An Outside View: Buzz got his answer

news@theheraldnewspapers.com Like virtually every other Division 1 basketball coach in America, Buzz Peterson was in Indianapolis for his sports’ biggest spectacle – The Final Four. The former Tennessee head man’s self esteem had been patched up after leading Coastal Carolina to its best season in more than a decade and coming within 10 seconds of making it to the Dance. Still, as he sat there among the cheering throng, he was probably still asking himself that haunting question, “What went wrong at Tennessee”? Ironically, the answer was right in front of him. They were wearing Number 2 and Number 12 in the blue Florida Gator uniforms. Their names were Corey Brewer and Lee Humphrey. They both just happen to hail from the Volunteer State. If they were wearing orange instead, things might have turned out differently. Bruce Pearl might just be some crazy guy coaching in the Midwest. Buzz may be remembered as more than just a nice guy. Peterson seemed to be snake bit at UT. He was the poster boy for Murphy’s Law. What can wrong will go wrong? It started before he even coached his first game. Two of his star players, Terence Woods and Harris Walker were expelled from school for some off-court misbehavior. In his second year, he had the Vols poised for his first NCAA Tournament bid when Jon Higgins was declared academically ineligible before the SEC Tournament. A quick exit in the SEC Tournament and the Vols had their bubble popped when no at-large invitation was extended. The next year he had to send his big man, Elgrace Wellborn, packing after the rebounding and shot blocking expert broke teammate Brandon Crump’s jaw in a fight. The list goes on. What could wrong did go wrong for the affable coach. Lady Luck didn’t smile on Peterson while in Knoxville but the real reason he failed to fulfill his promise with the Vols was he didn’t attract enough talent. Brewer and Humphrey may not have been enough to save Buzz’s job but they are symbolic of the bigger problem – RECRUITING. Humphrey grew up in Maryville and makes no secret of the fact he dreamed of being a Vol. Peterson said no and opted to sign Dane Bradshaw instead. Although new coach Bruce Pearl called Bradshaw the heart and soul of this year’s team, Humphrey brings so much more to the game. He can shoot, and scoring baskets is what it is all about. Peterson must have thought “what if” as he watched the former Rebel star put the Gators on his back in the second half of the semi-finals against upstart George Mason University. “What if I hadn’t messed up on evaluating him in high school? What if I had him on Rocky Top?” Brewer was another story. The 6’8” native of Portland, Tennessee, was clearly on Peterson’s list of potential recruits. But the athletic wing player snubbed his home state school to take his skills to the Sunshine State. The loss of Brewer was a devastating blow to UT. Keeping homegrown talent in Tennessee was one of Peterson’s priorities but he couldn’t get it done. He lost other top prospects to Vanderbilt and the University of Memphis. He wasn’t able to replace them with comparable players from out of state. In the end, he couldn’t prove that he could out-coach his SEC brethren with lesser talent. The result is he is now at Coastal Carolina and Bruce Pearl will take his turn at keeping the Lee Humphrey’s and Corey Brewer’s of the world at home. Number 2 and Number 12 celebrated on the court after the Gators had won the school’s first ever national title. It must have been a painful reminder for Peterson. What went wrong at Tennessee? Buzz, the answer was right in front of you.