Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has named Buzz Peterson Assistant General Manager.
“Throughout his tenure with our organization, Buzz has been an integral part of all aspects of our basketball operations department, with a focus on scouting and player evaluation,” Cho said. “He brings a wide breadth of basketball knowledge to the position, having been involved in the game at various levels for close to three decades. I’m excited to be working more closely with Buzz in his new role and look forward to his continued contributions to our basketball team.”
Peterson’s promotion to Assistant General Manager comes after serving last season as the Senior Advisor to Basketball Operations. The Asheville, N.C., native has been with the organization for a total of five seasons over two different stints, additionally serving as a scout and Director of Player Personnel. During his time with the franchise, Peterson has been involved in various aspects of basketball operations, including pro personnel evaluation, NBA free agency, collegiate scouting and the NBA Draft process.
Peterson’s extensive resume also includes head coaching positions at University of North Carolina Wilmington, Coastal Carolina University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Tulsa and Appalachian State University (twice), with an overall coaching record of 267-227. Prior to his first head coaching role at Appalachian State, Peterson held assistant coaching positions at Vanderbilt University, North Carolina State University, East Tennessee State University and Appalachian State.
As a player, Peterson was a Parade and McDonald’s All-American at Asheville High School and was named North Carolina’s Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year in 1981. During his four years as a collegian at the University of North Carolina, Peterson helped the Tar Heels to a 115-22 mark, four Atlantic Coast Conference championships, one ACC Tournament title and four appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He was part of UNC’s 1982 national championship team and was voted the outstanding senior by his teammates following the 1984-85 season.
