When he began his search for a new assistant coach, Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner already knew Anthony Wilkins, the Tulane assistant who he hired last week.
Pastner said he interviewed him two years ago when he was hiring his original staff.
“I think Anthony is going to do a great job,” Pastner told the AJC.
Pastner noted two facets of the job that are important to him with assistants – developing players and evaluating talent.
“Those two things are critical, and I believe he’ll do a great job in both those areas,” Pastner said. “I think in time, I think he’s a future head coach.”
Hiring assistants who go on to become head coaches is a source of pride for Pastner. Former assistant Tavaras Hardy became the seventh former Pastner assistant to become a head coach at the college or professional level.
What makes new Tech assistant Anthony Wilkins 'really, really good'
Pastner said that Wilkins will work with the wing players and guards. He also will oversee Tech’s offense, which was Hardy’s role. Julian Swartz, who has been serving as an interim assistant since November and will be named a full-time assistant after a standard background check, is expected to also work with wings and guards and oversee the defense.
While Tech ran a scheme that relied heavily on tenets of the Princeton offense, a specialty of Hardy’s, Pastner said he is not married to it and has a sense of what he wants to do.
“He’s been around some really good offensive guys, so I want to pick his brain and see what we can do and make the adjustments we can make so we can grow as a program,” Pastner said of Wilkins.
While Wilkins has ties in recruiting to Atlanta – he helped found the Stackhouse Elite AAU team in 2011 – Pastner declined to call him the staff’s lead recruiter for Atlanta or Georgia. Previously, former assistant Darryl LaBarrie had taken the point in identifying and recruiting in-state prospects.
“He’s going to have to do a good job in Atlanta, as we all do,” Pastner said of Wilkins.
About the Author
