UNLV men’s basketball hires program legend for role on Pastner’s staff

The UNLV’s men’s basketball team announced the return of a legend Wednesday, welcoming Stacey Augmon as its new director of community engagement.

Augmon will focus on alumni relationships, fundraising, player mentorship and recruiting in his role on coach Josh Pastner’s staff.

Augmon, 56, played for the Rebels from 1987-91 and is considered one of the greatest players in program history. He reached two Final Fours and was a starter on the 1990 national championship team. He is third on the program’s all-time scoring list with 2,011 points and his No. 32 jersey was retired in 1995.

Augmon, a native of Pasadena, California, is also a member of UNLV’s athletics Hall of Fame and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.

“I am thrilled to return to UNLV and will do anything I can to help our program,” Augmon said in a statement. “I am committed to connecting with alumni and working closely with our community and university. I look forward to collaborating with (athletic director) Erick Harper, Coach Pastner, and the rest of the staff, and to being a mentor to the young men we have in our program.”

Augmon has worked for the men’s basketball program before. He was on former coach Dave Rice’s staff from 2011-16 as an assistant coach.

Augmon made a public case to be Rice’s replacement when Rice resigned Jan. 10, 2016, but then-athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy elected to promote assistant Todd Simon to interim coach.

Kunzer-Murphy hired Chris Beard to be UNLV’s full-time coach that offseason and Augmon was not retained. Beard wound up leaving after 19 days to take the Texas Tech job, which led to the Rebels hiring Marvin Menzies.

UNLV is on its second athletic director and third men’s basketball coach since then.

Harper, who hired Pastner in March, called Augmon a “tremendous asset” in a statement. The Rebels are hoping their new staff can help them return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.

Augmon is the second former UNLV player Pastner has hired. He also brought on Justin Hawkins, who played for the Rebels from 2009-13, as an assistant coach.

Pastner said at his introductory news conference in March the school’s glory days were one reason he wanted the UNLV job.

“Having Stacey Augmon in our program is invaluable,” Pastner said in a statement. “His legacy and understanding of the Runnin’ Rebels and the Las Vegas community will bring a unique perspective that will greatly benefit our outreach efforts, along with our student-athletes. We are thrilled to have him as a part of our team as we work to advance the program.”

Augmon, in addition to his time with the Rebels, has tons of professional basketball experience.

He was the No. 9 overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks and played 15 seasons in the league. He was also an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks following his playing career and worked in player development for the Sacramento Kings.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.