ATHENS — Georgia basketball coach Mike White finally made official Monday what had been expected for at least a week when he announced the hiring of Erik Pastrana as an assistant coach.
Pastrana had been with White at Florida for only one season. He spent the previous two seasons at Oklahoma State, where he helped the Cowboys assemble the nation’s No. 4 recruiting class in 2020. That included 2021 first-team All-American Cade Cunningham, who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
Pastrana (pronounced puh-STRAH-nuh) is White’s second coaching hire since he was hired as the Bulldogs’ head coach March 13. He joins Akeem Miskdeen, who followed White from Florida last week. Miskdeen was an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic for three seasons before joining White last season.
“Erik is exceptional with his interrelational skills and his ability to connect young men,” White said. “Like Akeem, he’s got a great work ethic with regards to recruiting and skill development.”
That leaves White with one more coaching position to fill. He has reached out and had several conversations with former UGA player Jonas Hayes about joining the staff. However, it’s increasingly unlikely that Hayes will be interested in doing that.
Hayes was, of course, a candidate for the Bulldogs’ head coaching position and interviewed with UGA President Jere Morehead and athletic director Josh Brooks the day before White was interviewed and offered the job. But things have been going very well for Hayes ever since.
Hayes has remained at Xavier as interim head coach during its NIT run. The Musketeers (21-13) play St. Bonaventure on Tuesday night in the semifinals in New York. The winner will play the Texas A&M-Washington State victor in the championship game Thursday night.
The Musketeers fired coach Travis Steele before the NIT, and Sean Miller has since been tabbed to return as head coach. But Hayes obviously has done an excellent job of managing that situation in the interim, on the court and off. Accordingly, Hayes’ star has continued to rise in the business, and he may well end up with a head coaching job as a result.
Hayes is thought to be in the mix for head coaching vacancies at Georgia State and Chattanooga. If for some reason neither opportunity pans out, Hayes has been given the opportunity to remain at Xavier with Miller. So, Hayes joining the Bulldogs as an assistant would seem a long shot now.
One avenue White was considering was closed Monday. He had conversations with Korey McCray about joining his staff. McCray, a Decatur native, had been at Mississippi State under Ben Howland the past seven seasons. But new Florida coach Todd Golden announced Monday that McCray was joining the Gators’ staff.
Meantime, Georgia is going to introduce Katie Abrahamson-Henderson as its new women’s basketball coach Tuesday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. That, too, has become an intriguing situation, with Joni Taylor leaving to accept a significant salary increase at Texas A&M.
To date, UGA has not released the salary information of either White or Abrahamson-Henderson. In White’s case, that should be any day now. He was scheduled to make $3.2 million next year at Florida, same as former Bulldogs coach Tom Crean.
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