Memphis seeks to continue its current success under former coach John Calipari by hiring one of his assistants, Josh Pastner, to replace him as head coach. Calipari left Memphis last week to become Kentucky’s head coach. Under Calipari, Memphis emerged as the premier force in the Conference USA and a perennial title contender. The school outlined Pastner’s credentials in a press release.
The 31-year-old Pastner came to Memphis as an assistant coach prior to the 2008-09 campaign after a six-year stint as an assistant on Hall of Famer Lute Olson’s staff at the University of Arizona (2003-08). During Pastner’s time in Tucson, the Wildcats averaged 23 wins per season (137-60 record), captured two Pac-10 regular season titles, advanced to two NCAA Tournament regional finals and made six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
In his one year in the Bluff City in 2008-09, Pastner helped lead the Tigers to a 33-4 overall record, a sweep of the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance.
