Peterson hears it all, understands his role

He tries to shelter himself in family, faith, friends and hard work. But he still hears the talk.

More than anyone else, Peterson understands the honeymoon phase of his tenure as Tennessee men's basketball coach is marching into four-year itch territory.

In his fourth season at UT, the Vols are sitting at 11-13, 4-7 in the SEC, and striving for .500 instead of a possible NCAA Tournament berth.

Job security has become an issue, but it's not one Peterson is worrying about as UT prepares for a Saturday trip to Mississippi.

"I'm one of those guys who lives day-to-day," he said. "You know how my faith is. I trust the Lord that everything will take care of itself.

"I try to come to work every day ready to expect the unexpected. You never know what you're going to get when you're dealing with 18- and 20-year-olds.

"This year has not gone like I wanted. But there's still time to make something good out of it."

The Vols have five regular-season games remaining. Three are on the road (Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky) and two at home (South Carolina, Georgia).

In that span, and then at the SEC Tournament in Atlanta, UT athletic director Mike Hamilton will be looking for positives.

"I think we're all frustrated with where we are right now," Hamilton told the News Sentinel. "I still see some good things out there.

"If you go to practice, fundamentally, I think we're teaching kids. There's a lot going on in practice. Bottom line is this season is not over with yet. We've got to keep pressing forward."

Peterson couldn't have said it better himself.

"Mike and I have had good talks," he said. "We'll try to finish this year out the best we can and you never know what can happen. We'll work hard every single day.

"Really, what I'm trying to do is make sure these guys are giving me 100-percent effort every single time out."

Effort first. Peterson hopes results will follow.

Then he'll see if there's a vote of confidence from the UT administration.

Hamilton said his decision won't be based on the difference of one or two victories.

"You get back to evaluating the whole package, the attitude of the players, the aura around the program," he said. "We're going to provide our basketball program with every opportunity to succeed within the bounds of fiscal responsibility and NCAA guidelines."

So, how does Peterson handle the outside influx of negativity?

"Live on an island," he said. "It's human nature. You hear things, but I'm so busy every day.

"When I get in my car, I'm on my cell phone. I get in the office and I'm busy with that then go to practice then go home to be with family. You're going full steam.

"Shoot, it disappoints me we don't win. I get angry and I get upset about that also, but I know it's my job to get those guys back to work the next day ready to win a game."

UT senior Brandon Crump made it clear where he stands.

"I think he's an excellent coach," Crump said on Monday. "It's our job to perform.

"He concentrates on the task at hand, works hard and I really admire how he does that. He's such a strong human being, he doesn't let that talk bother him."

Recruiting: With the team taking a day off, Peterson is spending some time today and Wednesday on the road recruiting.

One player who could get a look is Willie Kemp of Bolivar Central.

The 6-foot-2 junior point guard lists Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi and Mississippi State among schools having already offered scholarships for 2006.

Mike Strange contributed to this story.