John Calipari is a hustler of the first rank, a talker, a communicator, a basketball coach who understands the value of being “out there.’‘
But because Calipari, 48, is a married guy, with children, and all manner of responsibilities away from the basketball court, he needs an extension of himself, a guy to put some serious tread on his shoes.
That’s why he sees the value in Arizona assistant Josh Pastner as a likely replacement for ex-Memphis assistants Derek Kellogg, who became the head coach at UMass two weeks ago, and Chuck Martin, hired as the head coach at Marist.
Pastner is connected. Raise an eyebrow, yes, about some of his recruiting busts, such as Mohamed Tangara and Fendi Onobun. But overall, Pastner is a greatly recognized face in the industry of college basketball. He knows the AAU coaches and their assistants and the attendant posse.
He can get a phone call returned from all the top high school coaches
None of the men Lute Olson is bringing in can do what Pastner does. Russ Pennell is an on-court guy with family responsibilities. He’s not going to work the recruiting game 24/7.
If Denver Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap is hired, he is coming off of roles as a small-college head coach and in the pros. He’s not wired into the elite-level of college basketball recruiting, which is the only avenue through which Arizona can regain its footing in the Top 25.
Reggie Geary? He’s married. A father. He’s a dynamic personality, but it is a different personality from that of Pastner. Reggie Geary isn’t going to become a one-man recruiting whirlwind. He’s not a chaser. Pastner is a chaser.
Pastner does the dirty work and he’s happy to do it. He’s got a national reputation. Why else would Kentucky offer him a job last year and, now, Memphis? Those schools aren’t hiring on-the-job trainees whose backgrounds have been at Arizona State and Metro State (Pennell and Dunlap).
Pastner is a wanted man. If Lute Olson still knows what he’s doing, he’ll show that he wants Pastner more than a guy whose team just finished second at the Final Four. I get the feeling all Pastner needs is for Olson to give him a hug, tell him how much he values him, offer him a title and a raise.
The ball is in Lute’s court. If Pastner leaves, it will be the surest signal that UA basketball is listing, sinking, in deep waters.
In spite of all the uniformed comments by individuals about Pastner and his value, what Hansen says here speaks volumes. Big time programs wouldn’t be trying to lure JP away because of a reputation. They want him for what he does.
Midnight Lute has returned and is the primary reason why recruits come to Arizona in the first place. Paster and Simon certainly don’t hurt.
Now Simon will help Arizona on the AAU circuit and Paster was bound to leave at some point anyway to gain more experience.
The two coaches Lute is bringing in have more on-court, in-game experience. Sure Dunlap was a D-II coach but he won two National Titles. I don’t care what division you are in, that is impressive.
Pennell has more experience than just ASU and will stress the fundamentals, which on any level is a good thing.
Coach O still knows what he is doing and Arizona will kick some behind next year!
LASTTIME I CHECKEDLUTEOLSONHASN’T WONANYTHINGFORSEVERALYEARS (MAYBEMIKECANDREACANHELPWITHTHEBASKETBALLTHING)AND LUTECONTINUES TO SHOWHISAGEANDLEVEL OF MATURITY..
Sorry, but Pastner is known more for the recruits that didn’t come — Ebe, Arthur, Johnson, and all from Texas, Josh’s ‘ol stomping grounds — than he is known for the ones that did decide to don a Cat jersey — Onobun, Tangara.
C’mon, as much as I like the fact that the guy can operate on no sleep — wow, man, how
neat! — can anyone point to anything tangible Pastner has done to develop talent — a coach’s job, after all — at Arizona?
And if you tell me Josh is responsible for Hill’s rise, then you must also know that having Jordan sitting in foul trouble for more than half the game, and possessing the footwork of someone with two left feet, is not a whole hechuva lot to show for.
Why is it that Arizona’s won-loss totals have steadily gone the way of the L column over the last 5, 6 years of first Rosbrough, Pastner and Simon, and now O’Neill, Pastner and Simon?
As much as we can fault Rosbrough and O’Neill, the two commonalities have been Pastner and Simon.
Or, do we blame the Hall of Famer for this not-so-fine mess the Cats find themselves in now?
Not likely.
If I don’t produce in my job, I’m gone, and it certainly isn’t to coach Kentucky or Memphis.
Or Arizona, for that matter.
The UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA should cut its losses, and Pastner his ties, and both need to do what’s best: Move on!
Hanson does a nice job opining on Pastner and his value to the U of A. I suspect that Olson knows better than anyone else how valuable Pastner is to the Program and will do what he can to keep him. Many assistant coaches under Lute have moved on to become head coaches elsewhere. Pastner should stay until he is ready to become the head coach at a low profile Division 1 Program.
Guert, Midnight Lute is long snoring by that hour. The man takes naps, can’t concentrate on questions in press conferences. Get real. The word on the street is that Lute watched TWO games in Las Vegas. Pastner watched them all.
Pastner is just the last straw underscoring Lute’s long slide.
It’s time the changes being made here, at Arizona, are made from the top down.
Pastner is already gone. That is why Hansen wrote this…to make Lute look bad when Pastner goes. He did the same thing when he knew Simon was going. He wrote an article on how bad it would be if Lute fired Simon next…lo and behold, he was fired a few days later. Hansen won’t give up on trying to make Lute look bad. Give up on the vendetta Greggie.
I have no feelings regarding pro/con Pastner at UA. Hansen does raise a significant point however, in the fact that who becomes the lead recruiter if Pastner leaves?
That being said, how much influence did he have on getting Brandon Jennings, Negedu, and Jeff Withey. 2/3 are West coast guys, and the other one isn’t from Texas either. We’ll see…I agree that he is probably already gone though.
Man, I wish Greg Hansen had an out-of-town offer he couldn’t refuse. Then again,with Hansen gone, how would Lute know that he needed a strong recruiter?
Greg, you are awesome! No one who read this piece, and I do mean piece, recognized it for the parody it was clearly intended to be. I was laughing so hard that soup was coming out of my nose!!
Pastner is, without doubt, the most prominent, connected guy who never recruited anyone good to the U of A. I remember when he taught that project named Mike Bibby how to shoot, and then he recruited a plethora of talent here, only to see it wilt on the bench. Yeah, that’s the ticket – if you’re blind, deaf and dumb. And Greg, I know you’re not deaf.
Adios to a lack of results. Oh, and my contribution: Pastner is the guy who knows 500 ways to make love, but doesn’t know any women. ‘Nuff said.
Greg, there is a lot you don’t know inside the program. For writing for the #1 paper in Tucson, I would expect more accuracy or at least knowledge of what has transpired with Josh Pastner. To write a blog with assumptions and innuendos is careless and not fair to the individuals in the article. There is a lot more to this Pastner situation than you know. The truth will come out in time, but I do not blame Coach Olson one bit. In my opinion, he won’t get the recruiter, but he will get a much better coach with Coach Dunlap.
When Jerry Sloan has issues with what a reporter or writer has to say, he looks them in the eye, tells them there’s no way they know what they’re talking about, and that’s it. My sense here is that’s what Lute’s trying to tell Greg and the rest of the Tucson press.
Ohhhh, now let’s see. This article’s title is Why Memphis Wants Pastner, right? And, instead of anybody really addressing the content we have every rat w/ a little axe to grind coming out of the woodwork.
However, thank you, Doug #1 for your positive comment and focus on Greg’s article. Josh does have a lot of good things going on and that’s why he’s being recruited by a big time program like Calipari at Memphis.
The rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves. When you’re not beating up on Greg Hansen, you’re bashing a young man like Josh Pastner. You hit him from his basketball knowledge to his professionalism. And then those two Idiots, # 8 John and #15 Johnny Z. Man, you guys are sad. Reminds me that these blogs are just like any chat room where any jerk can jump inside and thump his chest and say anything he wants without fear of retribution. I still shudder to think of the absolute meanness you people have exhibited to a wonderful young man like Josh Pastner.
I wonder what all of you sad people think when you read an article that quotes young Gaddy ““I got close with Miles and Josh, and Josh is the one who really recruited me, so that does take its toll, and I’ve got to really deal with it right now,” said Gaddy, who committed to the UA after attending an elite camp last August.” And this, “I don’t really worry about that (UA commitment) right now,” Gaddy said. …“So I’ll take a look at that later.”
You think Gaddy’s completely sewed up right now? Josh was the lead man and Miles was right there with him. That’s why Calipari and Memphis this year, and Kentucky last year want Josh Pastner. I wonder what you pathetic idiots would say if he de-committed and went to…Memphis?
My question is this: Pastner may have recruited Gaddy, together with Miles, but who coaches the guy once he gets here?
Can anyone point to anyone Pastner has coached to their potential, much less greatness, in his time at UA?
Cmon, folks.
We like Pastner need to get a little perspective here.
Gaddy, should he decide to honor his word, will be better off with Dunlap and Pennell developing him for UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA greatnes and the next level, trust me.
My only problem now: The third guy sitting on the bench next to Coach O has got to be someone who bleeds Cardinal and Navy, especially with someone with such ASWho?! ties just a couple heart beats away from the office of the Head Coach.
We won’t really be able to tell the recruiting value of Pastner and Simon for several years after they leave. Let’s see what kind of recruits Lute and his new staff bring in without them. We can also look at the quality of Memphis recruits and see if it suffers. As for Simon “helping the UA on the AAU ciruit” I don’t see that happening after the way he was let go.
What a joke you Pastner sycophants are. Always with the “Josh is the greatest” B.S., but never a rebuttal to the FACT that Pastner never recruited a marquee level player to Arizona and there is not one shred of evidence that he ever COACHED any player to a higher level once they got here.
Hal, Josh and crew: give it up. The bloom was off the rose a couple of years ago, and in athletics TRUTH catches up with self promotion, because the proof of your coaching and recruiting abilities is on the floor.
Young Thompson, UofA football player for John Mackovich, died yesterday. He and a group of his friends from his church met to celebrate Memorial Day. While playing softball, he ran to catch a long ball and slumped to his death. CPR was preformed by a nurse at the park, but medics later said he may have been dead before he hit the ground. Young, who had experienced a life-changing walk in His faith, was 27 years old.
“ At the football team’s annual awards banquet Sunday night,…Coach’s recognition awards for outstanding performance and team leadership by seniors were given to defensive tackle Young Thompson. Arizona Daily Wildcat December 10, 2002. “ Life is so fleeting, and can be so tragic. My condolences to Young Thompson’s family and friends. The young man will have my prayers.
Jonny Z,I bet you never played a lick of division 1 basketball.You show this by your disrespect of the job Josh has done at Arizona.I played D1 and know talent when I see it.Jordan Hill will go on to be a NBA star,(who Josh was one of the main influences in the recruiting process)and that is a direct result of the positive influence that Josh has had on him on and off the court.Coach Olson is a very smart man and would not have had josh be a part of his staff for this long if he did not think him capable.
In spite of all the uniformed comments by individuals about Pastner and his value, what Hansen says here speaks volumes. Big time programs wouldn’t be trying to lure JP away because of a reputation. They want him for what he does.
— Doug 05/05/2008 01:50 PM #
The proof is in the pudding, Pastner hasn’t brought in great recruits. Pastner is all hat, and no cattle.
Or shall I say, all filler, no killer.
I’d love to see him on Memphis’ payroll, he can play pretend there instead…
— Steal Your Face 05/05/2008 02:32 PM #
Midnight Lute has returned and is the primary reason why recruits come to Arizona in the first place. Paster and Simon certainly don’t hurt.
Now Simon will help Arizona on the AAU circuit and Paster was bound to leave at some point anyway to gain more experience.
The two coaches Lute is bringing in have more on-court, in-game experience. Sure Dunlap was a D-II coach but he won two National Titles. I don’t care what division you are in, that is impressive.
Pennell has more experience than just ASU and will stress the fundamentals, which on any level is a good thing.
Coach O still knows what he is doing and Arizona will kick some behind next year!
— Guert 05/05/2008 07:46 PM #
PS. I do hope Pastner stays…
— Guert 05/05/2008 08:02 PM #
LAST TIME I CHECKED LUTE OLSON HASN’T WON ANYTHING FOR SEVERAL YEARS (MAYBE MIKE CANDREA CAN HELP WITH THE BASKETBALL THING)AND LUTE CONTINUES TO SHOW HIS AGE AND LEVEL OF MATURITY..
— TRUE 05/05/2008 11:59 PM #
Sorry, but Pastner is known more for the recruits that didn’t come — Ebe, Arthur, Johnson, and all from Texas, Josh’s ‘ol stomping grounds — than he is known for the ones that did decide to don a Cat jersey — Onobun, Tangara.
C’mon, as much as I like the fact that the guy can operate on no sleep — wow, man, how
neat! — can anyone point to anything tangible Pastner has done to develop talent — a coach’s job, after all — at Arizona?
And if you tell me Josh is responsible for Hill’s rise, then you must also know that having Jordan sitting in foul trouble for more than half the game, and possessing the footwork of someone with two left feet, is not a whole hechuva lot to show for.
Why is it that Arizona’s won-loss totals have steadily gone the way of the L column over the last 5, 6 years of first Rosbrough, Pastner and Simon, and now O’Neill, Pastner and Simon?
As much as we can fault Rosbrough and O’Neill, the two commonalities have been Pastner and Simon.
Or, do we blame the Hall of Famer for this not-so-fine mess the Cats find themselves in now?
Not likely.
If I don’t produce in my job, I’m gone, and it certainly isn’t to coach Kentucky or Memphis.
Or Arizona, for that matter.
The UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA should cut its losses, and Pastner his ties, and both need to do what’s best: Move on!
BEAR DOWN, Shelton!!!!!
— Carlos 05/06/2008 12:29 AM #
Hanson does a nice job opining on Pastner and his value to the U of A. I suspect that Olson knows better than anyone else how valuable Pastner is to the Program and will do what he can to keep him. Many assistant coaches under Lute have moved on to become head coaches elsewhere. Pastner should stay until he is ready to become the head coach at a low profile Division 1 Program.
— Edwin S. Fujinaka 05/06/2008 02:28 AM #
Here is my take on JP.
Big on war dance.
Short on battle.
A 24/7 in-motion guy, but don’t mistake activity for productivity. He gets credit for recruiting non-Div I talent.
— John 05/06/2008 06:09 AM #
Guert, Midnight Lute is long snoring by that hour. The man takes naps, can’t concentrate on questions in press conferences. Get real. The word on the street is that Lute watched TWO games in Las Vegas. Pastner watched them all.
Pastner is just the last straw underscoring Lute’s long slide.
It’s time the changes being made here, at Arizona, are made from the top down.
C’mon Jim Livengood pull the plug on this show.
Are you listening Dr. Shelton?
— Sargent 05/06/2008 07:12 AM #
Pastner is already gone. That is why Hansen wrote this…to make Lute look bad when Pastner goes. He did the same thing when he knew Simon was going. He wrote an article on how bad it would be if Lute fired Simon next…lo and behold, he was fired a few days later. Hansen won’t give up on trying to make Lute look bad. Give up on the vendetta Greggie.
— Bill 05/06/2008 07:53 AM #
If Hansen wants him to stay…better let him go.
— Bill 05/06/2008 07:55 AM #
Much needed change, I think Pastner needs to get a social life because his recruiting stinks.
Now Hansen will be able to report on everything Pastner does elsewhere and make his stupid comparisons.
— JK 05/06/2008 10:15 AM #
I have no feelings regarding pro/con Pastner at UA. Hansen does raise a significant point however, in the fact that who becomes the lead recruiter if Pastner leaves?
That being said, how much influence did he have on getting Brandon Jennings, Negedu, and Jeff Withey. 2/3 are West coast guys, and the other one isn’t from Texas either. We’ll see…I agree that he is probably already gone though.
— Darren 05/06/2008 01:44 PM #
Man, I wish Greg Hansen had an out-of-town offer he couldn’t refuse. Then again,with Hansen gone, how would Lute know that he needed a strong recruiter?
— Dan 05/06/2008 04:14 PM #
Greg, you are awesome! No one who read this piece, and I do mean piece, recognized it for the parody it was clearly intended to be. I was laughing so hard that soup was coming out of my nose!!
Pastner is, without doubt, the most prominent, connected guy who never recruited anyone good to the U of A. I remember when he taught that project named Mike Bibby how to shoot, and then he recruited a plethora of talent here, only to see it wilt on the bench. Yeah, that’s the ticket – if you’re blind, deaf and dumb. And Greg, I know you’re not deaf.
Adios to a lack of results. Oh, and my contribution: Pastner is the guy who knows 500 ways to make love, but doesn’t know any women. ‘Nuff said.
Good luck, JP – no hard feelings.
— Johnny Z 05/06/2008 05:11 PM #
Fire Pastner; Fire Hansen.
— Crazy 05/07/2008 12:54 AM #
John Pastner is the MOST OVERRATED coach in the 200 year old history of college Basketball.
Hansen has lost it for sure.
— Crazy 05/07/2008 12:55 AM #
I used to enjoy Hansen’s commentary. Now he only writes spite.
— Billy Bob 05/08/2008 05:30 AM #
I love it..
NeGREGtive Hansen must go..
I won’t even read his blog, I scroll down to read the comments only, because they are usually right on..
— jw 05/08/2008 08:38 AM #
Greg, there is a lot you don’t know inside the program. For writing for the #1 paper in Tucson, I would expect more accuracy or at least knowledge of what has transpired with Josh Pastner. To write a blog with assumptions and innuendos is careless and not fair to the individuals in the article. There is a lot more to this Pastner situation than you know. The truth will come out in time, but I do not blame Coach Olson one bit. In my opinion, he won’t get the recruiter, but he will get a much better coach with Coach Dunlap.
— BC 05/08/2008 06:50 PM #
When Jerry Sloan has issues with what a reporter or writer has to say, he looks them in the eye, tells them there’s no way they know what they’re talking about, and that’s it. My sense here is that’s what Lute’s trying to tell Greg and the rest of the Tucson press.
— Poky 05/09/2008 09:06 AM #
Another reason Olson no longer talks to the Star and another reason why I am going to stop reading.
— John Smith 05/09/2008 08:25 PM #
Ohhhh, now let’s see. This article’s title is Why Memphis Wants Pastner, right? And, instead of anybody really addressing the content we have every rat w/ a little axe to grind coming out of the woodwork.
However, thank you, Doug #1 for your positive comment and focus on Greg’s article. Josh does have a lot of good things going on and that’s why he’s being recruited by a big time program like Calipari at Memphis.
The rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves. When you’re not beating up on Greg Hansen, you’re bashing a young man like Josh Pastner. You hit him from his basketball knowledge to his professionalism. And then those two Idiots, # 8 John and #15 Johnny Z. Man, you guys are sad. Reminds me that these blogs are just like any chat room where any jerk can jump inside and thump his chest and say anything he wants without fear of retribution. I still shudder to think of the absolute meanness you people have exhibited to a wonderful young man like Josh Pastner.
I wonder what all of you sad people think when you read an article that quotes young Gaddy ““I got close with Miles and Josh, and Josh is the one who really recruited me, so that does take its toll, and I’ve got to really deal with it right now,” said Gaddy, who committed to the UA after attending an elite camp last August.” And this, “I don’t really worry about that (UA commitment) right now,” Gaddy said. …“So I’ll take a look at that later.”
You think Gaddy’s completely sewed up right now? Josh was the lead man and Miles was right there with him. That’s why Calipari and Memphis this year, and Kentucky last year want Josh Pastner. I wonder what you pathetic idiots would say if he de-committed and went to…Memphis?
— Al M 05/10/2008 11:20 AM #
My question is this: Pastner may have recruited Gaddy, together with Miles, but who coaches the guy once he gets here?
Can anyone point to anyone Pastner has coached to their potential, much less greatness, in his time at UA?
Cmon, folks.
We like Pastner need to get a little perspective here.
Gaddy, should he decide to honor his word, will be better off with Dunlap and Pennell developing him for UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA greatnes and the next level, trust me.
My only problem now: The third guy sitting on the bench next to Coach O has got to be someone who bleeds Cardinal and Navy, especially with someone with such ASWho?! ties just a couple heart beats away from the office of the Head Coach.
BEAR DOWN, Shelton!
— Carlos 05/10/2008 01:09 PM #
We won’t really be able to tell the recruiting value of Pastner and Simon for several years after they leave. Let’s see what kind of recruits Lute and his new staff bring in without them. We can also look at the quality of Memphis recruits and see if it suffers. As for Simon “helping the UA on the AAU ciruit” I don’t see that happening after the way he was let go.
— Ron W 05/11/2008 06:38 AM #
NO BIG NAME HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER WANTS TO PLAY FOR A 73 YR OLD COACH. HAVE SOME YOUNG AND TALENTED BLOOD AS JOSH P. AND THEN THERE IS A NEW RECRUIT COMING IN.
— BILL 05/18/2008 03:30 PM #
What a joke you Pastner sycophants are. Always with the “Josh is the greatest” B.S., but never a rebuttal to the FACT that Pastner never recruited a marquee level player to Arizona and there is not one shred of evidence that he ever COACHED any player to a higher level once they got here.
Hal, Josh and crew: give it up. The bloom was off the rose a couple of years ago, and in athletics TRUTH catches up with self promotion, because the proof of your coaching and recruiting abilities is on the floor.
— Johnny Z 05/21/2008 04:01 PM #
Young Thompson, UofA football player for John Mackovich, died yesterday. He and a group of his friends from his church met to celebrate Memorial Day. While playing softball, he ran to catch a long ball and slumped to his death. CPR was preformed by a nurse at the park, but medics later said he may have been dead before he hit the ground. Young, who had experienced a life-changing walk in His faith, was 27 years old.
— Martha W 05/27/2008 03:05 PM #
“ At the football team’s annual awards banquet Sunday night,…Coach’s recognition awards for outstanding performance and team leadership by seniors were given to defensive tackle Young Thompson. Arizona Daily Wildcat December 10, 2002. “ Life is so fleeting, and can be so tragic. My condolences to Young Thompson’s family and friends. The young man will have my prayers.
— Al M 05/27/2008 05:22 PM #
What has happened to this blog?
— chi_cat 05/30/2008 10:27 AM #
Jonny Z,I bet you never played a lick of division 1 basketball.You show this by your disrespect of the job Josh has done at Arizona.I played D1 and know talent when I see it.Jordan Hill will go on to be a NBA star,(who Josh was one of the main influences in the recruiting process)and that is a direct result of the positive influence that Josh has had on him on and off the court.Coach Olson is a very smart man and would not have had josh be a part of his staff for this long if he did not think him capable.
— Keith 06/09/2008 04:47 PM #