Considered a strong recruiter, Pastner, 38, has coached at Memphis for seven seasons, averaging 26 wins in his first five seasons as a head coach after replacing John Calipari. But the Tigers slid to 18-14 and 19-15 the past two seasons as attendance slipped, drawing fire from Memphis media (the Commercial Appeal describes the current situation as “toxic and unsustainable.”)
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Yet Pastner coached the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament four consecutive years (from 2011-14), a feat accomplished only by Calipari and Dana Kirk at Memphis.
Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski projected a one- to two-week timeline for finding a replacement when he fired Brian Gregory, the Journal-Constitution noted, and Friday marks the 14th full day of the search.
Other known candidates include Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew (since hired by Vanderbilt), Duke assistant Jeff Capel, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, Harvard coach Tommy Amaker and Butler coach Chris Holtmann.
