New UNLV coach Josh Pastner will make his return to FedExForum, where the former Memphis basketball coach will face the Tigers on Nov. 16, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
The Tigers defeated UNLV this season in Las Vegas in the first game of a home-and-home series. Last month, The Commercial Appeal reported the return game was initially set for Dec. 6, but was being moved. Rothstein reported Thursday the game “is currently scheduled” for Nov. 16.
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Pastner’s time at Memphis began when he worked as an assistant under former Tigers coach John Calipari. Then, he succeeded Calipari and spent seven seasons (2009-16) as coach of the Tigers. The last time he coached a game at FedExForum was Feb. 28, 2016, when Memphis defeated Tulsa, 92-82.
During Pastner’s time at Memphis, the Tigers were 167-73 and got to the NCAA tournament four times (going 2-4). Prior to coach Penny Hardaway leading Memphis to the AAC championship this season, Pastner was the last Memphis coach to win a regular-season conference title (2012-13, Conference USA).
Pastner spent the next seven seasons as head coach at Georgia Tech, leading the Yellow Jackets to one NCAA tournament appearance and a 109-114 record. He has served as a college basketball analyst for ESPN the past two seasons.
Hardaway is currently in the midst of another major roster rebuild. It’s still unclear whether All-American guard PJ Haggerty will return. The Tigers have commitments from one transfer (Temple guard Quante Berry) and an incoming freshman (Daniel Vieira-Tuck) and a junior college recruit (Felipe Patino).
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Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Date set for Josh Pastner’s return to Memphis to face Tigers | Report
