Green: Vols may not be committed

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A lack of commitment and a "football mentality" have prevented Tennessee from establishing a top-notch men's basketball program, former coach Jerry Green said.

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Green was forced out in 2001 after leading the Volunteers to the best four-year run in school history that included seasons of 20 wins or more and four straight NCAA tournament appearances.

Buzz Peterson was hired to replace him, and Peterson has struggled in four mediocre seasons with no NCAA berths and a 60-58 record.

Green said he is not surprised Peterson's job is now in jeopardy.

Athletic director Mike Hamilton has said he will make an announcement about Peterson's future after the SEC tournament, which begins Thursday. Peterson is the sixth men's coach at Tennessee in 30 years.

"There's enough money to get it done," Green said. "There's enough seats in the arena to get it done, and there's enough talent around the state to get it done."

"You've got two huge programs there that people appear to love and enjoy in the football team and Lady Vols basketball team. I just question if the campus community really, really wants a third program to be at the top level. From my experience there and some of the decisions that have been made, I'm not sure in my own mind that it does."

Green, now living in North Carolina, said he still can't get over losing his job after such a successful tenure.

"I've never been through anything in my life like those four years at Tennessee," he said. "It's probably as screwed up a situation, with what we did and the number of wins we had, as any I've ever heard of."

Green received a $1.1 million buyout of his contract and will receive his final installment of $210,000 from Tennessee next January.

"I might not be winning as many games as I did back then, but I still get my check from them the first day of every year," he said.

Basketball coaches haven't been the only changes at Tennessee since Green left. J. Wade Gilley was UT president then and hired Peterson before he was forced to leave amid scandal. Gilley's successor John Shumaker left after there were questions about his lavish spending. John Petersen was named UT's new president last year.

"I don't know how good they were for the university and especially for the men's basketball program," Green said of the previous presidents.

What he called a "football mentality" also hurts the men's program.

"I don't know how that's affected Buzz, but it's a reality," Green said. "You hear the 'Let's get rid of the offensive coordinator and let's get rid of the defensive coordinator,' and that atmosphere goes over into whether they keep the basketball coach or not. That's just the way it is there."

Green had trouble relating to fans, one time saying on a radio show the fans could go to Kmart if they didn't want to attend games. The Vols lost 10 of their last 16 games in his final season after being ranked as high as fourth in the polls.

"I just never was sure what the administration wanted, what the campus community wanted, what the big-time boosters wanted," Green said.

Green said he began to feel his job was in trouble when he got a cool reception from board of trustee member and booster Jim Haslam before the NCAA tournament.

"He would not look me in the eye," Green said. "That was the only time I'd ever known Jim Haslam not to look me in the eye, and my wheels started to spin."