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Report: Georgia Tech, Josh Pastner discussing contract extension

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 13: Head coach Josh Pastner of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets cuts the net from the rim after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament championship game at Greensboro Coliseum on March 13, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 13: Head coach Josh Pastner of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets cuts the net from the rim after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament championship game at Greensboro Coliseum on March 13, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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According to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, the Georgia Tech administration and men’s basketball head coach Josh Pastner have begun discussions on a possible contract extension for the 43-year old head coach.

Pastner is coming off his season with the program, leading the Yellow Jackets to an ACC Tournament title as well as the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade. The Yellow Jackets went 17-9 on the season including 11-6 in conference play which included five wins over ranked opponents

The report also notably came a day after the University of Arizona parted ways with their head basketball coach Sean Miller after 12-seasons. Pastner, an alumnus of Arizona who was a member of their 1997 National Championship team and a member of the coaching staff from 2002 to 2008 is considered a potential candidate for the opening. We talked about Pastner’s potential fit at Arizona, here, on Thursday morning.

Any extension the two side may come to an agreement on in the future would be the second of Pastner’s tenure. After signing a six-year deal with the university in 2016, the two sides came to an agreement on a one-year extension in 2017, meaning Pastner currently is at least tied to the program through the 2022-2023 season. Also notable is this past season, Pastner made $2 million per USA Today’s coaching salaries for the 2020-2021 season. Any extension would likely give him a nice financial boost as well. Currently, Pastner is the 60th highest-paid coach in the country and tied for sixth in the ACC with Virginia Tech’s Mike Young. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the extension bump Pastner’s salary up towards at least $2.5 million on average, putting him with the likes of Clemson’s Brad Bronwell ($2.425m) and NC State’s Kevin Keatts ($2.700m).

While contract extensions are discussed, Pastner will begin preparing for his sixth season with the program next fall. Over the course of his first five years on The Flats, Pastner has assembled an 82-76 record overall and has won 17 or more games in three of his five seasons.