Erik Pastrana - Assistant Coach - Cowboy Basketball Coaches

Erik Pastrana

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
erik.pastrana@okstate.edu
Phone:
(405) 744-5845

Oklahoma State recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Erik Pastrana has over a dozen seasons of collegiate coaching under his belt, and he was instrumental in helping the Cowboys bring in a national top-5 class for the 2020-21 season.

Entering his second year at OSU, Pastrana helped the Cowboys sign the No. 4 ranked class in the country according to Rivals, which included the top player in the United States, Naismith award winner Cade Cunningham, and the top player in Canada in four-star forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe.

Pastrana’s career includes a magical run alongside Boynton at Stephen F. Austin during that program’s 89-14 stretch that included a pair of NCAA Tournament upsets, as well as time on the coaching staffs at Florida Atlantic, FIU, Daytona State and K-State.

“I am beyond excited to have such a quality person and coach like Erik on our staff,” Mike Boynton said. “Erik and I worked together for three years and helped to take a strong program to new heights. I would put his ability to evaluate talent and connect with young people at the very highest levels of our profession. He has a relentless work ethic and has experienced a great deal of success throughout his time in college basketball. Erik knows our region really well, but also has the ability to help us continue to expand our reach as a program.”

In his first year at OSU, Pastrana helped the Cowboys surge when it counts - in February and March - and the team ended the pandemic-shortened season having won eight of their last 11 games.

Both Cameron McGriff and Isaac Likekele earned All-Big 12 honors in 2020, and OSU earned the coveted NABC Team Academic Excellence award for brining home the second-best GPA in program history.

A native of Miami, Florida, Pastrana spent the 2018-19 season at Florida Atlantic, where he helped the Owls pick up road wins at Illinois and UCF, post their first winning record since 2010-11 and earn a trip to the CIT.

Prior to his time in Boca Raton, Pastrana spent the 2017-18 season as the head coach at Daytona State College, where he led the Falcons to a 19-12 record and had four players named to the Mid-Florida All-Conference Team. He spent the 2016-17 season back in his hometown as an assistant coach at Florida International University.

In his three seasons at SFA, Pastrana and the Lumberjacks won three consecutive Southland Conference Championships, had three straight Southland Players of the Year and earned NCAA Tournament victories over VCU in 2014 and West Virginia in 2016. The 89 wins that staff accrued tied for the most by any coaching staff in its first three campaigns in NCAA history.

“I’m extremely excited to be a part of Mike Boynton’s staff at Oklahoma State,” Pastrana said. “OSU is a tradition-rich program that I came to admire during my time at K-State. Just as importantly, I’ll be joining a head coach that I have the utmost respect for. Mike and I built a special relationship during our run at SFA, and I look forward to continuing the progress this great program has made in his tenure.”

Pastrana began his career as a graduate assistant under Frank Martin at Kansas State from 2007-09. In his first season with K-State, the Wildcats finished third in the Big 12 with a 21-12 record, notched their first NCAA Tournament win since 1988 and saw freshman Michael Beasley selected No. 2 in the NBA draft. Kansas State posted another 20-win season during Pastrana’s second year, earning an at-large bid to the NIT.

Following his experience with the Wildcats, Pastrana worked as an assistant coach at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kansas, and Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida. At NWFSC, Pastrana helped lead the Raiders to a 30-4 record and an appearance in the NJCAA National Championship with a team that featured 10 future Division I signees including the 2013 NJCAA Player of the Year Chris Jones and NJCAA All-American Elgin Cook.

On top of his collegiate experience, Pastrana has also coached two highly respected AAU programs, the Florida Rams and KC Run GMC.

Pastrana holds a master’s degree in counseling and student development from Kansas State and earned his bachelors in history from Florida State in 2007.