February 25, 2016 — Dejected University of Memphis head coach Josh Pastner watches during the second half as the Tigers fall to Southern Methodist University 69-62 at the FedEx.orum. (Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

By Jason Smith of The Commercial Appeal

University of Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner is in discussions to become the head coach at Georgia Tech, a source told The Commercial Appeal and national media also reported late Thursday night.

Pastner didn't immediately respond to attempts to reach him. A call to his cell phone went straight to his voice mail.

But a former Pastner staff member told The Commercial Appeal that Pastner is in talks with Georgia Tech.

If Pastner leaves for Georgia Tech, Memphis would need to move extremely quickly in naming a new coach with at least five roster spots still left to fill for next season.

Memphis currently has two players signed for next season in Chicago Morgan Park High senior guard Charlie Moore, a four-star prospect, and Southwest Tennessee sophomore forward Jimario Rivers.

Reached late Thursday, Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin said Moore will reopen his recruitment if Pastner leaves Memphis. But he added that Moore would "be open to see who gets the job" at Memphis if Pastner does leave for Georgia Tech.

Asked if Pastner had told him that he might be leaving for Georgia Tech, Irvin said in a text, "Well, I talk to Josh every day and been knowing him for over 15 or 20 years and he never going to say what he is doing until it happens. lol"

Pastner is 167-73 in seven seasons at Memphis, having won three Conference USA tournament championships from 2011-13. He guided the Tigers to back-to-back C-USA regular-season titles before the program joined the American Athletic Conference in 2013.

But he's gone just 37-29 the last two seasons and missed the postseason (the NCAA tournament and NIT) in each of those years. Meanwhile, home attendance dropped to just over 6,000 in average turnstile count this season.

Pastner went 2-4 in four NCAA tournament appearances, but had gone just 5-26 against teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25.

Georgia Tech fired Brian Gregory last month after five seasons. He went 76-86, including just 27-61 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and led the Yellow Jackets to the postseason just once.

Pastner wouldn't be Georgia Tech's first choice, like he wasn't when he took the job at Memphis at 2009 as an assistant coach.

Duke assistant Jeff Capel removed his name from consideration this month. Now former Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew reportedly interviewed for the job at the Final Four, but chose to take the Vanderbilt job. Butler coach Chris Holtmann also reportedly turned it down, according to CBS Sports.