University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Erik Pastrana
July 26, 2022 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Erik Pastrana has been around men's basketball programs of all shapes and sizes during his long career as a coach. He first got the sense that coaching was in his future back in high school, when he was a point guard and team leader, and he figured he'd be a high school coach one day.
Hired in late March by new Georgia coach Mike White, with whom Pastrana also worked at Florida, Pastrana also has had stints as an assistant at Oklahoma State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Stephen F. Austin, as well as lower down the food chain at Labette (Kan.) Community College, Northwest Florida State College, and he was the head coach at Daytona State College.
A native of Miami, Pastrana earned an undergraduate degree from Florida State and a master's from Kansas State, where he worked as a graduate assistant under coach Frank Martin, also a Miami native and one of the "godfathers" of basketball in South Florida. While an assistant at Oklahoma State, Pastrana helped coach star guard Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
During a recent Quick Chat, Pastrana talked about getting into coaching, his own playing days, good food, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: How would you describe yourself as a player?
Pastrana: I haven't been asked that in quite a while. Competitor, I played point guard, so just kind of run the team — I kind of enjoyed coaching before I even started coaching, honestly. I liked to get everybody involved, communication, just really enjoyed tying everything together, which is probably why I ended up in this profession.
Frierson: When did you know that coaching was for you?
Pastrana: I think high school — as a player, I really, really enjoyed the scouting part. I always had a really strong relationship with the head coach. Some of my biggest mentors in my life at that time were high school coaches: Frank Martin was a high school coach in Miami back then, so I always looked up to him; Shakey Rodriguez; and Jay McCormick was my high school coach.
All of those guys, I just looked up to them. That was what I thought I was going to do, and honestly, I thought I was going to be a high school coach. I didn't really think about the college route at that point. ...
It was like the cool thing to do back then, to be about Miami high school basketball. I was always around an intense environment, and it's pretty cool, too, because it's rare in Florida because Florida's such a football state. But there were some moments where you're like, Man, this is really cool to be a part of.
Frierson: Miami is one of the most interesting and culturally diverse cities in the country, so what was it like growing up there?
Pastrana: Growing up there, it seems normal because it's all you know, right? Growing up there was great, and I came to appreciate growing up there more once I left. Just because you come to appreciate the diversity, the different cultures, the different experiences when you go to other places where maybe it's not as diverse.
By the same taken, being in Miami, being so open-minded, opened me to being really open to all of the different places that I've lived in: Manhattan, Kan., Stillwater, Okla., Nacogdoches, Texas, Athens, Gainesville. It's been something that I've embraced. I've gotten to meet different people, people in the Midwest, people in the South. It's been really cool.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite moment from your playing or coaching career?
Pastrana: Man, it's hard to pass on my first year as a Division I assistant. We're at Stephen F. Austin, we're a good team, we beat VCU in the NCAA tournament, on a four-point play to force overtime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRRpQgHX70M
That was my first year, so you can imagine, I was like, this is pretty exciting stuff. Obviously not every year is as exciting or crazy as that, but looking back, that was the year that kind of helped us take off at Stephen F. Austin, and that's probably the moment that stands out the most.
Obviously, there's the experience of being at Oklahoma State and coaching Cade Cunningham — being able to coach the No. 1 pick in the draft is pretty special. A lot of people can do this for 30 years and never get the chance. It's not like I did anything special, but you get to be around somebody that's that talented — that was a really great experience.
Frierson: Did you learn something from that experience of coaching someone talented enough to be the No. 1 pick?
Pastrana: I think with Cade, the one thing I took away the most was, obviously the talent aspect of evaluation is great, but I think when you're trying to get, especially like with where we're at at Georgia, where you're going to get good players, but the separation with me with Cade all came between his ears and how he thought and processed things, how he operated on a daily basis.
That is the separator for guys when there are maybe 20 guys that are as talented in some way as Cade, but he separated himself, and a big part of that was his mindset.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Pastrana: I like to mix it up as much as I can, but I love pizza. I love pizza. The problem with pizza is I'd eat it three or four days in a row — I won't, but if I did do it then I would get tired of it. But pizza is heavily in the rotation. Pizza is probably the go-to, easy thing.
Something I could never get tired of, and it's probably the better answer, is steak, like a really good steak. Anywhere I'm at, if I can get a good filet — I probably eat too many of those, too.
Frierson: Last one, if you could be great at anything in the world for one day, just to see what it's like, what would it be?
Pastrana: For one day? I'd probably want to be the best basketball player in the world. I've been lucky enough to work and coach and be around really good players, and everyone loves the LeBron (James) and Michael Jordan debate. It'd be pretty cool to walk on the floor and just do everything.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.