Josh Pastner loosens his grip to raise Memphis' profile [watches]
MEMPHIS – Josh Pastner used to believe that as a coach he had to control every possession of a basketball game for his team to win.
"I didn't let players make plays," the third-year Memphis coach recalls of his first coaching gig.
That first job came when he was 17 and his father, Hal, let him coach while playing for his Houston Hoops youth team. Pastner also coached younger sister Courtney's team and says his controlling ways led to an early exit from a national Amateur Athletic Union tournament.
The experience eventually led to a blueprint for Pastner's approach to coaching: He doesn't want to micromanage.
"Basketball players are like painters," Pastner, 34, says. "You need to allow them to have creativity."
Pastner has been highly regarded as a recruiter since his mid-20s while an assistant at Arizona. He built this team, ranked ninth, from scratch. He had to do that after coach John Calipari departed for Kentucky in spring 2009 and had many recruits follow him. Pastner, an assistant to Calipari for a season, had his bags packed for Kentucky, too, until Memphis athletics director R.C. Johnson offered him the job.
Recruiting is every coach's most vital lifeline and, as of Tuesday afternoon, Memphis had commitments from 6-8 forward William Goodwin of Decatur, Ga., and Damien Wilson of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. The early national signing period begins Wednesday.
In fall 2009 Pastner signed the nation's second-best recruiting class. Last season five of his recruits were part of an eight-player rotation that went from losing three of four games near the end of the season to winning the Conference USA tournament. The Tigers earned an automatic NCAA tournament berth and lost to Pastner's alma mater, Arizona, 77-75 in the first round. Memphis finished 25-10. After enduring public criticism during the slump, Pastner ultimately gained respect.
"The only thing I think I did well, even in tough stretches, was I made sure we stayed positive," he says. "I wanted them to know there is belief, hope, optimism and a lot to look forward to."
Pastner takes optimism to new heights. No matter the circumstance, he is upbeat. He abstains from alcoholic beverages, soda and doesn't curse. He passes up local paid endorsement opportunities to focus on coaching but does public service announcements and speaking engagements for various causes. He will raise his voice in practice but would rather not yell. If he shouts, it's often followed by an apology.
"If you need to be screamed at, you probably shouldn't come to Memphis," Pastner says.
In the cynical world of college sports, it begs the question if it's some kind of front. It seems too good to be true.
Jim Rosborough, a former associate head coach at Arizona who coached Pastner and worked with him, says he and other Arizona coaches once asked each other that question as they, too, initially were overwhelmed by his cheerfulness. "It's for real," Rosborough says.
Yet Pastner still is demanding of his players. He doesn't hesitate to bench players who are late for shootarounds, miss study halls or ignore instruction.
"Coach Pastner is random," says sophomore forward Tarik Black, who averaged 9.1 points last season. "You have to stay on top of what you're doing. The time you think you're slipping by, that's the time he's going to pop up."
Black recalls that after a couple of losses last season, Pastner wanted to shed the team's negative vibe. "We had to do 150 high-fives during a practice. He made (point guard) Joe Jackson personally do 200 high-fives or pats, something to encourage guys. It worked though. You do something for so long it becomes a habit."
At his core, Pastner remains a shrewd recruiter. "He's a bloodhound," Jackson, the team's second-leading scorer last season (9.9 average), said of his perception that Pastner never lets up on a recruit.
When the NCAA allows coaches to make in-home visits, Pastner will get to a recruit first by scheduling his visit just after midnight, as he did with McDonald's All-American Adonis Thomas, now a Memphis freshman.
Elite prospects often weigh a coach's potential to get them to the NBA when picking a school, and Pastner has connections. Assistant Jack Murphy worked for the Denver Nuggets, and assistant Damon Stoudamire played 13 NBA seasons. This fall Pastner hired Los Angeles Laker Luke Walton as an assistant during the league lockout.
"I think of it as outside the box and unconventional," Pastner says of hiring Walton, who will leave once the lockout is over. "Sometimes to build you have to take a calculated risk. Rewards outweigh the risk."
"I didn't let players make plays," the third-year Memphis coach recalls of his first coaching gig.
That first job came when he was 17 and his father, Hal, let him coach while playing for his Houston Hoops youth team. Pastner also coached younger sister Courtney's team and says his controlling ways led to an early exit from a national Amateur Athletic Union tournament.
The experience eventually led to a blueprint for Pastner's approach to coaching: He doesn't want to micromanage.
"Basketball players are like painters," Pastner, 34, says. "You need to allow them to have creativity."
Pastner has been highly regarded as a recruiter since his mid-20s while an assistant at Arizona. He built this team, ranked ninth, from scratch. He had to do that after coach John Calipari departed for Kentucky in spring 2009 and had many recruits follow him. Pastner, an assistant to Calipari for a season, had his bags packed for Kentucky, too, until Memphis athletics director R.C. Johnson offered him the job.
Recruiting is every coach's most vital lifeline and, as of Tuesday afternoon, Memphis had commitments from 6-8 forward William Goodwin of Decatur, Ga., and Damien Wilson of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. The early national signing period begins Wednesday.
In fall 2009 Pastner signed the nation's second-best recruiting class. Last season five of his recruits were part of an eight-player rotation that went from losing three of four games near the end of the season to winning the Conference USA tournament. The Tigers earned an automatic NCAA tournament berth and lost to Pastner's alma mater, Arizona, 77-75 in the first round. Memphis finished 25-10. After enduring public criticism during the slump, Pastner ultimately gained respect.
"The only thing I think I did well, even in tough stretches, was I made sure we stayed positive," he says. "I wanted them to know there is belief, hope, optimism and a lot to look forward to."
Pastner takes optimism to new heights. No matter the circumstance, he is upbeat. He abstains from alcoholic beverages, soda and doesn't curse. He passes up local paid endorsement opportunities to focus on coaching but does public service announcements and speaking engagements for various causes. He will raise his voice in practice but would rather not yell. If he shouts, it's often followed by an apology.
"If you need to be screamed at, you probably shouldn't come to Memphis," Pastner says.
In the cynical world of college sports, it begs the question if it's some kind of front. It seems too good to be true.
Jim Rosborough, a former associate head coach at Arizona who coached Pastner and worked with him, says he and other Arizona coaches once asked each other that question as they, too, initially were overwhelmed by his cheerfulness. "It's for real," Rosborough says.
Yet Pastner still is demanding of his players. He doesn't hesitate to bench players who are late for shootarounds, miss study halls or ignore instruction.
"Coach Pastner is random," says sophomore forward Tarik Black, who averaged 9.1 points last season. "You have to stay on top of what you're doing. The time you think you're slipping by, that's the time he's going to pop up."
Black recalls that after a couple of losses last season, Pastner wanted to shed the team's negative vibe. "We had to do 150 high-fives during a practice. He made (point guard) Joe Jackson personally do 200 high-fives or pats, something to encourage guys. It worked though. You do something for so long it becomes a habit."
At his core, Pastner remains a shrewd recruiter. "He's a bloodhound," Jackson, the team's second-leading scorer last season (9.9 average), said of his perception that Pastner never lets up on a recruit.
When the NCAA allows coaches to make in-home visits, Pastner will get to a recruit first by scheduling his visit just after midnight, as he did with McDonald's All-American Adonis Thomas, now a Memphis freshman.
Elite prospects often weigh a coach's potential to get them to the NBA when picking a school, and Pastner has connections. Assistant Jack Murphy worked for the Denver Nuggets, and assistant Damon Stoudamire played 13 NBA seasons. This fall Pastner hired Los Angeles Laker Luke Walton as an assistant during the league lockout.
"I think of it as outside the box and unconventional," Pastner says of hiring Walton, who will leave once the lockout is over. "Sometimes to build you have to take a calculated risk. Rewards outweigh the risk."
2011-11-09 16:43
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