Transfers key UC Santa Barbara’s rise in Big West

Developing chemistry with a slew of transfers can be difficult enough under normal circumstances. Throw a pandemic into the mix that cancels games and practices, and the task is made even more difficult.

Yet UC Santa Barbara coach Joe Pasternack has made it work, leading the Gauchos to their first Big West Conference men’s basketball regular-season championship since 2010.

UC Santa Barbara now will play for the conference tournament title, having beaten fourth-seeded UC Davis 71-55 in the semifinals at Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay. The Gauchos play the winner of Friday’s late game between No. 2 UC Irvine and No. 3 UC Riverside in the championship at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Of the Gauchos’ four starters against UC Davis, four were major college transfers — forward Miles Norris (Oregon) and guards Brandon Cyrus (DePaul), JaQuori McLaughlin (Oregon State) and Devearl Ramsey (UNR). Only junior forward Amadou Sow, who led the team with 23 points against UC Davis, is a home-grown talent.

The Mali native is one of six international players on the roster.

“For us, it’s always about getting the best player available using every resource,” Pasternack said. “We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve hit it right on the character of the kid. It doesn’t work to just say, ‘Let’s go get some transfers.’ You have to get the right transfers.”

Pasternack has employed this roster-building strategy since being hired in 2017 out of Arizona, where he spent six seasons as an assistant coach. His name surfaced in 2016 as a candidate for UNLV’s opening, which eventually went to Marvin Menzies.

Since taking over UC Santa Barbara, Pasternack has gone 87-33, including 21-4 so far this season, the most victories in program history during any four-year stretch. Jerry Pimm won 80 games from 1986 to 1990.

Now Pasternack hopes to lead the Gauchos to their first conference tournament title in 10 years.

If they do it Saturday night, it will be with players with little offseason who came together as a team. The effort to unite began on Zoom calls last spring. Over the next several months, Pasternack introduced guest speakers such as sports psychologists and NBA players to speak with the players.

“We have a bunch of seniors,” Sow said. “This is their last year. Coach P always says you don’t want to have any regret with your college basketball career. I think they really embraced the challenge. Be locked in and ready to go every day from practices to the games. That’s why we are here today.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.