By Paul Gotham
****Let’s see who can do this without any research.****
It is hard to imagine that anyone could have one up on my college roommate, but I do. It might be even harder to imagine that with my resume. I didn’t even get drafted in the NBA. Instead I have spent my post-playing career on the sidelines. I have had jobs as a head coach in the Southern Conference, SEC, and the Big South. I even spent some time as a director of player personnel for an NBA team. Yeah, my college roommate got me that job. He just couldn’t forget me. I guess that happens when you room with a guy who is such an intense competitor. There are those that even give me some credit for his Player-of-the-Year recognition. I don’ buy it, but others suggest that his drive to out-do me was the catalyst to his greatness. Of course, I did enjoy some benefit from his competitiveness. During my four years in college, our team’s record was 115-22. He was there for three of those seasons. We won four conference championships. Beyond that, it was his shot that won our team a national title. I have lost track of how many MVPs he won in the NBA. Still, there is one claim to fame that I have, and he doesn’t: as a senior in high school, I was named the player and athlete of the year in the state of North Carolina. And he wasn’t.
Who am I?
Buzz Peterson?
Buzz Peterson it is.
Legend has it that the wily Dean Smith roomed Peterson and Michael Jordan together to motivate them. Of course, the mention of Coach Smith begs the following question. If the Hall of Fame coach had to fill out a resume, what would come first?
His two national titles or the the fact that he is the only person to hold Michael Jordan to less than 20 points a game?
Phil Ford?
Sorry. I did not look at other posts until after. Never heard of Buzz. That’s what makes a good WAI!