Nate Mast, who worked as a graduate assistant for Kansas University’s basketball team the past three seasons, has been hired as assistant coach at University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
Mast, 28, replaces former Lions assistant coach Jared Porter. Porter was hired this past spring as a junior high basketball coach at Springdale (Ark.) George Junior High.
Mast played guard for Self and Lon Kruger at the University of Illinois.
“He was a part of two quality programs as a player and a student assistant,” UAFS coach Josh Newman said. “He’s been around coach Self, Billy Gillispie and Lon Kruger. He learned a lot from them.”
Mast, who was a walk-on at Illinois, was a four-year letterman (1998-2001) and holds the distinction of scoring the most points by a walk-on in Illini history (95).
