New Kentucky coach Will Stein brings Pat Biondo with him from Oregon to be GM

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — New Kentucky coach Will Stein is bringing Pat Biondo from Oregon with him as the Wildcats' new general manager, among his staff changes announced Tuesday.

Stein also hired Pete Nochta as assistant general manager and is keeping Josh Pruitt as director of operations.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Pat as our new general manager,” Stein said. “He has a relentless work ethic and a clear vision for what it takes to build a team and a successful program. His ability to connect with people and bring out the best in those around him makes him a perfect fit.”

Biondo has spent four years as the director of football recruiting strategy at Oregon, where the fifth-seeded Ducks are hosting James Madison on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff. He was senior assistant of recruiting and operations at Texas A&M for three seasons before going to Oregon.

He started at his alma mater, West Virginia, in 2010 and spent nine years on the women's basketball team as video coordinator, special assistant to the head coach and director of operations.

Nochta spent 10 seasons at Louisville and was the Cardinals' director of recruiting the past four years. He was a quality control coach and then graduate assistant at Purdue in 2011 and 2012 before going to Western Kentucky in 2013 as a graduate assistant.

Pruitt is going into his 14th season at Kentucky and sixth as director of operations.

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