badly they wanted to win since they had really never experienced a championship on the national level. Well in overtime with 20 seconds to go and a one point lead and Josh as the only healthy point guard left he was pressured in the backcourt and called for traveling. Illinois got the ball and scored. I called time out and I'll never forget the look of disappointment on Josh's face. He wanted to win so badly. With five seconds left in overtime, Stephen Jackson fumbled the inbound pass and hit Gerald Brown with a pass and his 40-foot last second shot went in and I was so relieved they bailed Josh out and the kids got their first national championship in summer ball. I also gave Josh double duty of coaching our girls Houston Hoops team where four of our players went on to the WNBA. My daughter Courtney, who later became the Texas High School Gatorade Player of the Year, was the motivation in creating the girls' program.

"Josh will tell you that his experience at a young age coaching girls in addition to the elite boys was a great learning experience in his development as a coach by getting a different perspective in the coaching arena. Josh has always been very "straight'-- not drinking alcohol, not smoking, and doing things the "right" way. He wanted to be a good role model to those he was coaching and teaching and could not expect discipline and hard work if he didn't practice it himself. When I need advice I often call Josh since I know his mind is clear and respect his judgment although he is almost 30 years younger than me. With all that is said above we will still never forget the opportunity Coach Lute Olson and Coach Jim Rosborough afforded Josh by giving him an opportunity to come to Arizona. My father in law, who passed away years ago, was one of the most honest men I ever met and I admired him very much. This is how we felt about Coach Olson. And for Josh to learn from someone who does things the right way and such a great teacher is invaluable. And Coach Rosborough was always in Josh's corner and we will never forget him being a friend and another great coach who taught Josh the game when he first arrived at Arizona in 1996. When Josh first got hired on as a coach he could not believe he was going to get paid for something he loved doing so much."

From a personal standpoint, what stands out about Josh Pastner are all of the repeated compliments he receives from the kids he recruits every year. I have met and spoken with all of Arizona's recruits over the past five or six years and the one thing they all have in common is their praise of Pastner because of how hard he worked to get them to Arizona and that he was always the one coach who made them feel like they were most wanted during the recruiting process.

Some of those very kids that Pastner recruited to Arizona, including 2006 McDonald's All-American Chase Budinger, make it likely that he will once again have an opportunity to ham it up for the cameras when Arizona makes another inevitable run at the NCAA title in the coming years.

The legend of Josh Pastner should be associated with tireless work ethic and winning, not a few moments of irritating posing for the TV when he was an immature 19-year-old hopped up on euphoria from winning a national title as a freshman.

And in the decade that Pastner has been at Arizona, the Wildcats have won 77 percent of their 334 games, including an impressive 101-31 (.765) record since being officially hired as an assistant coach.

Everyone knows how driven Josh is," says roommate and UA basketball administrative aide Jack Murphy. "However, not many people know that he is like that away from the spotlight just as much as he is within it. He never wants to be recognized for his individual work and would much rather sing the praises of the team effort. In recruiting he is relentless and yet never wonders who will get credit for recruit A or B. Just as long as Arizona is successful Josh is happy. He is a man that I have had the opportunity to live with over the past few years and a person who has become one of my closest friends. I could continue to speak on all of the wonderful qualities Josh possesses but I am afraid that I do not have all day. He is an inspiration to many and a beacon of light constantly. He is the man that I would hope for my son to become."

Dan Wolken - Memphis Tigers hire Josh Pastner as coach; was Calipari's assistant

Memphis Tigers hire Josh Pastner as coach; was Calipari's assistant
By Dan Wolken, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Originally published 04:30 p.m., April 6, 2009
Updated 10:12 p.m., April 6, 2009

When Josh Pastner moved to Memphis last summer for a chance to work under John Calipari, he decided to rent, not buy.

At the time, planning on a short stay was the only sensible move. When you're a 31-year-old rising star in your profession, that first head coaching job always seems like it's just around the corner.

In a stunning turn of events Monday, what Pastner came here to chase suddenly became his destiny when he was named the 17th head basketball coach in University of Memphis history. An official announcement was made at 5:32 p.m., and the school will hold a news conference introducing Pastner at noon today. No contract details were available as of Monday night.

Pastner's hiring ends a whirlwind search that began when Calipari resigned last Tuesday to become the coach at Kentucky. Over the next five days, Memphis officials inquired about a number of high-profile, experienced head coaches including Missouri's Mike Anderson, Southern Cal's Tim Floyd and Baylor's Scott Drew.

As those names fell by the wayside, however, Memphis began to look inward. The result was a daring hire, as Pastner comes with no head coaching experience but a reputation as a relentless recruiter with a deep network of connections on the grassroots basketball scene.

His father, Hal Pastner, was the kingpin of youth basketball in the Houston area and founded Vision Sports, which runs AAU events across the country.

"He's a high-energy, thorough and seasoned coach for someone his age," ESPN analyst and former Div. 1 coach Fran Fraschilla said. "This selection reminds me of Oklahoma hiring Jeff Capel a couple of years ago."

Josh Pastner began preparing for his career early on, producing scouting reports as a teenager and then coaching an AAU team at age 16. He walked on at Arizona and finished his undergraduate degree in less than three years, earning his masters in four. Pastner was immediately hired onto Lute Olson's staff as a video coordinator after graduation and became a full-time assistant in 2002.

"He was more of a coach than a player at Arizona," ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes said. "He really studied the game. I know the coaching staff leaned on him. They trusted his basketball knowledge and common sense right off the bat."

Pastner recruited a number of McDonald's All-Americans to Arizona including Chase Budinger and Brandon Jennings. In his only year at Memphis, Pastner was instrumental in the recruitment of Xavier Henry, Nolan Dennis and DeMarcus Cousins.

As recently as Sunday, Pastner was set to follow Calipari as the lead recruiter on the new Kentucky staff and had not had a conversation with Memphis about the head coaching job.

At that point, in fact, it seemed that Pastner might have a better shot at the open Arizona job, which was offered to Xavier's Sean Miller on Sunday. On Sunday night, it appeared Miller was set to turn down Arizona, opening up the possibility of Pastner being considered.

By Monday morning, however, lots of things had changed both in Tucson and Memphis.

With the Memphis coaching search seemingly off the rails following a series of public rejections, the plan, according to a source, was to reach out to UMass coach and former Memphis assistant Derek Kellogg. For Kellogg, however, it was a sensitive situation since Calipari had initially backed the candidacy of another former assistant, Tony Barbee.

Because of the bitterness over Calipari's departure, the Memphis decision-makers never considered Barbee. And with Kellogg inclined not to take the job out of loyalty to both Barbee and Calipari, the next obvious choice was Pastner.

After Miller changed his mind and took the Arizona job, Pastner then went into a series of meetings with athletic director R.C. Johnson on Monday afternoon, according to a source, and agreed to a deal several hours later.

Pastner will be one of the nation's youngest head coaches when the 2009-10 season begins. He is slightly younger than Butler's Brad Stevens, who got his job at age 30 and has gone 56-10 over the last two seasons. Calipari was 29 when he became the head coach at UMass.

Over the next several days, Pastner will have to assemble a staff -- one or more members of the previous staff could remain on board -- and try to persuade some, if not all, of Memphis' signed recruits to remain with the program. Hiring Pastner could help convince some players on the current roster to stay.

Pastner will also have to address his potential involvement in the ongoing NCAA investigation into Arizona's program over alleged recruiting violations. The self-reported violations stemmed from an on-campus recruiting event known as the Cactus Classic. Olson signed a letter asking Arizona donors to support the event, which violates NCAA rules since boosters are not allowed to pay for expenses of recruits.

It wasn't clear what Pastner would be paid to replace Calipari. As an assistant coach in 2008-09, Pastner was paid a base salary of $200,000, making him the 10th highest salaried employee at the University of Memphis, according a database of Tennessee Board of Regents employees' salaries.

JOSH PASTNER AT A GLANCE

Age: 31

Hometown: Kingwood, Texas

Coaching experience: Assistant coach and lead recruiter on John Calipari's Memphis staff (2008-2009 season); Arizona assistant (2002-2008).

Exclamation point: Considered a strong recruiter and instrumental in Arizona landing such players as Chase Budinger, Jerryd Bayless and Jordan Hill.

Question mark: Lack of head coaching experience.

Call Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his Tiger basketball stories and blog at gomemphistigers.com.

Analysts say Tigers made wise pick

Analysts say Tigers made wise pick
Pastner has right skills to be successful coach
By Scott Cacciola, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Originally published 10:08 p.m., April 6, 2009
Updated 10:27 p.m., April 6, 2009

Upon hearing that Josh Pastner, at the ripe age of 31, had been promoted to head coach by the University of Memphis, Fran Fraschilla made an analogy.

"It's like the baseball draft, where you can draft a guy who has three or four years of college experience, or you can draft the young phenom out of high school and hope he turns into a superstar," said Fraschilla, the ESPN analyst and former coach. "I think Memphis has a young, rising star."

Long regarded as a Wunderkind, as a clipboard-toting and film-studying prodigy even during his playing days at Arizona, Pastner now has the sort of opportunity he craved since he first started coaching -- at age 16. And if some of the talking heads, to borrow a phrase, consider the hire a calculated risk, they also see it as one with tremendous upside.

"I think Memphis used great judgment, and I salute them for making this choice," said Jimmy Dykes, the ESPN broadcaster. "The players at Arizona were petitioning for him to get the job out there, so that tells you what players think of him."

That has been the trend ever since Pastner, as a high school student, coached the Houston Hoops AAU team. He walked on at Arizona, largely because he wanted to learn from then-coach Lute Olson. As a member of Arizona's 1997 national championship team, Pastner scored 12 points all season. But his contributions were immense, according to former teammate Miles Simon. He broke down film. He scouted opponents. He coached his teammates.

"He was instrumental in getting myself, Michael Dickerson, Mike Bibby into the gym late at night, rebounding for us," Simon said. "He just wanted us to get better, and he was absolutely one of the keys to our championship run."

In college basketball circles, Pastner has earned a reputation as a relentless recruiter, first at Arizona, where he was an assistant for six seasons, and then at Memphis, where he was brought aboard by John Calipari last summer. He has strong ties in Texas and the Southwest.

"Given his pedigree at Arizona and Memphis, he knows the formula," Fraschilla said. "He understands how Memphis works, how they'll need to rebuild. And one thing I'm totally sure of is that he'll continue to get great players. As my friend Bob Davie likes to say, 'It's not the Xs and Os, it's the Jimmys and the Joes.' And Josh will continue to get the Jimmys and the Joes."

Said Dykes: "He's known ever since he was young that he wanted to be a coach, and he's studied under some of the best. The only problem he's going to have is he's going to go from making suggestions to making decisions. But I think he'll grow into that job."

Pete Gillen, an analyst for CBS College Sports Network and Westwood One, said recruiting is "85-90 percent of the battle," especially at a Conference USA program such as Memphis. But Gillen said he also has been impressed by Pastner's basketball acumen.

"I love Josh," Gillen said. "It's a big first job, and it's a tough act to follow Calipari. But I have a lot of confidence in him."

Asked whether Pastner's age could affect the way players respond to him, Gillen said: "I think it's an advantage. He can relate to them, he speaks their language, the music they like. I think it's a good choice. It's a surprise when you first hear it, but I think it's a great choice."

Fraschilla recalled being at an AAU tournament when he first met Pastner, who was a junior in high school at the time. Pastner introduced himself to Fraschilla and informed him that he would be a college coach someday. Pastner was so confident and forceful, Fraschilla never doubted him -- and never forgot him.

But experience counts for something, and Fraschilla said Pastner would benefit by hiring some seasoned assistants.

"It helps to have someone who's been through the adversity of coaching and understands when to calm down a young guy," Fraschilla said. "I think that always helps. But knowing Josh's background, this is a perfect fit for him."

-- Scott Cacciola: 529-2773

Geoff Calkins - Diaper Dandy! Josh Pastner bringing youth and a bit of a gamble to Tigers

Geoff Calkins: Diaper Dandy! Josh Pastner bringing youth and a bit of a gamble to Tigers

By Geoff Calkins, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Originally published 10:08 p.m., April 6, 2009
Updated 10:14 p.m., April 6, 2009

I have seen the future of Memphis basketball and I would like to reach out and pinch its cheeks.

Josh Pastner is 31. That's not much older than some Memphis players under John Calipari.

Memphis wanted to make a "wow" hire. This is more of a "coochie coochie coo."

At noon today, Memphis athletics director R.C. Johnson will introduce Pastner as the next men's head basketball coach.

Looks like Memphis has itself a Diaper Dandy.

Or not. Time will tell, won't it?

At least everyone can return to actual, productive living again.

Y'all can stop obsessing about the coaching search.

Y'all can stop -- please, stop! -- suggesting names of wonderful candidates.

It's done, over, finished.

Johnson picked Pastner. And if he hadn't accepted, reliable sources say Johnson was going to offer it to the other two Jonas Brothers.

The former coach was loved by the Blue Hairs. This coach will add the teeny boppers.

Sample reaction from Facebook:

"Jessie has a crush on Josh Pastner."

"Wes loves Pastner."

Wes, apparently, is a man.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Pastner is a coach Memphians can rally around, no matter their age or gender.

He's a rising star, a coaching prodigy, a guy who has been working toward this day since he first learned to dribble a basketball.

Which was about a month ago, if you take a look at him.

Gene Bartow has shoes older than Pastner. Most of Cal's Championship Steaks have aged longer than the new Memphis coach.

But after a week of trying to get someone -- anyone! -- to take the job, the search team had placed its bet on the future.

USC head coach Tim Floyd declined. So did Tennessee's Bruce Pearl, Missouri's Mike Anderson and Baylor's Scott Drew.

Stunned, Johnson moved on to Florida State's Leonard Hamilton and former Memphis assistant Derek Kellogg.

They pulled out Monday.

That left Pastner, the former Arizona walk-on -- think Preston Laird -- who joined Calipari's staff a year ago in hopes that it would help him get a head coaching job.

Pastner said "yes." Good thing, too, because Johnson's next call was to Bradley Calipari.

And, absolutely, it's a risk. The guy has never been a head coach. He has never been the one with the radio show and the dry erase board. He's also been questioned in connection with the NCAA's on-going investigation at Arizona.

Some young coaches work out brilliantly. See Sean Miller and Billy Donovan. Some young coaches work out miserably. See Quin Snyder and Todd Bozeman.

It's impossible to know which way this one will go. But how can you not hope it works out for Pastner, the program and the community?

It has been a hard week for everyone. Maybe harder than it had to be. But if Johnson didn't pick the guy you would have -- or conduct the search the way I would have -- there's no point in grumbling about it.

Memphis made its choice. Pastner is the one. If this breaks the right way, we might not have to go through another coaching search for three more decades.

So here's hoping he does well. At the very least, it'll be different.

The last nine years have all been about Coach Cal.

Starting today, it's Coach McDreamy.

To reach Geoff Calkins, call 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal.com.

Jeff Goodman Fox Sports - Memphis promotes Pastner to lead Tigers

Memphis promotes Pastner to lead Tigers

by Jeff Goodman

Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He can be reached at GoodmanonFOX@aol.com or check out his blog, Good 'N Plenty.

In a stunning move, Memphis has promoted assistant coach Josh Pastner to replace John Calipari as head coach of its basketball team.

Pastner, 31, spent the last year at Memphis after playing and also coaching at Arizona.

Memphis athletics spokesman Bob Winn says the school will hold a news conference Tuesday to introduce Pastner.

Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson unsuccessfully tried to lure several head coaches before electing to go with Pastner, who is known as a tireless and effective recruiter.

During Pastner's time under former Arizona coach Lute Olson, the Wildcats averaged 23 wins per season, captured two Pac-10 regular season titles, advanced to two NCAA tournament regional finals and made six-straight NCAA tournament appearances.

Pastner was instrumental in bringing several top recruits to Arizona, including Jerryd Bayless, Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger. Whether he can retain Calipari's most recent recruiting class remains to be seen.

In his only season at Memphis, the Tigers finished 33-4 with a Conference USA title and a Sweet 16 appearance.

While in high school and college, Pastner coached AAU squads, following in the footsteps of his father, Hal, an acclaimed AAU coach in Houston, Texas.

Johnson said last week that he planned to hire a new coach who would "wow" Tiger fans — one with head coaching experience. Names that surfaced during the search included Tennessee's Bruce Pearl, Baylor's Scott Drew and Florida State's Leonard Hamilton.

Memphis fought hard to keep Calipari but sought to put the best twist on his departure — saying the successful program he built was attractive enough to land one of the country's top coaches. Officials also boasted that university supporters would come up with plenty of money to pay a new coach.

Calipari was paid $2.3 million a year at Memphis and now has an eight-year contract at Kentucky worth nearly $32 million.

There was no immediate word on a Pastner's salary.

Calls from The Associated Press to Johnson and Alan Graf, a top member of the university's search team and the chief financial officer for FedEx Corp., were not returned Monday.

The move is similar to the one Marquette made last year with Buzz Williams, who was on Tom Crean's staff for one season before Crean left for Indiana. Williams was promoted and led Marquette to the NCAA tournament.

After Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, Pastner was expected to follow him to Lexington.

Instead, he'll take over a program that has dominated Conference USA and reached the NCAA championship game in 2008.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ESPN - Memphis goes with Pastner

By Andy Katz ESPN.com

Memphis decided to stay in house.

Assistant coach Josh Pastner will be named the next head coach at the school at a news conference at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Memphis athletics spokesman Bob Winn said on Monday.
Pastner, 31, replaces John Calipari, who became the head coach at Kentucky last week. A source close to the Memphis program told ESPN.com that Memphis turned to Pastner to ensure continuity in the program after Calipari's success and subsequent departure.

This is Pastner's first head coaching job. He was a walk-on at Arizona on the 1997 national championship team and after graduation worked his way up on the bench with Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson.

Pastner was the lead recruiter for the Wildcats in Olson's last season two years ago and the top assistant for interim coach Kevin O'Neil during the 2007-08 campaign. Last summer Pastner left Arizona to work for Calipari.

According to the source, the school did inquire into the availability of Massachusetts head coach Derek Kellogg, who was an assistant for Calipari at Memphis, but he just completed his first season at his alma mater.

Memphis made overtures to USC's Tim Floyd, Missouri's Mike Anderson, former Xavier coach Sean Miller -- who took the Arizona job -- and most recently Florida State's Leonard Hamilton.
Andy Katz covers college basketball for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Miller over Pastner…did U of A do the right thing?

Miller over Pastner…did U of A do the right thing?

http://http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/04/06/miller-over-pastner%E2%80%A6did-u-of-a-do-the-right-thing/
By Vince Marotta, April 6th, 2009 5:17 PM

Jim Livengood, in the eyes of many, has rebounded and redeemed himself. The Arizona A.D. locked up Xavier’s Sean Miller on a 7-year deal (or however long Miller wants to stay, because we all know college coaching contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on).

It’s a good hire. Miller is one of the up-and-comers in the college ranks. He’s guided Xavier to four straight NCAA Tournaments, one Elite 8 appearance, and one Sweet 16. In 2007, he was at the helm of the Musketeers’ team that nearly knocked off top-seeded Ohio State, who went on to the National Championship game against Florida.

After all of the venom spewed his way when he failed to land Rick Pitino, or John Calipari or Tim Floyd, for that matter, is forgotten, in my opinion. Miller can coach, and should have success at Arizona in the future.

But, after the news that came out of Memphis today, you have to at least wonder if Arizona made the right hire.

The University of Memphis, in the wake of Calipari bolting to Lexington to take the Kentucky job, announced that assistant Josh Pastner would get the job. It’s interesting because Pastner was only at Memphis for a season. And it’s even more interesting because Pastner coached under Lute Olson for five seasons and played for Lute for four years. Yet, his name only came up when mentioned by former U of A players who endorsed Pastner.

Sean Miller received a 7-year contract worth $19 million from the U of A. Pastner, will undoubtedly receive a fraction of that, seeing as how he’s only 31 years old, and this will be his first head coaching job anywhere.

Memphis reportedly went after Miller, but settled on Pastner. And one can definitely make the argument that Memphis basketball is in much better shape right now than the Arizona program is. And Pastner has familiarity with recruiting in the Pac-10, a claim that Miller can’t make. Pastner was known as a tireless recruiter while an assistant in Tucson.

Did Livengood and the U of A do the right thing? We’ll find out.

Bleacher Report - Arizona's Coach of the Future: Not Who You Think

Arizona's Coach of the Future: Not Who You Think

by JJ Askvig (Contributor)
April 06, 2009

Well, it's official: Arizona will return to the national-powerhouse status that the people of Tucson have come to expect.

Yes, the Wildcats hired Sean Miller today, but honestly, I don't think he will have that large of an impact on the future.

You may have read my last article, in which I stated that Arizona needed to hire for the future, and though the name that everyone's paying attention to isn't ideal for long-term success, the Cats still struck gold today.

Just not with Miller. It's with Josh Pastner that I'm talking about

Yep, Josh Pastner, the former Arizona assistant, got his big break today. He was promoted by Memphis from assistant to head coach. And that bodes well for the Wildcats because...?

Well, first and foremost, Pastner was always the coach-in-waiting when he was at Arizona, but he needed to prove himself as a head coach. Now he has his chance, and it's a beautiful opportunity he's got with a talented Tigers team.

Yes, Calipari took most of his recruits with him to Kentucky, but the cupboard is not bare in Memphis, especially considering the competition they face in Conference USA.

What many do not realize is that the recruiting pipeline of Arizona is Pastner's work. The guy signs stars like crazy and is well-liked by players.

Memphis has had the national stage the last two years. Sure, they haven't quite reached the mountaintop yet, but people know who they are.

And know this: Pastner can coach. Much of the success at Memphis in the last two years is (arguably) because of Pastner, as he brought that aforementioned recruting prowess East when he arrived in '08.

Besides, anyone who watched the tourney could see that Coach Cal was already letting Pastner do a lot of the coaching, so he's already got a start.

So what does all of this have to do with Arizona?

Well, if Pastner proves himself at Memphis, which I firmly believe he will, the Wildcats will be after him like crazy. And unless Miller makes a deep run into the tourney (read: at least to the Elite Eight) in his first three years, Pastner will practically be in.

The only reason Arizona did not call Pastner this time was they did not want to hand over the reins of a top-tier program to a coach without head coaching experience (obviously, their hiring of an interim coach on short notice does not count).

Anyways, seems to me that if Miller has any success at Arizona and a job on the East Coast opens up, he will be gone.

The future for Arizona looks much brighter today. They just got one step closer to getting their real coach of the future.

Memphis promotes assistant Pastner to coach, replacing Calipari

Memphis promotes assistant Pastner to coach, replacing Calipari
April 6, 2009
By Gary Parrish
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Gary your opinion!

DETROIT -- Josh Pastner will be introduced as the next Memphis coach, a source close to the program told CBSSports.com on Monday.

An news conference is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.

Pastner is known as an elite recruiter from his time at Arizona, where he played for and assisted Lute Olson before joining John Calipari's staff last offseason. This is his first head coaching job.

Arizona Daily Star: Memphis to name Pastner, 2 reports say

Memphis to name Pastner, 2 reports say
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.06.2009

Former Arizona Wildcats assistant coach Josh Pastner will be named the head coach at Memphis, CBSSports.com reporter Gary Parrish said today, citing “a source close to the program.”

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal is also citing a source as saying Pastner's in and Memphis boosters have been told an announcement could be made as soon as today.
Pastner, who was John Calipari’s lead recruiter at Memphis before Calipari took the Kentucky opening, played 42 games at Arizona from 1996-2000 before being named an undergraduate assistant and then an assistant coach.

Pastner left Tucson about a year ago to take the Memphis job.
— Patrick Finley

Memphis Tigers close to hiring Josh Pastner to replace Calipari

Memphis Tigers close to hiring Josh Pastner to replace Calipari
By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Originally published 04:30 p.m., April 6, 2009
Updated 04:30 p.m., April 6, 2009

The University of Memphis is closing in on naming Josh Pastner its next head coach, a source close to the situation confirmed this afternoon.

Pastner, 31, was at Memphis for one year under John Calipari after coaching for six years under Lute Olsen at Arizona.

Two sources said that athletic director R.C. Johnson has sent an e-mail to members of the Ambassadors Club, telling them the process is nearing an end. The Ambassadors Club is for boosters who have donated $500,000.

Known as one of the rising stars in the business, Pastner would be one of the youngest head coaches in the country and his selection would be a surprise, given his age and the fact he has no head coaching experience.

It could also be a brilliant hire, given that Pastner has a deep network of connections on the AAU circuit, especially in the Houston area where his father, Hal Pastner, is a legendary youth basketball coach.

A press conference could happen as soon as Tuesday afternoon.

CBS Sports Gary Parrish - What's next for Memphis?

What's next for Memphis?
Posted on: April 5, 2009 12:05 am

DETROIT -- The Memphis coaching search has turned into a complete mess , and sources have said the name bouncing around most at this moment belongs to Florida State's Leonard Hamilton, which would be fine, I guess. He can get players, and assistant Stan Jones (a former Memphian) can help coach them. So that might be OK -- although I'd be skeptical of hiring a 60-year-old man to rebuild my program, but maybe I'm just stupid.

Meantime, here are my thoughts on the matter ...

Former Memphis assistant Tony Barbee would be a good hire because he knows Memphis, knows the current roster, knows the recruits Memphis needs to get and is on the verge of winning C-USA next season at UTEP (he'll probably have the best roster in the league). But Barbee's issue is that John Calipari privately backed him for the job last week to multiple prominent boosters, and those boosters are so mad at Calipari now that they won't hire Barbee just because they don't want to do what Calipari told them to do. In other words, Calipari's endorsement has hurt Barbee's chances of getting this job, meaning he's probably not getting this job.

Which brings me to Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy.

Yeah, he had the cab driver incident this season, and that would cause Deadspin.com and TheBigLead.com to clown the hire. They'd have jokes, and they'd be funny, and then all that would be over. It would last about 48 hours, and then Kennedy would hold a press conference, and he'd be impressive, and then he'd recruit and get players (he signed one of the best prospects from Memphis this season, it's worth noting), and the city of Memphis would love him. Trust me, this would be a good hire. But all indications are that the Memphis boosters can't get past the incident and still-looming legal issues, and unless that changes Kennedy won't get this job, either.

Which brings me to UMass coach Derek Kellogg.

Yeah, he had a losing season this season in his first season at his alma mater. But if Kellogg was still an assistant at Memphis he'd probably already have this job, and so it's worth exploring his level of interest, then see if Memphis assistant John Robic will remain in Memphis to help with the adjustment. Robic handled all the scouting for Calipari's Tigers, case you didn't know. He's the type of veteran a younger coach can lean on, something similar to what Larry Shyatt provides Billy Donovan at Florida. Would Robic stay in Memphis? I have no idea. But if Kellogg could keep Robic around, this route might end up being the most sensible route given the current state of affairs.

Beyond that, Memphis should just offer the job to assistant Josh Pastner.

He'd take it, I'm sure.

Or Western Kentucky coach Ken McDonald.

He'd take it, I'm sure.

Or former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie.

He'd take it, I'm sure.

Or New Mexico coach Steve Alford.

He'd take it, I'm sure.

Honestly, I could produce a whole list of people who would actually take this job.

Needless to say, it's a different list than the list Memphis has been using the past four days.

CBS Sports Gary Parrish - Drew to remain at Baylor; Memphis still looking

Drew to remain at Baylor; Memphis still looking
Posted on: April 4, 2009 7:24 pm

DETROIT -- Scott Drew will remain at Baylor for a seventh season despite heavy interest from Memphis, multiple sources told CBSSports.com on Saturday.

According to sources, Drew did speak with people associated with the Memphis program, and one source went so far as to say it "was his job if he wanted it." But Drew ultimately decided to pass on the opportunity to follow John Calipari, leaving Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson scrambling now that his interest in Rick Pitino (Louisville) Mike Anderson (Missouri), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee), Tim Floyd (Southern California) and Drew has been rejected to varying degrees.

Sources said Memphis was prepared to pay Drew roughly $2 million per season.

But he's staying at Baylor ... for less money.

What's next?

Sources said Memphis will now likely turn toward Florida State's Leonard Hamilton.

Another possible option is one-time NBA star and former New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus.

Dan Wolken - Myths about the Memphis coaching search

Myths about the Memphis coaching search

Posted by Dan Wolken

1. Scott Drew was a smokescreen designed to throw the media off, and Memphis was never interested in hiring him.

You can believe this garbage all you want, but folks, this is just not true. Memphis was very serious about hiring Drew yesterday. No contract was offered, but money and contract terms were discussed. Why would Alan Graf tell Drew and his people yesterday that he was the guy if he wasn’t the guy? The problem is, as the day dragged on and Johnson was “hemming and hawing” on getting a deal done, Drew started to wonder if he was being set up as a fallback option. If you’re a guy like Drew, who has a strong standing at Baylor right now, you can’t sit there and wait while Memphis is dragging its feet or else you are going to damage yourself with your AD and recruits.

2. R.C. Johnson & Co. are still working behind the scenes on a “Wow” hire that will blow everyone away.

Does not appear to be true, unless you consider Leonard Hamilton a “Wow” hire. Because that’s the name that was buzzing around college basketball last night. Leonard gets good players at Florida State, and he would probably get good players at Memphis, too. But his reputation as a poor coach is well-earned; he’s been to just 4 NCAA Tournaments in 20 years at Florida State, Miami and Oklahoma State. And he’ll be 61 years old in August, so this would essentially be a well-paid retirement job for him. But if you’re talking about “name” guys, Hamilton is probably the best Memphis can do. Hamilton, or Billy Gillispie (he would take it). Because nobody who is in a good situation wants this job right now. You could offer Jay Wright the same contract you offered Calipari, and he’s not taking it. The sooner people realize that, the better.

3. Reggie Theus would be a home-run hire and would keep Xavier Henry and DeMarcus Cousins in the fold.

This is nonsense. First of all, Theus might be a good hire, but he would be a risky hire. Getting a bunch of transfers and talented misfits out to New Mexico State and then parlaying a good season into an NBA job doesn’t prove that you know how to build a program. Lots of questions in the coaching world about Theus’ work ethic. Is he really interested in getting into the recruiting nitty-gritty, or is he going to be jetting off to L.A. whenever he can? The stuff about Henry and Cousins is also ridiculous. This idea is being peddled by Otis Hughley, who is trying to position himself for a job on Theus’ staff. But Hughley has no influence anymore on the Cousins situation, and anyone who knows what’s really happening with Cousins knows this to be true. The chances of Henry playing at Memphis? As it was put to me by a trusted source close to the situation last night: Zero.

4. Hiring an NBA person like Avery Johnson or Isiah Thomas would be a good idea .

It would in fact be an awful idea. If you have never recruited a college player, you have no business being in this job. The lure of college kids wanting to play for NBA guys is incredibly overrated. Those guys don’t have the grass-roots connections to AAU basketball. That’s where it’s at these days.

5. Andy Kennedy should be disqualified due to the cab incident last December.

Unfortunately, this appears to be a legitimate concern from the Shirley Raines office and a major reason why Kennedy isn’t higher on the list. But it’s misguided. While embarrassing, this incident is small potatoes. The amount of bad publicity Memphis might receive would be extremely mimimal. Kennedy has a ton of upside as a coach.

6. Derek Kellogg wouldn’t come after just one year at UMass, his alma mater.

It would take a good offer (something in the $1.4-1.5 million range), but Kellogg would come. Trust me on this. And John Robic would probably stay, too, to help him on the bench. My prediction is that if Kellogg got this job, Joe Jackson, Tarik Black and Mardracus Wade would all commit to Memphis in short order. Those kids love DK.

Dan Wolken - No smokescreen, just embarrassment

No smokescreen, just embarrassment

Posted by Dan Wolken

Today was a very, very bad day for the Memphis coach search.

Here is why Scott Drew is not the Memphis coach right now, according to sources close to the negotiations.

Drew had an initial conversation with R.C. Johnson on Friday night. On Saturday, another conversation took place. The outline of a contract was discussed. Alan Graf, who was in communication with Drew throughout the day, kept telling Drew that he was the No. 1 guy and that Memphis was ready to get a deal done. Johnson, on the other hand, was sending different signals: “Hemming and hawing,” according to a source.

Meanwhile, Drew was under pressure from his athletic director, recruits and players who were calling to find out what was happening and whether he was going to Memphis. How could he be totally sure whether he was the No. 1 guy or not when the AD was “hemming and hawing?” Finally, Drew had enough and pulled out of the search. After he pulled out, Johnson made multiple attempts to call him back. But by then, it was done.

Whether you were in favor or against hiring Scott Drew at Memphis, this is not a coaching search running smoothly right now. In fact, its performance today appeared to be dysfunctional.

Baylor's Drew withdraws as Tigers' coach candidate

Baylor's Drew withdraws as Tigers' coach candidate

By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Saturday, April 4, 2009

The University of Memphis has gone five days without a basketball coach, but its search for a replacement didn’t seem to be much closer to conclusion than it was Tuesday when John Calipari left for Kentucky.

Indeed, by Saturday night, the process appeared to be completely off the rails as the school’s No. 1 target — Baylor coach Scott Drew — pulled his name out of consideration. According to sources close to the negotiations, however, it wasn’t because Drew didn’t want the job. Rather, it was because he grew frustrated as the day went on with a chaotic process that left him unsure whether he was really Memphis’ top choice.

After an initial phone conversation with athletic director R.C. Johnson on Friday night, Drew had been in contact with FedEx vice president Alan Graf throughout the day, according to a source. Though rough terms of a contract were discussed, none was officially offered. Graf had indicated to Drew, the source said, that he was the No. 1 choice and that Memphis was ready to close in on a deal.

As the day went on, Drew and his staff were besieged with phone calls from recruits and players wondering whether he was headed to Memphis. But without any indication of whether Johnson was ready to pull the trigger — “hemming and hawing,” one source described — Drew finally ended his involvement with Memphis and released a statement that he was staying at Baylor.
The search could now move toward 60-year old Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton. In a 20-year career as a college head coach, including stops at Oklahoma State and Miami, Hamilton’s teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament just four times. Reggie Theus, the former New Mexico State and Sacramento Kings’ coach, also has been mentioned prominently.

That’s perhaps the best Memphis can do now after getting rejected to some degree by Missouri’s Mike Anderson, USC’s Tim Floyd, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl and now Drew.

Memphis has attempted — thus far, unsuccessfully — to shroud its coaching search in secrecy in hopes of avoiding the embarrassment of a public rejection. That’s hard to do in this day and age, however, especially when a search firm has not been hired to run the search. Johnson was emphatic Wednesday that Memphis would not be employing a search firm to help hire its next coach.

Memphis began this process with hopes of making a “Wow” hire — those were Graf’s words on Wednesday — but now may be forced to move into the second tier before the search drags on into a second week.

If Memphis chose to pursue more attainable candidates, it could look toward Ole Miss’ Andy Kennedy or UMass’ Derek Kellogg, both of whom would likely provide a quick fix in the recruitment of local high school players.

It also might be worthwhile to look at first-year Memphis assistant Josh Pastner, who could end up being a hot name for the Arizona job if more coaches turn it down. Pastner, one of the elite recruiting assistants in the country, worked at Arizona for seven years under Lute Olson.

A Long Proud Legacy That Will Be Once Again

So, we patiently (or not so patiently) go through Final Four weekend looking for a coach. Believe it or not this is the best weekend of the year to be looking. For a great look at the college coaching ranks take a weekend some day to read Last Dance Behind the Scenes at the Final Four by John Feinstein, Backbay Book, 2006.

It is funny how Memphis is regarded as such as small school with a "non-BCS" type following. And yet, I noticed on Facebook last night that their Team Page has the 11th most members of any page. They always seem to rank in the Top 20 for Team Pages on ESPN, Fox and others.


I've read several comments from opposing fans saying, "So long Memphis, the ride is over." Obviously, these fans are all under the age of 25. Yes, Memphis' "run" this time consisted of about four years, but the program has been pretty strong for about fifty years. Consider that Memphis' 21 NCAA Tournaments, 3 Final Fours and 2 National Final appearances compare very favorably to Illinois (27 appearances, 5 Final Fours, no titles), Oklahoma (25 appearances, 4 Final Fours, no titles), Texas (26 appearances, 3 Final Fours, no titles), Arizona (27 appearances, 4 Final Fours, 1 Title), Marquette (26 appearances, 3 Final Fours, 1 title), Maryland (22 appearances, 2 Final Fours, 1 title), Syracuse (31 appearances, 4 Final Fours, 1 title) and Villanova (29 appearances, 4 Final Fours, 1 title).


Yes, Memphis has a major hurdle to overcome. All of the above aforementioned teams play in BCS conferences.


It will be very interesting to see if Memphis basketball can stay above the label of "mid-major". It will require a coach who can land top 100 players and keep the program relevant.


For all of the detractors and naysayers out there. Game on.

Spurned Arizona targets Xavier's Miller for coaching job

Spurned Arizona targets Xavier's Miller for coaching job
April 3, 2009
By Gary Parrish
CBSSports.com Senior Writer

DETROIT -- Arizona has initiated conversations with Sean Miller in an attempt to see whether the rising star at Xavier will entertain an offer that could be worth more than $13 million spread over six years, a source close to the Arizona program told CBSSports.com on Friday.

Multiple sources said it's unclear whether Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood has spoken directly with Miller, but the sources added that Miller has had preliminary discussions with a third-party representative working on behalf of Arizona, and that he's willing to consider a move to the Pac-10 more so than he's considered different opportunities in the past. In other words, Miller was never seriously interested in Virginia or Georgia, and he's not interested in replacing John Calipari at Memphis. But Arizona is the type of elite job that has his attention, though there are no guarantees Miller would automatically leave Xavier given that he clearly has the best job in the Atlantic 10.

Miller has been at Xavier five seasons.

He's made four NCAA tournaments, including one Elite Eight.

Arizona has already been publicly rejected by USC's Tim Floyd. Other candidates the school has informally pursued to various degrees are Mark Few (Gonzaga), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), John Calipari (Memphis), Jeff Capel (Oklahoma), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).

Dan Wolken - Astounded by the fans’ crush on Reggie Theus

Astounded by the fans’ crush on Reggie Theus
Posted by Dan Wolken

The Memphis message boards and comments sections have been lit up with talk of Reggie Theus. I am somewhat baffled by this. Theus coached in college for two years at New Mexico State. His second year, he went 25-9 with an NCAA bid (it didn’t hurt that the conference tournament was on New Mexico State’s home floor that year). New Mexico State had three top-50 wins that year — against Nevada, and twice over Utah State, all at home. In his first year, Theus went 15-14. He didn’t stay long enough to prove whether he could recruit or not. He brought in some talented kids (albeit with big off-court problems) like Martin Iti and Herb Pope that other schools wouldn’t touch, but that wouldn’t give me a ton of confidence in his ability to recruit to Memphis.

This year alone, Scott Drew beat Providence, Arizona State, Washington State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Georgetown and Virginia Tech. He signed a top-50 and two top-150 players for 2009, a top-50 and a top-100 player in 2008, a top-50 player in 2007 and three top-100 players in 2006.

Head-to-head, this is no comparison.

Chat with ESPN's Andy Katz - On Reggie Theus, DeMarcus Cousins, Bruce Pearl

Chat with ESPN's Andy Katz

Thursday, Apirl 2

Freddy (Los Angeles) [via mobile]: Is Reggie Theus a good fit for Memphis?

Andy Katz: I think he is but obviously Bruce Pearl isthe first choice. I do think Theus did remarkable things in a brief tenure at NMSU. But I don't know if he's going to get a shot. He can recruit. He is a solid coach and has the personality to work in Memphis.

john Louisville Kentucky [via mobile]: Do you think calapari will bring any of the top recruits with him? If so which ones?

Andy Katz: My prediction is that DeMarcus Cousins is the one that follows him. I'm not sure on the others.

memphistiger: Memphis, tn [via mobile]: I hear we just offered Bruce pearl 7 years 21 million. What do you think the chances of him coming to Memphis are? He is third man on campus behind kiffin and summit

Andy Katz: it will be a tough call. it's a lot of cash. Tennessee is higher profile and in a better league. But he can win more games at Memphis and be the No. 1 face of the program. It will be a tough call.

Tim (Athens): Reggie Theus- better actor or coach?

Andy Katz: Not even close.
Coach.

Chat with ESPN Radio's Doug Gottlieb - On DeMarcus Cousins, Sean Miller and Scott Drew

Chat with ESPN Radio's Doug Gottlieb

Friday, April 3

vay dallas tx: Doug.. how likely is it that Calipari's recruits follow him to kentucky?

Doug Gottlieb: I think it's likely that DeMarcus Cousins follows him. At best a 50-50 shot that Xavier Henry follows him. Henry's brother went to Memphis early to play with Xav. I would guess, through the people I've talked to, that it didn't go over so well that Cal jumped to Kentucky and left CJ Henry behind. Plus, Xavier probably looks at Kentucky and thinks Jodie Meeks might stay, so I'd have to share the wealth of the shots.

matt, Tn [via mobile]: what do you think about sean miller of xavier as calipari's replacement at memphis

Doug Gottlieb: If I were Sean Miller, I would take the Arizona job ahead of the Memphis job. While Memphis could pay as much or more, I think Arizona is a better job. I know growing up in LA, it's always been Guard U. With all the talent in Phoenix, Vegas, Seattle, LA and Texas that have all been funneled to Tucson. It's a better, more glamorous gig. Better chance of being successful. You're not following Lute Olson. You're following interim coach. Memphis you have to live up to winning 30 games.

virgil memphis tn [via mobile]: will the memphis basketball program ever be a national contender again after losing coach cal

Doug Gottlieb: If they hire the right guy, yeah. It's going to have to be rebuilt and reinvented. I think Scott Drew would be a great hire at either Arizona or Memphis. He's a tremendous recruiter. His team's play a fun style. He's a rebuilder. He fits the profile. I think he deserves a look, especially for Memphis.

ESPN Truth & Rumors - Baylor Coach Atop Memphis' Wish List

ESPN Truth & Rumers

Baylor coach atop Memphis' wish list?
09:40 AM ET 04.04

On the day when University of Memphis officials clamped down on the leaks coming from their search for a new men's basketball coach, one name did emerge as a serious candidate. Memphis received permission Friday to talk with Baylor coach Scott Drew, according to a source close to the search. It is believed that a representative of Memphis' search then had an informal discussion with Drew on Friday about the job. Memphis spent Thursday making exploratory calls about Drew, who was not available to talk until after his team lost in the NIT championship game on Thursday night. It's unclear whether that means Drew has emerged as the leading candidate or Memphis is still talking with other coaches. But it does indicate that Memphis is serious about Drew, 39, who resurrected a Baylor program in shambles after the scandal-ridden Dave Bliss era.