Sports

Buzz Peterson: bringing a winning tradition to Appalachian
Chris Kinner
News Editor

Peterson and Jordan after a game as teammates on the U.S. National Team (Photo provided by Buzz Peterson)

For the past two seasons, Appalachian State University’s men’s basketball team has headed in one direction: south. This season, ASU looks to change its direction under the leadership of new Head Coach Robert "Buzz" Peterson.

Peterson, born in Asheville in 1963, is in his first season as a head coach. He has served as an assistant coach under Eddie Fogler and Les Robinson as well as former ASU Head Coach Tom Apke.

Peterson played at the University of North Carolina under Dean Smith from 1982-1985. Peterson was part of the team that won the national championship in 1982 that featured, among others, Peterson’s roomate Michael Jordan. Jordan called Buzz’s hiring "a wise decision," and said he thought Peterson would do "an outstanding job." Smith said that he was "happy for Buzz and Appalachian" after hearing of Peterson’s hiring last April.

After Carolina, Peterson was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1986. After playing in the NBA for a short time, the CBA and Belgium, Peterson got his first job in coaching here at Appalachian in 1987.

Peterson hopes to bring a winning tradition to Appalachian through four basic principles: discipline, conditioning, fundamental soundness and team unity. Discipline is something that Peterson learned while playing for Smith, and it is something that past ASU teams have lacked. Peterson is instilling discipline in this year’s team in a number of ways.

"I’m not going to tolerate any finger-pointing or anything like that," Peterson said. "I’d say we’ve already had five guys kicked out of practice for swearing."

Members of the team are required to participate in ten hours of study hall each week. Peterson initiated a "no class, no practice, no play" class attendance policy. He believes in his players being students before athletes.

"We’re going to go hard all the time (on the basketball court), and I try to get that to carry over into the classroom," Peterson said.

Players are also required to turn in time management sheets which let the coaches know what they will be doing and where they will be between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. each day, including class activities such as tests.

"If we have three or four kids with exams one day, then I’ll cut practice shorter," Peterson said. "Mainly, I want (the players) to be responsible and use their time wisely."

Peterson also said that he intends to put his team through a "manners mill" in which the players will learn how to speak to the media, among other things.

"This program is going to be well-respected," Peterson said. "We represent Appalachian State University, and we’re going to do it with class," said Peterson.

The new coach is also working on the physical and mental conditioning of his team, areas which Peterson believes are related.

"You say, I can’t believe I ran that much, and then you’re overwhelmed at the confidence (it builds)," Peterson said. "If you get (physically) tired, you quit thinking, you quit executing," he added.

Execution will be important for a team that will face tough teams on the road in the month of December. ASU plays the University of Georgia, Marquette University, Montana State University, and the University of New Mexico, four teams that made the NCAA tournament last season—consecutively in December.

"I inherited the schedule (from Apke)," Peterson said. "But it’s going to become part of the mental (aspect) if we lose. These guys have lost 20 games the last two years."

"We’ve got to keep believing that we’re a pretty good team, that we’re good ball players," Peterson said.

Peterson said that a great deal of practice time has been devoted to the "fundamentals." The team has worked on defense and "simple things (like) two-hand chest passes and making lay-ups," said Peterson.

Peterson, who got the nickname "Buzz" from a cartoon in the 70s via his older sister, also advocates team unity.

"I think it’s important that the team does things together off the court," Peterson said. "As a team, we go to church together twice a month. We’ve also done the ropes course at the Alpine Tower."

"You’ve got to have each other," Peterson added. "One single man can’t win every game for us."

Peterson, however is not concerned with winning every game his team plays. He is concerned with improving as a team and building for the future of ASU basketball. "I always tell them, let’s be better today than we were yesterday," Peterson said. "Let’s just keep working hard."

"I love coaching and helping young men out, making sure they get their college degree, making sure they’re going in the right direction," Peterson said.

With Peterson’s brand of leadership, ASU basketball should be headed "in the right direction."

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Appalachian facing tough opposition from SC in '97
Justin Griffin
Reporter

Kareem Livingston, ASU's scoring leader last year, in action (file photo)

This year’s Southern Conference should prove to be an exciting league with several teams vying for the regular season and tournament titles. This is the last year that the conference will have a two five-team division format as the league will add two squads, Wofford and College of Charleston within the next two years, while losing one important member in Marshall. Listed below is a quick rundown of each team in the conference in the order in which the coaches picked them to finish this season.

Marshall University looks to finish out its last year in the Southern Conference with a bang. Returning starters include three point marksman Keith Veney, who shot 45.5 percent from behind the big arc last season, and 6’8" junior center John Brown. Brown will be looked upon do most of the inside work while Veney keeps defenses honest with his work from outside the arch. A notable addition to the team will be 6’10" junior college transfer, Vince Carafelli. With the incredible talent and depth at coach Gregg Whites’ disposal, a title, be it the tournament or the regular season seems a strong possibility.

Davidson, after its perfect 14-0 season in conference play last year, will look to knock Marshall out of the number one spot. Only one starter from last year’s team will return. Ray Mineland, who was previously looked at as an integral part of this year’s team has transferred to St. Francis in Pennsylvania. Another important player that will not be around this year is Ben Ebong. Sophomore Ali Ton (6’0") will be given the nod to lead the Wildcats at point guard. Narcisse Ewodo, 6’8", will be the main man in the middle for the Wildcats. Despite all of these detractors, Davidson will still be a force in the conference.

VMI, after its best season in 17 years at 18-10, looks to pick up right where they left off. Leading scorer Brent Connelly returns along with a couple of highly touted recruits including 6’10" center Chris Dinunzio. In the middle, forward Mike Spinnelli (6’8") is going to take over. Whoever is playing for the Keydets will try to outrun opponents early and often. Coach Bart Bellairs had this to say about the seemingly one-dimensional qualities of his team: "People are sadly mistaken if they think they’re going to stop Connelly and stop VMI this year. Connelly’s best attribute is his passing."

Appalachian is going into this season as an underdog and quite understandably so. Having two 20-loss seasons doesn’t really do anything for the rankings of any team. Leading the team will be senior point guard Junior Brasswell, and junior forward Kareem Livingston. Livingston has developed into one of the league’s finest players. While cashing in a triple double performance in the Southern Conference Tournament, Brasswell demonstrated he has all the potential of any other player in the league.

East Tennesee State will look to rebuild this season. New Head Coach Ed DeChellis, a former Penn State assistant, will be at the helm this year. DeChellis’ job, basically is to build the program from scratch. New players include Courtney Simpkins (6’8") and Gareth Davis (6’10"). If neither of these players are able to perform in the post, the center position could fall to the 6’6" Mike Biggs. As for motivation, DeChellis has it figured out, "If you can’t get fired up when you’re picked last in the league then there is definitely something wrong."

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga’s team starts and ends with senior forward Johnny Taylor. Taylor could very well be the best player in the Southern Conference this year. Filling in the other spots will be John Oliver and Chris Mims. UTC will perhaps have the best team in the conference. Oliver and Taylor have both been named to about everyone’s pre-season all conference teams.

Western Carolina’s trademark will be defense this year. While there will be no one scoring in the mid 20s like last year, Coach Phil Hopkins’ remarked, "I think we can be a better team than we were last year." The floor general for the Catamounts will be Joel Flemming. One of the league’s best newcomers will be the lightning quick Mario Claytor.

Furman hasn’t exactly climbed out of the cellar of the conference yet, but they are on the way. All five starter’s from last year return along with a strong recruiting class. The star player on this team will be junior forward/center Chuck Vincent who averaged 15 points a game. Defense will be a main concern this year. Last year Furman allowed opponents to shoot 47.5 percent from the floor. Coach Joe Cantafio expects things to be better this year, "We’re young and have a year under our belts."

What is there to say about The Citadel? They have four starters returning. Point guard Jamie Jenkins will be back from his knee injury that had him sidelined nearly all season last year. In effect, The Citadel will have five starters back. If everything works out, Coach Pat Dennis could have the surprise of the year up his sleeve.

The basement of the South division will be occupied by Georgia Southern. Coach Gregg Polinski looks for the Eagles to win more than three games, their mark for last season. When asked who was going to be his toughest challenge in the conference this year, Pollinski replied "For us, everybody."

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Apps feature same cast, but new attitude
Justin Griffin
Reporter

In a conference where virtually every starter has returned for all the teams, Appalachian State looks to be in the middle of the conference races.

Head Coach Buzz Peterson has decided that his team is going to be one of the best conditioned in the conference. When asked about the overall conditioning of his team, Peterson, the newly acquired coach stated that his basketball team runs so much that they may as well be "track stars." To anyone who has even heard of the team’s 5:45 a.m. practices, it is apparent the trademark of this year’s team is going be hard work. Coach Peterson has stressed this and the fundamentals as a way of overcoming the woes in the past of the men’s basketball team.

Leading the team will be 6’1" point guard Junior Brasswell (12.7 points per game, 4.9 assists per game) a Greensboro native, and junior Kareem Livingston a 6’7" forward from Marietta, Ga., who led the Apps in scoring last year with 15.1 points per game along with 5.2 rebounds per game. Both have exhibited all conference qualities and will be looked upon to contribute heavily.

Also returning is 6’5" guard Tige Darner who averaged 12.1 points per game and shot 45 percent from three point land, and 6’8" center Clint Crosston who shot 53 percent from the floor. One of the biggest concerns with the team this year is going to be depth. Peterson had this to say about the overall depth of his team and where he hopes things will go: "We need to be about eight or nine [players] deep at least. I feel pretty good about the first six or seven [players]." Other players that are projected to contribute are: big center Jeremy Blocker and 6’6" freshman guard Kent Phillips.

As for how the Apps are going to look this year, many have speculated about an imitation of the North Carolina Tarheels. Whether or not this is just speculation has yet to be seen. Peterson has seen a variety of coaching styles in all of his stops that have included, Appalachian (1987-1989), East Tennessee State (1989-1990), North Carolina State (1990-1993), and, most recently, Vanderbilt. All of this compounded with the experience that Peterson gained as a player for the Tarheels, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his days playing in Belgium, should influence how he runs his first team.

This year’s team on the whole, seems to be the same squad as last year’s, personnel-wise. Only one starter and one reserve from last year’s team have left. Of all the new coaches in the conference, many believe Peterson has inherited the best situation. Coach Ed Dechellis of East Tennessee State commented: "Out of all the new guys coming in, Buzz has the best situation. Four out of five starters from last year return."

Of interest on the schedule is a trip to Albuquerque, N.M. for the Lobo Invitational two days after Christmas. The Apps will also make a swing through the midwest, playing Marquette on Dec. 19 and Montana State two days later. Appalachian State will also look forward to traveling south to play the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. The Apps’ next exhibition game will take place Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in Varsity Gym as the Mountaineers tangle with the Yugoslavia Select team.

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