An Outside View

Is it Bye-Bye Buzz? The clock is ticking. It will soon strike midnight for the Tennessee Vols’ men’s basketball team. The season is mercifully coming to an end. In less than two weeks, we will know the answer to the hottest question in town. Is the Buzz Peterson era at the University of Tennessee almost over? Will athletic director Mike Hamilton pull the trigger and send the ever popular Peterson packing? Should he go or should he stay? Vol fans everywhere have an opinion. Pick up a Knoxville newspaper or tune into one of the local talk radio shows. There’s no short supply of experts who know exactly what Hamilton needs to do. Fire the bum! No, he deserves more time! He’s proven he can’t win at this level! Oh, it’s not just about winning and losing! And so it goes. On the surface, the decision seems like a no-brainer. A losing record, not a single trip to the NCAA Tournament, and thousands of empty seats at Thompson Boling Arena say it all. The guy has had four years to prove himself but hasn’t gotten the job done. He’s playing with his own recruits so he can’t blame the talent level. He’s got state-of-the-art facilities and support from the administration. But his program is stuck in the mud and going nowhere. This year’s record will be Peterson’s worse. There won’t even be a bid to the NIT. That’s not the direction you want your program headed when you’re on the proverbial hot seat. Critics say he can’t recruit and being able to attract top caliber players is the lifeblood of college basketball. Compare the talent wearing orange to other teams around the SEC and it’s hard to argue. You would be hard pressed to find a Vol player who could start on one of the upper echelon SEC teams. Sure, some coaches might like to have C.J. Watson on their team or perhaps Chris Lofton now that he has emerged as a premiere marksman from beyond the arc. But how much playing time would Dane Bradshaw get at Alabama? How far down on Kentucky’s bench do you think Major Wingate would be sitting? Unfortunately for Buzz, there doesn’t seem to be an influx of great talent arriving next season. Tyler Smith is a highly prized recruit out of Giles County in middle Tennessee but he doesn’t appear to be a “franchise” type player. Buzz beat out the mighty Belmont Bisons for another middle Tennessee recruit and a third signee may elect to go to prep school for another year. He had two other verbal commitments but couldn’t hold onto them as both eventually cast their lots with the Auburn Tigers. In short, Buzz doesn’t have the players to contend and there’s not much help on the way. Peterson’s detractors also argue that he hasn’t proven himself as a great tactician either. Some coaches can get by with lesser talent because they are so good with the X’s and O’s. Those coaches find a way to win. But Peterson’s teams seem to invent new ways every week to lose close games. If it is true that coaching wins close games, not much of a case can be made for Buzz. Dwindling attendance and fan interest must also be a concern for Hamilton. Football and basketball revenue support the other minor sports and if the turn styles aren’t clicking then it affects those other sports. In today’s world of college athletics it’s all about the mighty dollar. The Vols may have drawn over 10,000 fans twice this season and when Hamilton looks up at the empty seats he sees lost dollars. Still, it’s not as simple as all of that for Hamilton. First, there’s a trend developing at UT. Four years and you’re done. If Buzz is fired after only four seasons, he will become the third coach since Don DeVoe to suffer that same fate. Wade Houston lasted long enough for his son’s four year audition for the NBA and he was out the door. Jerry Green suffered the same fate. Kevin O’Neil lasted only three before he left over a dispute with the then athletic director Doug Dickey. Hamilton’s fear is that good young coaches may be apprehensive about jumping on the UT coaching carousel. Hamilton may also be somewhat intimidated by the expectations of the fans. Listen to talk radio and fans see no reason why UT can’t go out and hire a high profile coach with a proven record. They want a Rick Pitino or a Roy Williams. But UT will never pay a Phil Fulmer type salary to a basketball coach which means Hamilton would be looking to the mid-majors for a potential coach and those guys are always a gamble. That was the route UT went four years ago when Peterson was hired and the results speak for themselves. Hamilton also realizes that Peterson has gotten no breaks this season. Buzz’s problems started last summer when Jackie Butler, his first legitimate big-time recruit opted for the NBA draft. What a difference his presence in the post would have made. This season the Vols lost key players to injuries at critical times. Brandon Crump went down with an ankle injury just when it seemed the Men in Orange were putting things together. Scooter McFagdon has missed a few games along the way and has had to play banged up. The Vols had two wins literally stolen from them by outlandishly poor calls by the officials. With Butler roaming he paint, Crump and McFagdon healthy, and a friendly whistler here or there and the Vols would be talking seeding in the NCAA rather than the future of their coach. But his critics aren’t looking for excuses. And then there’s the nice guy factor. Buzz is a genuine nice guy. Everyone likes him. He’s a good family man and his Christian values make him a perfect fit in the heart of the Bible Belt. But you know what they say about nice guys finishing last. Well, in this case, next to last. In his second year as the AD, Hamilton has never had to fire a coach. He’s never conducted a search for a coach. He wants to be sure. He wants to give the guy every opportunity to succeed. Will that mean another season for Buzz? We’ll know the answer to that question very soon.