May 19, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. - University of Arizona men's basketball coach Sean Miller today announced the hiring of Joe Pasternack as an assistant coach.

Pasternack, 34, brings 12 years of coaching and administrative experience to Arizona, including the last four seasons as head coach at the University of New Orleans.

"I am really excited to be a part of an elite program and join the coaching staff at Arizona," said Pasternack. "Sean Miller is one of the top coaches in the country and I look forward to helping him, the staff and players."

Pasternack immediately gave stability to the Privateer program, as he was the program's third head coach in three seasons when he was hired in July 2007. Pasternack made his mark quickly, leading UNO to 19 wins in 2007-08, the school's most since 1997, and helped the program defeat a nationally-ranked team (then-No. 21 North Carolina State) for the first time since 1993 and ended up winning more games (11) before Jan. 1 in school history.

His efforts on the recruiting trail were almost as quick as Pasternack secured 11 newcomers for the 2008-09 season after his inaugural squad lost six seniors. That recruiting class was ranked among the best in the Sun Belt Conference.

His fourth year as the Privateer mentor may have been his most challenging. In wake of the school's decision to drop to NCAA Division III, Pasternack lost the majority of his roster to transfer. Pasternack answered the challenge despite the obvious hardships, cobbled together a roster and guided the 2010-11 squad to a 16-6 record.

Prior to UNO, Pasternack spent eight seasons as an administrator and coach at the University of California from 2000-07. He oversaw the Bears' scouting and game preparation efforts by studying game film, writing scouting reports and helping prepare the team on the court for upcoming opponents.

In addition, Pasternack, who worked with the Golden Bear guards in day-to-day practices, was heavily involved in coordinating Cal's recruiting and helped attract several top-25 classes during his tenure.

"We are excited to have Joe and his family join our program," said Miller. "He has a wealth of experience in many areas that will serve us well moving forward. As a head coach at New Orleans, he did an excellent job under very difficult circumstances. Additionally, he was an assistant at California for eight years under Ben Braun where he spearheaded many key recruiting efforts, including players like Leon Powe and Jerome Randle. To be able to get someone on our staff with head coaching experience and who has recruited extensively in the west is a tremendous benefit to us."

A 1999 graduate of Indiana University with a degree in marketing, Pasternack was a manager for the Hoosier basketball team for four years under coach Bob Knight, where he broke down game film and assisted in scouting opponents.

Pasternack has helped teams reach the NCAA tournament eight times.

A native of New Orleans, Pasternack played varsity high school basketball for four years at Metairie Park Country Day School. He and his wife, Lindsay, have a son, Joe IV (4), and a daughter, Lilly (3 mos.).