CONWAY, S.C. -- Buzz Peterson needed some alone time.

He closed the door to his small office at Coastal Carolina University and made it obvious he didn't want to be disturbed.

It was time for reflection.

Peterson had just watched his basketball team lose a tough, one-point overtime game to Radford, the Chanticleers' first home loss of the season.

Ten minutes later, the door opened and Peterson's familiar smile had returned.

On the television set on the far wall of his office, the former University of Tennessee coach had tuned in another game being played that night.

He looked up, watched and remembered. Tennessee was on its way to beating Florida at Thompson-Boling Arena.

"Chris Lofton's amazing," Peterson said, taking a quick glance up at the TV.

A year ago, it was Peterson sitting in a chair that is being occupied by first-year Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl.

Peterson didn't know it then -- Jan. 21, 2005 -- but his four-year stint with the Vols was only a few weeks from being terminated.

He's in a different world now.

Peterson's SEC days have been traded in for the Big South Conference and a rebuilding effort at Coastal Carolina, a school without a winning season since 1994.

The adjustment is ongoing, but Peterson makes it clear he's happy. He says he's anxious for the new challenge. His family is gradually adapting to the move.

But he can't help but say "what if?"

He can't help but wonder how things would have turned out if he had one more year in Knoxville.

Out Of Devastation

Peterson came to UT in 2001, a rising young star in the coaching fraternity.

Endorsed by coaching legends Dean Smith and Roy Williams, Peterson replaced Jerry Green. It was Green who led the Vols to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, but never endeared himself to the Tennessee public.

Four years later, Peterson finished his UT career with a 61-59 record and two NIT tournament appearances.

On March 13, Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton informed Peterson he was being fired -- with a $1.3 million buyout of his remaining four-year contract.

"It was kind of devastating at the time," Peterson said. "But you know what? It has made me such a better person.

"There's one thing I can rely on, and that's my faith. It's being tested (referring to Hebrews 11 in the Bible). That's all it is."

Peterson said he holds no lingering animosity, but he hasn't talked with Hamilton since last March.

"We all make plenty of mistakes," Peterson said. "I know I made plenty of them when I was there.

"I hold no grudges. It was March 13 when I lost my job, and I'll tell you what, it seems like last week. It really does."

The Vols struggled to a 14-17 record in Peterson's final season, a year anticipated to be his best.

High expectations were replaced by disappointment.

Crowds dwindled.

Excitement waned.

Still, Hamilton's mid-March visit hit Peterson like a body blow.

"At the time, as the year went on, and we weren't having a great year, I still felt like we were going to have another year," he said. "The last thing on my mind was I would lose my job."

Peterson's wife, Jan, had a different feeling.

She knew if Hamilton had wanted her husband back he would have come out with a public endorsement at some point in the season.

"It's still real painful," she said. "I'll never forget asking JoAnne Dickey (wife of former UT athletic director Doug Dickey) how long it takes to get over something like that -- because she had been through it with coach (Dickey) at Florida.

"She looked at me and said, 'I don't think you ever really get over it. You just learn how to deal with it.' "

The rising star had fallen. Now, the Petersons are dealing with it.

Moving On, Coaching On

Peterson basically secluded himself in his Knoxville home for a few days after the UT firing.

He looked for answers. He relied on friends for consoling reassurances.

"It was probably the first time in his life -- I'm just guessing -- that he was knocked flat on his back," Coastal Carolina women's coach Alan LeForce said. "I followed the story and talked to people up there, influential people, and I would have bet about anything he would get one more year."

Tennessee officials felt differently. Coastal Carolina officials saw an opportunity.

LeForce had known Peterson since Buzz's days as an assistant at East Tennessee State University. He contacted Jan, "because she's the boss," and let the Petersons know about the Coastal Carolina vacancy.

Peterson was still contemplating his future, including other offers from Western Carolina, Florida Atlantic University and a number of assistant coaching jobs.

"When I lost my job at Tennessee, I was thinking, what else am I on this Earth for?" Peterson said. "What else can I do? I kept thinking I could do other things, but of course I had to think about my family. What do they think we should do?"

He got an answer from his oldest daughter.

"I remember sitting out on the porch, probably a week and a half, two weeks after I lost my job, and Nicole came out and said, 'Dad, I've only known you as a coach and I want you to keep on coaching.' " Peterson said.

"I love it. I love being around the players, breaking down tape and doing all of that. That's what I really love the most."

Peterson and Coastal Carolina had their talks and the ex-North Carolina star got some more answers he was looking for.

Included was the promise of a new arena.

The Chanticleers play in a building that holds slightly more than 1,000 fans -- culture shock after years in the 24,000-seat UT arena.

"The first time Nicole came in here, she said, 'Dad, it's smaller than West Valley Middle School,' " Peterson said.

Another adjustment was the noise level.

Buzz and Jan, never bashful about standing up and telling game officials what they think of the last call, can easily be heard throughout the tiny gym.

It's tough on recruiting, but Coastal Carolina recently announced plans to build a new multipurpose 7,000-seat arena possibly opening in time for the 2007-08 season.

Peterson also has faced some eye-opening greetings at a few opposing venues this season.

"I hear things and see things," he said. "Like at Birmingham Southern, they all had on Tennessee hats. You can see that orange. You've just got to ignore it. I don't pay any attention to it. You've just got to stay strong.

"Basically, what they call you is 'Tennessee reject.' I hear it, but it goes in one ear and out the other. You can't let stuff like that bother you."

Peterson focuses on the task at hand. He coaches.

Days after losing to Radford, Peterson and the Chanticleers (10-9, 4-4 Big South) pulled off the biggest upset of the year in the Big South, beating conference favorite Winthrop on the road last week.

"The way I look at it I'm coaching for freedom," Peterson said. "I'm coaching to relax, to enjoy the relationships with these players, help them get their degrees. I'm coaching to enjoy the profession."

Watching Vols Win

Despite the pain of a lost job, Peterson stressed he enjoys watching the success the Vols are experiencing this season.

Under Pearl, UT is ranked No. 19 and off to its best start in years with a 14-3 record and leads the SEC East.

"I do watch them and I have a lot of interest in those young men," Peterson said of the Vols. "I want to see them do well. I really do.

"It doesn't bother me that (people say) hey, this guy is doing a much better job than Peterson did. It doesn't bother me.

"I want to see those kids do well, and I feel like they deserve a chance to get in the tournament and make something of themselves. I want to see them win."

Others in the family didn't understand Peterson's ability to forgive and forget the tough times at UT.

"Nicole, my 14-year-old, asked me, 'How can you watch that? How can you do that?' " Peterson said. "I can't sit here and get mad at them. It's not Bruce Pearl's fault.

"It was a great opportunity for Bruce Pearl. He had success in Milwaukee and he took advantage of the situation."

Peterson had to sit down with his oldest of three children and explain perceptions of the real world.

"I told her, you know what, Nicole, if these guys were losing, it would pretty much be my fault I couldn't recruit," he said. "Now they're winning, and this guy's a better coach than daddy. It's pretty much a no-win situation.

"Why be mad? Pull for them. Be happy for the guys and cheer them on."

Ed Conroy agrees completely.

One of Peterson's assistants at UT, Conroy and his family followed Buzz to Coastal Carolina.

"You hear all kinds of stuff about development of players and are these guys even good enough to be at this level," Conroy said of complaints he heard while at UT.

"Nothing has made me more happy this year than seeing guys like Dane Bradshaw do well, Chris Lofton going off the dribble a little more, C.J. Watson -- I don't think he as ever gotten the credit he deserves -- and Stanley Asumnu doing some athletic things.

"I'm thrilled to death. I love it. I'm happy for them."

Hear The Buzz In Carolina

All the Tennessee folks making their way to Myrtle Beach next summer might see a few "Buzz" billboards along Highway 501.

Peterson seems almost as popular around Conway as Pearl does around Knoxville these days.

The Chanticleers could be on the verge of their first winning season in more than a decade.

Tickets for Coastal Carolina's game against Radford sold out the day before the game, something sports information director John Martin couldn't remember happening since an ESPN2 televised game several years ago.

"What I like about coach Peterson is Buzz fit right in right away," athletic director Warren "Moose" Koegel said. "There's no ego attached.

"I think it's a great relationship that's in its infant stages. We've got a great thing going here."

Peterson's players see the strides made in a struggling program.

"The main thing I notice is he cares about his players," said Pele Paelay, last year's Big South Conference player of the year. "That's the first thing I see and that goes a long way.

"He always pays attention to detail. He doesn't want to take any shortcuts and he makes us work hard to be better."

Paelay's a senior, so he won't be around to see any potential long-term turnaround. Sophomore Jack Leasure and freshman Logan Johnson are on board for the next few years.

"Everybody has that positive attitude that things are going to be good for the future," said Leasure, the Big South freshman of the year last season. "It worked out great for all of us.

"It's just a good fit for me and everybody else on the team."

As for Johnson, his knowledge of Peterson goes back further than any of his other teammates. Johnson graduated South-Doyle High School last year and is taking a medical redshirt this season.

"He's experienced," Johnson said. "He knows what it's like. He's just trying to get us to work hard and get it in gear."

What About Those What Ifs

Peterson and his family were obviously rocked by the final curtain call at Tennessee.

He said Nicole had the hardest time with the move. Daughter Olivia, 9, and son Rob, 7, bounced back the quickest, just rolling with the flow.

The Petersons are living in a 4,000 square-foot house, but have bought five acres of land near the Coastal Carolina campus and plan to build on the site soon.

The transition is ongoing. So is the healing from the UT firing.

"In this profession, that's how it goes," Peterson said. "You never know. I just wish there was one more year with it."

Peterson said from the beginning of the end that he assumed he would be allowed to coach in Knoxville at least until his first recruiting class graduated -- through this season.

"I felt like if I couldn't have got it done with C.J. Watson, our first recruit, I would have felt like I had all my time and it just didn't pan out," he said. "I would have said I got my fair shake, I had my chance and they gave me every opportunity.

"You know what ... just didn't get it done. That happens and that's fine."

That didn't happen.

Peterson sees the success of this year's team and wonders if the addition of former Giles County star Tyler Smith and Mississippi State freshman Jamont Gordon may have helped him turn the corner.

Smith ended up opting out of his UT letter-of-intent and is attending prep school this year.

"I really felt like Tyler Smith could have turned our program around with what we had coming back," Peterson said. "Then you're going to get Jamont Gordon. That's just a matter of time.

"I think then we would have gotten some of those kids from Memphis. You always sit there and say, what if? What if you had that one more year?"

Peterson said he wouldn't change his approach to the job if he had it to do all over again.

Jan and Buzz each said their most-cherished memories of Tennessee are friendships made in Knoxville.

"The picture was bigger than basketball," Jan said. "Hopefully, there were other reasons we were there and we touched other people's lives in a positive way."

Peterson keeps in touch with Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt.

He called her the night of Summitt's 900th career victory to congratulate her, but said he couldn't afford to send her 900 roses.

"The most difficult thing, as far as family, has been the move away from friends," Peterson said. "If you asked all five of us, we'd tell you we miss this person or that person.

"After four years, you build some pretty good relationships."

Peterson's busy building new bonds and new friendships at his new school.

His schedule just isn't as busy.

"It's interesting because every once in a while I'll take my day planner and I'll flip it back to whatever day it is, say Jan. 20," Peterson said before reading off that day's schedule. "... Tape TV show, practice No. 85, Nicole had a basketball game at Carter High School, the women won at Auburn -- I keep everything.

"We had just beaten Florida in overtime down there and we were getting ready to go to Louisville. I don't have as much to do. It's a lot different because I can just coach my team."

As the days and weeks go by, Peterson seems to chip away a little more at the grief and hurt.

"I'm just thankful for the opportunity I was able to coach there," he said. "I gave it my best. It didn't work out. You've got to move on, hold no grudges and hold onto those friendships."

In the end, everyone seems happy -- Tennessee fans, Coastal Carolina fans. Life goes on.

The only thing remaining are the "what ifs."