When UC Santa Barbara officials introduced Joe Pasternack as the Gauchos’ new coach on April 4, they noted his varied experiences, recruiting connections and the detailed practice notes he took under Bob Knight as a student at Indiana.
Then Pasternack talked a lot about Sean Miller, his boss since 2011 at Arizona.
“The past six years at Arizona have been the best six years of my life,” Pasternack said, working with “someone I consider a very, very close friend, a brother, and someone who has really taught me how to run a comprehensive program.
“Coach Miller has not only produced players at a high level, but also assistant coaches. His system has been duplicated (by other former UA assistants) at Ball State, Xavier and Dayton with an incredible amount of success. We hope to do the same here at UCSB.”
Pasternack also said he wanted to make UCSB a “players-first program,” while “honoring the process” and, not surprisingly, emphasizing defense and rebounding.
All those are core Miller beliefs, and they’ll come with Pasternack’s famously dogged work ethic, too.
“My energy, competitiveness and passion will bleed through every aspect of this program,” Pasternack said.
Miller probably wouldn’t doubt that. In a statement Arizona issued via Twitter, Miller said Pasternack impacted the UA program positively at every level.
“His recruiting ability, on-the-floor coaching and game planning was matched only by his relentless, competitive spirit every day,” Miller said in the statement. “As a head coach, he will passionately build UCSB into the champions of the Big West Conference in a matter of time.”
Pasternack, 39, joined the Arizona staff in 2011 after Miller’s brother, Archie, left to become Dayton’s head coach. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2013 when James Whitford left Arizona to take over Ball State.
In recent years, Pasternack has not only scouted many of the UA’s toughest opponents but added some key international recruiting connections to the California ties that he began building as a Cal staffer. Pasternack worked under former Bears coach Ben Braun from 2001-07.
Pasternack has a strong connection to the well-regarded Oakland Soldiers travel ball program, which sent Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson and Brandon Ashley to the UA, while he made inroads in the recruitment of Serbia’s Dusan Ristic and Finland’s Lauri Markkanen.
USCB athletic director John McCutcheon cited Pasternack’s “extensive contacts” while he and Pasternack talked about upgrading recruiting.
Pasternack told the assembled media and fans at his news conference that UA’s frontline included players from Finland, Serbia and Australia (Keanu Pinder) while also noting Santa Barbara’s location on California’s central coast will be attractive to in-state players.
“The distance from home is the No. 1 decision criteria for any parent, family member or coach,” Pasternack said. “The good news for that is we’re in the state of California, where there’s more talent than any state in the country. We’re going to recruit the state of California from Sacramento to San Diego very hard.”
Once he gets the players there, Pasternack said he will have a daily plan of development that — not surprisingly — is also like Arizona’s.
“Sean Miller has a comprehensive system, from academics to skill development on offense and defense, and a recruiting plan he really believes in,” Pasternack said. “He is consumed in every manner of the program. That’s what I learned.”
