Courtesy of UC Santa Barbara Athletics Media Relations
Joe Pasternack, who served as the Associate Head Coach at the University of Arizona for the past four seasons, has been named Head Basketball Coach at UC Santa Barbara, Director of Athletics John McCutcheon announced Tuesday.
"I am extremely pleased that Joe Pasternack will be joining the Gaucho family as our next Head Men's Basketball Coach," McCutcheon said. "His passion for the game, extensive recruiting base both in the western United States and internationally, experience as a head coach, knowledge of the UC system from his time at Cal and associate head coaching success at Arizona make him an ideal fit for UCSB. I hope everyone in Gaucho nation join me in welcoming Joe and his family to Santa Barbara."
"I am really excited for the opportunity to build a comprehensive program at UCSB," Pasternack said. "I expect us to be competing for Big West championships each year and developing student-athletes on and off the court."
Pasternack joined Sean Miller's Arizona staff for the 2011-12 season and was promoted to the Associate Head Coach position in June of 2013. In his six season on the Wildcat bench, the team recorded a 174-47 overall record, including 124-23 over the last four seasons, while advancing to five NCAA Tournaments, two Sweet 16s and a pair of Elite Eights.
"Joe Pasternack is as talented of an assistant coach that I have worked with during my 13 years as a head coach," Miller said. "He positively impacted our program at Arizona on every level. His recruiting ability, on-the-floor coaching and game planning was matched only by his relentless, competitive spirit 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 them here in Tucson."
Pasternack was a key part of Arizona recruiting efforts that resulted in six consecutive top-10 classes, including four top-five during that stretch. In 2013-14, he played an integral role in the development of Aaron Gordon from a top recruit to an All-America-caliber player who was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was taken fourth overall by Orlando in the 2014 NBA Draft. Pasternack was also instrumental in the development of Stanley Johnson, the eighth overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and the 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
Prior to his six-year run at Arizona, the native of New Orleans spent four years as the head coach at the University of New Orleans from 2007-11. He led the Privateers to 19 wins in his first season and he was credited with the Sun Belt Conference's top recruiting class. In his final season at UNO, Pasternack led the program to 16 wins despite losing the majority of his roster to transfer in the wake of the school's decision to become an NCAA Division I independent.
Before his tenure at UNO, Pasternack was on the staff at Cal from 2000-07 where he oversaw the Bears' scouting and game preparation efforts, worked with the team's guards on a daily basis and was involved in coordinating recruiting efforts that landed several top-25 classes.
Pasternack got his start in college basketball as a four-year manager under Bob Knight at Indiana University, where he broke down film and assisted in scouting opponents. He graduated from IU in 1999 with a degree in marketing.
Pasternack played four years of varsity basketball at Metairie Park Country Day School in New Orleans. He and his wife, Lindsay, have a son, Joe IV, and a daughter, Lilly.