I am a junior on the girls basketball team in a small town. I've been starting varsity since I was a sophmore. I'm the shooting guard. I get extremely nervous before and during games. Last year, I had my best friend to calm me down, but she graduated. This year, I went the first two games and didn't score. The third game I had 29 points, and after that, I went cold again. Coach takes me out when I start making shots, and he tells me my shot is the only part to my game when I've had more steals then anyone else. He tells me one thing and then later tells me the opposite. For example, he got onto me this summer about my defense and now he tells me I am too aggressive. I love basketball, but lately it seems like I hate it more and more.

-- Tracy Landingham (tleigh14@email.com), December 01, 1999

Answers

Dear Tracy,

It sounds to me like you need to sit down and talk to your coach about some of the things he is doing, e.g-sitting you out when it seems like you're doing well, or getting on your case for being too aggressive. The two of you probably just aren't seeing eye to eye right now. Consider what your goals are, and try to approach the situation with those in mind. In my experience, disagreements with coaches often can be resolved if the athlete takes initiative and speaks with the coach. Good luck, and I wish you the best for your season. :)

Regards...Thea

-- Thea Stoll (ts176@barnard.columbia.edu), February 07, 2000.