A source tells me that Eric Pastrana will be hired as an assistant basketball coach.
An announcement can come as soon as today.
Erik Pastrana (pronounced puh-strah-nuh) was named an assistant coach at Georgia on March 28, 2022. He spent the 2021-22 season on Mike White’s staff at Florida and also has successful Division I coaching stints at Oklahoma State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Stephen F. Austin.
Pastrana has played a pivotal role in Georgia's success over the past two seasons. He helped the Bulldogs up their regular-season win total by 10 victories from 2021-22 to 2022-23, the second largest increase of any Power conference program. Last year, Georgia earned its first postseason invitation since 2017 and then reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2016.
During his season at Florida, the Gators went 20-14 and reached the second round of the 2022 NIT.
Pastrana spent the two seasons prior to that as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma State. He helped the Cowboys sign the No. 4 recruiting class in 2020 that included Cade Cunningham, the 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year and a first-team All-American who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
In 2021, the Cowboys advanced to the finals of the Big 12 Tournament, earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and ended the year ranked No. 11 by the Associated Press – all firsts since 2005. Oklahoma State’s first-round win in the NCAA Tournament was its first since 2009.
Prior to his stint in Stillwater, Pastrana coached at three schools in Florida, his home state. In 2018-19, he was an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic working under Dusty May, one of three former Mike White assistants at Florida who are now Division I head coaches. Pastrana was head coach at Daytona State College for the 2017-18 season, where he led the Falcons to a 19-12 record and had four players named to the Mid-Florida All-Conference Team. A Miami native and Cuban American who is a member of the Latino Association of Basketball Coaches, Pastrana spent the 2016-17 campaign in his hometown as an assistant coach at FIU.
Pastrana also was an assistant coach for three seasons at Stephen F. Austin. During his tenure, the Lumberjacks won three consecutive Southland Conference Championships, produced three straight Southland Players of the Year and earned NCAA Tournament victories over VCU in 2014 and West Virginia in 2016. The 89 wins that staff accrued tied for the most by any coaching staff in its first three campaigns in NCAA history.
Pastrana began his career as a graduate assistant under Frank Martin at Kansas State from 2007-09. While at K-State, the Wildcats won 21 games each season, earned a pair of postseason bids, notched their first NCAA Tournament win in a decade in 2008 and saw freshman Michael Beasley selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Following his experience with the Wildcats, Pastrana worked as an assistant coach at Labette Community College in Kansas and Northwest Florida State College. At NWFSC, Pastrana helped lead the Raiders to a 30-4 record and an appearance in the NJCAA National Championship game.
Pastrana earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Florida State in 2007 and a master's degree in counseling and student development from Kansas State in 2009. Pastrana is engaged to marry Brooke Di Orio in May 2025.
- Georgia Athletics
An announcement can come as soon as today.
Erik Pastrana (pronounced puh-strah-nuh) was named an assistant coach at Georgia on March 28, 2022. He spent the 2021-22 season on Mike White’s staff at Florida and also has successful Division I coaching stints at Oklahoma State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Stephen F. Austin.
Pastrana has played a pivotal role in Georgia's success over the past two seasons. He helped the Bulldogs up their regular-season win total by 10 victories from 2021-22 to 2022-23, the second largest increase of any Power conference program. Last year, Georgia earned its first postseason invitation since 2017 and then reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2016.
During his season at Florida, the Gators went 20-14 and reached the second round of the 2022 NIT.
Pastrana spent the two seasons prior to that as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator at Oklahoma State. He helped the Cowboys sign the No. 4 recruiting class in 2020 that included Cade Cunningham, the 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year and a first-team All-American who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
In 2021, the Cowboys advanced to the finals of the Big 12 Tournament, earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and ended the year ranked No. 11 by the Associated Press – all firsts since 2005. Oklahoma State’s first-round win in the NCAA Tournament was its first since 2009.
Prior to his stint in Stillwater, Pastrana coached at three schools in Florida, his home state. In 2018-19, he was an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic working under Dusty May, one of three former Mike White assistants at Florida who are now Division I head coaches. Pastrana was head coach at Daytona State College for the 2017-18 season, where he led the Falcons to a 19-12 record and had four players named to the Mid-Florida All-Conference Team. A Miami native and Cuban American who is a member of the Latino Association of Basketball Coaches, Pastrana spent the 2016-17 campaign in his hometown as an assistant coach at FIU.
Pastrana also was an assistant coach for three seasons at Stephen F. Austin. During his tenure, the Lumberjacks won three consecutive Southland Conference Championships, produced three straight Southland Players of the Year and earned NCAA Tournament victories over VCU in 2014 and West Virginia in 2016. The 89 wins that staff accrued tied for the most by any coaching staff in its first three campaigns in NCAA history.
Pastrana began his career as a graduate assistant under Frank Martin at Kansas State from 2007-09. While at K-State, the Wildcats won 21 games each season, earned a pair of postseason bids, notched their first NCAA Tournament win in a decade in 2008 and saw freshman Michael Beasley selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Following his experience with the Wildcats, Pastrana worked as an assistant coach at Labette Community College in Kansas and Northwest Florida State College. At NWFSC, Pastrana helped lead the Raiders to a 30-4 record and an appearance in the NJCAA National Championship game.
Pastrana earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Florida State in 2007 and a master's degree in counseling and student development from Kansas State in 2009. Pastrana is engaged to marry Brooke Di Orio in May 2025.
- Georgia Athletics
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