Asheville’s Buzz Peterson interested in another basketball job

Jason Sandford March 30, 2008

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

The NCAA Final Four is six days away and just like every year at this time, the college basketball coaching carousel has begun in earnest. Vacancies are being filled across the country, and things are heating up in the University of Toledo men’s basketball coaching search.
Former Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson has emerged as a candidate to replace Stan Joplin. Peterson, who has 11 years of head coaching experience, is currently the director of player personnel for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
This comes about after Peterson reportedly interviewed for the Texas Christian opening last week, a job that went to Kent State’s Jim Christian.
With two Mid-American Conference jobs – Toledo and Kent – UT might want to move fast to secure the best possible candidate at its level.
In addition to Peterson’s four years at Tennessee from 2001-05, he has also had head coaching jobs at Appalachian State, Tulsa and Coastal Carolina. In his first season at Coastal Carolina in 2005-06 after being fired from Tennessee, Peterson led the Chanticleers to their first winning season in 12 years.
Peterson resigned from Coastal Carolina last June to take the job with the Bobcats under his former college roommate at North Carolina, Michael Jordan.
A native of Asheville, N.C., Peterson told the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News earlier this month that he would be willing to talk to Division I programs this spring about head coaching jobs.