LAS VEGAS — UNLV changed strength and conditioning coaches this offseason, bringing in Chris Zodda to work with the men’s basketball program. Josh Pastner praised his new coach Friday as injuries left the Runnin’ Rebels short-handed for Saturday’s exhibition against BYU.
Zodda, listed as UNLV’s head strength and conditioning coach, previously served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Jacksonville State. He succeeds Jon Wall, who held the UNLV position during the 2025-26 season.
“Chris Zodda, our strength and conditioning coach, has done a really good job,” Pastner said.
Pastner was asked whether UNLV had changed its offseason approach amid its injury problems. He said he limited contact while keeping conditioning at a high level after Tyler Harris tore his MCL during June workouts.
“That was my second day of contact. We did no more contact the rest of the summer,” Pastner said.
The Rebels continued running and conditioning, but did little contact work until official team practices began September 21. Pastner said he wanted players in shape without exposing them to additional physical contact throughout the summer.
“We’ve done a lot of conditioning because everyone here knows how much I believe in conditioning,” he said.
That approach did not eliminate injuries. Issac Williamson strained his hamstring during a fast-paced drill Pastner called the “Laker rush” and later developed a foot problem. Terrance Ford Jr. suffered a concussion when he and Kota Suttle collided while diving for a loose ball in practice. MJ Thomas is dealing with a thumb issue, and Tyrin Jones is continuing his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.
Pastner said basketball’s physical demands make injuries impossible to eliminate entirely, regardless of how carefully a staff structures practice.
“Basketball is just a contact sport,” he said. “Things are going to happen.”
The absences leave UNLV with eight confirmed available players against BYU, including seven scholarship players and walk-on Jalen Cunningham. Thomas is a game-time decision. That limited rotation puts greater importance on the conditioning work completed during the offseason, particularly with Pastner emphasizing rebounding, ball pressure and repeated defensive efforts.
Pastner did not outline specific changes to UNLV’s weight-room program or recovery procedures. Instead, he described the practice decisions he made to reduce contact and credited Zodda for his work overseeing the team’s conditioning.
Pastner expects Jones to be ready for the November 3 regular-season opener against Northern Arizona, but said Harris and Williamson could miss the opening week. He hopes Ford can complete concussion protocol in time for Thursday’s Missouri exhibition, though he acknowledged that clearance is not guaranteed.
UNLV has another exhibition after BYU before the games begin to count. For Zodda and the rest of the staff, keeping the available players prepared while injured teammates work toward returning remains an immediate concern.
“And we’re getting there. It will happen,” Pastner said.
See something that needs correcting? Report a correction.