Buzz Peterson

returning as coach at ASU

By Steve Behr
 
Sometimes, a coach can have two tours of duty at one school.

Appalachian State has hired Buzz Peterson to be its new head men’s basketball coach. An official announcement will be made Wednesday morning. No contract terms have been released.

It is the second tour at Appalachian State for Peterson, who coached the Mountaineers from 1996-2000, guiding them to a 79-39 record. Appalachian State won three North Division championships in his four seasons in Boone and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2000 after beating College of Charleston in the finals of the Southern Conference Tournament.

Appalachian State lost to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAAs. Peterson holds an 8-3 record in SoCon Tournament games.

Peterson, a North Carolina graduate, left Appalachian State for Tulsa, where he led the Golden Hurricanes to an NIT championship. One year later, he was hired to be the head coach at Tennessee, where he lasted four years before being fired from that position after going 61-59.

Peterson coached two seasons at Coastal Carolina before being hired by the Charlotte Bobcats to be the team’s director of player personnel.

Peterson replaces Houston Fancher, who was dismissed following the end of a 2008-09 season that saw the Mountaineers finish 13-18. Fancher was an assistant to Peterson for four years before taking over the program in 2000 when Peterson went to Tulsa.

Other candidates emerged when Peterson first turned down the position back on April 9. Citadel coach Ed Conroy was one, but told the Charleston (S.C) Post and Courier that he was staying put. Current Missouri assistant and former Charlotte and Texas A&M head coach Melvin Watkins and Wake Forest assistant Pat Kelsey were also candidates. Kelsey took a job as an assistant coach at Xavier Monday.

Peterson takes over a team that returns five starters and loses just one senior, guard Eduardo Bermudez.

Leading scorer Kellen Brand (14.8 points per game) and Donald Sims (13.7 per game) were the most productive players offensively for the Mountaineers last year.

Appalachian State finished fourth in the SoCon’s North Division and beat Georgia Southern in the first round of the SoCon Tournament.