Josh Pastner

In this edition of Pastner's Notebook, men's basketball assistant coach Josh Pastner talks about the squad's three new freshmen and the high-profile additions to the coaching staff.

Wildcat: With a much-heralded recruiting class coming in this year, let's break down each one individually, starting with guard J.P. Prince.

Pastner: Well, J.P. is a good player. He's obviously got good size on him. He's 6-foot-6, he can play the point. He's a tremendous passer. He sees the floor at a terrific rate of speed. When you talk about instinctively knowing that the pass needs to be made at the right time and delivered to the shooting pocket, he's as good as anyone at doing that. Especially with his height, he will oversee the defense.

He's a good defender, especially (as an) off-the-ball defender. He really knows how to get in the passing lanes, and because he's long, he can steal a lot of passes and get a lot of deflections. Obviously, he has to really keep working on the ability to stay after the guy defensively full-court. I think that the transition for any high school senior to (be) a college freshman, the biggest adjustment they'll have is on the defensive end.

"The players like Miles a lot. He has a sharp basketball IQ and he knows the game." -Josh Pastner, men's basketball assistant coach

Wildcat: Moving on to forward Marcus Williams. What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Pastner: Marcus can really score, he just really knows how to score. He puts the ball in the basket, and he has great size (6-foot-8, 205 pounds) on him as well. He just knows how to play. He has a good basketball IQ.

Two things he has to really focus on is (on) the defensive end and on the glass. With his athleticism and size, he can become a great rebounder, and that's something that he wants to do and needs to do.

Wildcat: And last, but not least, of this class is Fendi Onobun.

Pastner: Fendi has a chance to be really good - he's a tremendous athlete (6-foot-7, 225 pounds). He's a tremendous athlete with a great work ethic, but what he needs to do is become better skilled in all areas. Whether it's shooting to passing to dribbling to defense, he needs to have a better skill level to go along with his athleticism.

Wildcat: Former Wildcat and 1997 Final Four MVP Miles Simon was hired to be the third assistant coach. How has he been doing thus far, and what are his responsibilities going to be?

Pastner: Miles has been doing great. He's obviously a big-time name to have in the program. To hire him and Reggie Geary, two former players who starred on teams that went to the Final Four, to have two guys who played at the highest level - both went to the NBA - is tremendous. Miles will be involved in coaching the guards and be involved in recruiting. We're fortunate not only to have Miles, but Reggie as well.

Wildcat: Even before the hiring, Simon was a big part of the program, working out and helping the current players. How have the players taken to him?

Pastner: The players like Miles a lot. He communicates well with them. He has a sharp basketball IQ and he knows the game. He's going to be a great coach. He already is a great coach because he has tremendous knowledge of the game. He sees things that the normal eye doesn't catch. The things that he knows and the things he'll be able to teach the guys, plus his communication skills, are only going to make us that much better.

Wildcat: Before Simon was hired, Geary was reportedly hired as the third assistant coach. Then Geary was moved to be the recruiting and basketball operations coordinator. Was it unfortunate that four assistants are not allowed? How is he doing in his new role?

Pastner: It's just an NCAA rule, but Reggie is really, really good. He's sharp, detailed and organized. He deals with talking to high school coaches, summer league coaches and recruits. He's extremely good in the recruiting end. So, yes, maybe he can't be on the floor coaching, but he just brings so much experience, detail and organization to our staff. Miles is a great hire, but Reggie is equally as important.

Wildcat: How important is it to have former star players in the program come back and take roles on the coaching staff or other areas of the program?

Pastner: It says everything about the program. When your former players come back and want to give back, in whatever that avenue is, that speaks the highest level of volumes about that what the program did for that individual.