Gators Men’s Hoops Gains a New Coach

The Florida Gators added to their men’s basketball staff prior to the 2021-22 season. The Florida Gators announced the hiring of Erik Pastrana as their new assistant coach.

Growing up in Florida, Pastrana is fully aware of the passion and tradition of Gator’s basketball.

Experience

He has a long history in Florida, with experience coaching high school, AAU, junior college and Division I in the state.

Pastrana began his career as a graduate assistant under Frank Martin at Kansas State from 2007-09.

For the last two seasons, Pastrana has worked at Oklahoma State as a recruiting coordinator and an assistant coach. Prior to his time at Oklahoma State, he was also an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic during the 2018-19 season. Pastrana also spent time being the head coach at Daytona State College and leading them through a successful season.

Not only does Pastrana have plenty of coaching experience, but also was present in the process of signing Cade Cunningham to the Cowboys.

Welcome to the Swamp

According to the official Florida Gators website, current Head Coach Mike White shared his excitement about his newest addition to the staff. “He has a proven track record, coaching and recruiting at a high level everywhere he’s been and will be a great fit with our team and our staff,” White said.

Erik Pastrana joined the Sport Scene discussing how much of a “no brainer” it was to join the Florida Gators coaching staff after growing up in Florida.

Pastrana explains that primarily he will be working with the guards of the team. He also continues on about what the team is currently doing to prepare for the upcoming season from a player development standpoint.

What’s next?

Former Florida assistants Jordan Mincy and Darris Nichols took head coaching jobs following the end of the 2020-21 season.

The Gators still have a position left to fill on its assistant coaching staff after onboarding Pastrana.