The Thomas & Mack Center was buzzing as UNLV officially rolled out the red carpet for Josh Pastner, the new head honcho for the Runnin' Rebels basketball team. Pastner, fresh off his tenure at a previous, undisclosed college basketball program, is set to inject some much-needed vigor into a squad that's been noticeable mainly for its absence from NCAA Tournament play since 2013. In a statement procured by News 3 Las Vegas, Pastner did not mince words, professing, "This has always been a dream job for me, and I fully recognize the significance of UNLV in the landscape of college basketball."

Pastner, who has to begin seriously courting new talent to rebuild the team, takes the reins from Kevin Kruger, who couldn't quite crack the code to push the Rebels back into the March Madness spotlight. Energy and experience are touted as his calling cards, with UNLV fan Bryan Cole admitting to KTNV, "The more I read into him, I started falling for him a little bit, so we’re here to support him.” But love is not the game here; performance is. As Pastner emphasized during the gathering, "NCAA tournaments and winning championships, that’s what we want to do."

It's not just about what happens on the hardwood for Pastner. He's already keenly aware that to effectively turn the program around, the culture of excellence must extend well beyond game day. According to his comments reported by News 3 Las Vegas, "It starts with me because I have to set the tone... And that’s not just on the floor." That means more than just coaching – it's about community engagement, media presence, and rallying both the fanbase and the players around a new ethos.

With the glaring absence of Dedan Thomas Jr., a promising star who just exited via the transfer portal, Pastner does indeed have his work cut out for him. Still, this is a man who apparently was the Runnin' Rebels' top pick, as indicated by UNLV athletic director Erick Harper. Pasnter's track record of collaboration with basketball's sharp minds surely weighed in heavily, as Harper indicated in an interview obtained by KTNV, "Josh didn't just want a job... He wanted the UNLV job."