Former Wildcat Associated Head Coach Joe Pasternack takes over at UCSB
UC Santa Barbara introduced former Arizona Wildcat Associate Head Coach Joe Pasternack at a news conference on Tuesday.
"The past six years at Arizona have been the best six years of my life," said Pasternack, as he referred to Arizona head coach Sean Miller. "I learned the game from someone I consider a close friend, a mentor, a brother, and someone who has taught me how to run a comprehensive program."
Pasternack has previous head coaching experience at the University of New Orleans. During his time there, the program shifted from division one to division three.
At Arizona, he was instrumental in the recruiting of third team All-American Lauri Markkanen.
"Again, I am really excited to be a Gaucho," said Pasternack. "I can't tell you how excited my family is to move to Santa Barbara and be part of this community.
Wildcat coach Sean Miller put out the following statement:
"Joe Pasternack is as talented of an assistant coach that I have worked with during my 13 years as a head coach. He positively impacted our program at Arizona at every level. His recruiting ability, on-the-floor coaching and game planning was matched only by his relentless, competitive spirt every day. As a head coach, he will passionately build UCSB into the champions of the Big West Conference in a matter of time. We wish Joe and his wonderful family all the success in the world! We will miss him here in Tucson."
