The coach as guidance counselor.

When a student-athlete has a question about almost any subject, chances are he or she will seek an answer from the coach. Whether the topic is college selection, career advice, training information, or interview preparation, the coach will become the main source, usually before a classroom teacher, guidance counselor and parents.

"The main reason is trust," says Bill Bradley, head girls' basketball coach at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. "There are a couple of keys. First, the athletes know that the coach has been there. Coaches know what the athletes' goals are and have the experience to deal with the inevitable problems. Second, coaches are generally honest with the athletes. They've told the athletes what they need to do to get to the next level, whether that means building the best high school team possible or finding a college which will satisfy the athlete's needs academically and athletically. No one else is really capable of doing that."

Bradley knows. After a successful 13-year career in girls' softball and basketball in Georgia, he came to Colorado and led ThunderRidge to two girls' basketball state titles in his first two years.

"The athletes look at the coach as someone who understands their aspirations--more than their parents and a lot more than their counselors. You know what they're looking for. The kids appreciate that I'm a basketball person and they're looking for the best school academically that will also provide a meaningful basketball experience.

"But to develop trust," he continues, "you need to be honest and you need to deliver. If I tell my team that 'we are going to be successful. We are going to go to the state tournament because we're going to out-work everyone else,' I'd better be right. When we deliver, the girls know, 'I can trust him with anything.' And with that faith comes a lot of power.

Does the military figure as a major option? "Absolutely," says Bradley. "We frequently start talking about it when the kids are in the ninth grade. A couple of my players back in Georgia went on to become Air Force pilots, which is interesting because here I'm now coaching, near the Air Force Academy. In fact, one of my former players is also in pilot training at the Academy right now. For some kids, it's the perfect option."

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During 17 years as head football coach at Judson High School in Converse, TX, D.W. Rutledge had an "open door policy" for his players to consult with their coaches. "Once we let them know about our policy," he says, "they felt comfortable discussing almost any subject with us."

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"One of the keys was our ongoing self-evaluation program. We asked the kids how they envisioned their lives 10 years from now. Did they plan on college? How were they planning to make a living? How much did they expect to earn? If we had a kid who wanted to be a doctor but was flunking his science courses, we frequently had to add more than a dose of reality. As we did on the field, we needed to motivate them.

"The self-evaluation went on year-round. We also conducted grade checks every three weeks. We never gave our athletes a chance to slip up. There was too much at stake."

The system must have worked. In 17 years as Converse Judson's head coach (following four as an assistant), Rutledge's teams won four state championships and finished second three more times. To him, one of the keys was developing a comfortable relationship with the student-athletes. "We spent more time with our athletes than any counselor or any classroom teacher. They knew that we were there to help them reach the goals they set for themselves."

The trust factor played a role too. "The kids knew we set rules. Discipline is vital. It generates an environment of safety and comfort that they really want.

"When we counseled some of our players to think about the military, it wasn't much of a stretch," says Rutledge, now the executive director of the 16,000-member Texas High School Coaches Association. "The community was militarily oriented, with Randolph Air Force Base and Fort Sam Houston nearby. The military was a big thing. So when we saw a youngster whose parents couldn't afford college or a kid who needed the discipline the military provided, we had no hesitation to recommend it. Several of our players became military lifers. They frequently came back to campus to speak to our teams."

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