University of Nevada - Las Vegas Men's Basketball

Jon Wall was hired as the strength and conditioning coach for the UNLV men's basketball program in the summer of 2025. Wall comes to the Runnin' Rebels after serving as a strength and conditioning coach for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers during the 2004-25 season. Prior to his time in L.A., Wall was the performance coach for Las Vegas's G League Ignite from 2022-24. Wall was also the Director of Athlete Performance at Pacific from 2018-22, where he worked with men's basketball and men's golf. While there, he also oversaw the operation of two athlete performance facilities and implemented programs for 17 varsity sports along with managing the department budget for facility equipment and nutrition. Wall earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Cal Baptist in 2015 and a master's in applied exercise science from Concordia in 2018.  

Josh Pastner has been hired as the new head coach of the UNLV men’s basketball program, Director of Athletics Erick Harper announced on March 25, 2025. Pastner, who has extensive experience as a head coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Georgia Tech (2016-23) and Conference USA/American Athletic Conference at Memphis (2009-16), comes to UNLV after serving as a television analyst for the past two years. As a collegiate head coach, Pastner, age 47, has an overall record of 276-187 over 14 seasons. He has led his teams to a total of four conference tournament championships, two conference regular-season championships and seven postseason appearances (five NCAA Tournaments, two NIT). He was named the 2017 ACC Coach of the Year and the 2013 C-USA Coach of the Year. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Pastner to the UNLV Family as he takes the helm of the Runnin’ Rebel Basketball program,” Harper said. “I have had the pleasure of knowing Josh for over 20 years, following his remarkable career from Arizona to Memphis and Georgia Tech. He is a fearless and relentless recruiter with success as a head coach, and is also an exceptional communicator, deeply committed to engaging with the Las Vegas community. Furthermore, Josh is committed to connecting with Runnin’ Rebel alumni, ensuring that everyone feels involved in the program’s success. We are confident that he will lead us to win championships and return the Runnin’ Rebels to the NCAA Tournament.” “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to UNLV Officer in Charge Dr. Chris Heavey and Athletics Director Erick Harper for this incredible opportunity,” Pastner said. “I am truly enthused about becoming the head coach of the Runnin’ Rebels. This has always been a dream job for me, and I fully recognize the significance of UNLV in the landscape of college basketball. The program holds great importance for both the Las Vegas community and the region, and I am eager to unite Rebel Nation with the goal of restoring the program to national prominence.” In 2021, Pastner led Georgia Tech to its first ACC Championship since 1993 and first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010. He also led the Yellow Jackets to a runner-up finish in the 2017 NIT. Six of his players (Josh Okogie, Jose Alvarado, Michael Devoe, Ben Lammers, James Banks III and Moses Wright) earned All-ACC honors and he was named the state of Georgia College Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club in 2021. The same year that he earned ACC Coach of the Year (2017), he was also selected as the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ District 2 Coach of the Year. He led Memphis to five postseason appearances: 2010 NIT and the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. His teams won three C-USA tournament championships (2011, 2012 and 2013), and he won the regular-season league championships in 2012 and 2013. While in charge of the Memphis program, the Tigers signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2010 and the No. 2 class in 2013. Pastner was a student-athlete on the 1997 National Championship team at Arizona and was an assistant coach at Arizona under Lute Olson (2002-08) and Memphis under John Calipari (2008-09), both members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Pastner earned his bachelor’s degree in family studies from Arizona in 1998 and his master’s in teaching and teacher education, also from Arizona, in 1999. Coach Pastner and his wife, Kerri, have three daughters (Payten, Kamryn and Harper), a son (Cason), and a stepson (Ethan). WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Former Duke Head Coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski “This is an excellent hire for UNLV. Josh is a high-level coach, and his defensive schemes were very tough to prepare for, leading him to become ACC Coach of the Year and win an ACC Championship. Josh is a good man and a friend. He will be great in Las Vegas!” Arkansas Head Coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer John Calipari “UNLV made a great hire in Josh. He has been at the highest level of basketball his entire life. Josh and I worked together so I know how hard he works and how connected he is. This is going to be exciting to watch!!” Former Villanova Head Coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Jay Wright “Josh is the perfect hire for UNLV. He has the unique qualities needed to lead the Runnin’ Rebels. Josh has the basketball IQ to guide his team on the court and he’s a teacher and developer of talent. He has the energy and charisma to engage the Las Vegas community like no other. His recruiting energy, passion and experience will structure a roster that will allow the Rebels to compete for championships.”  

Justin Hawkins was hired as an assistant coach for the UNLV men's basketball program in April of 2025. Hawkins returns to UNLV after serving on the coaching staff at UNR for the past three seasons. He was also the director of player development for the Wolf Pack. Prior to moving to Reno, he was the director of basketball operations at Pacific for two seasons after serving the previous four as the Tigers' video specialist. A former standout as a student-athlete for the Runnin' Rebels, he played at UNLV from 2009-13, where he was team captain for two years and played in the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons. After his collegiate playing career, Hawkins was an assistant varsity coach and freshmen head coach at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada.  

UNLV alum and former local high school basketball coach, DeShawn Henry, joined the UNLV men’s basketball program as its director of basketball operations in the summer of 2019.  Following the appointment of Josh Pastner as UNLV's men's basketball head coach, it was announced that Henry will continue in his current position with some expanded responsibilities. During his time as the program's director of basketball operations, he has assisted with scheduling, budget management, team travel, day-to-day logistics and general operations of the program. Prior to joining the Runnin' Rebel staff, Henry, a UNLV graduate, spent 20 years coaching student-athletes in Las Vegas at Desert Pines High School and Durango High School. He helped 56 players advance to the collegiate level and earned Coach of the Year honors twice.  

Hayden Sheridan was hired as the Director of Strategy and Analytics for the UNLV men's basketball program in April of 2025. Sheridan comes to UNLV from Georgia Tech, where he was the director of scouting and video coordinator for the last seven seasons. In that role, he oversaw the team's video operations and managed the collection and analysis of video to assist in scouting opponents and evaluating recruits. He also managed the team's technology needs and helped oversee the student managers. Prior to that position, he was a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech for two seasons. He also worked as an NBA Draft assistant for BDA Sports.