Dear Coach,
Thank you. I can thank you for many things, but most of all I thank you for giving me a chance and believing in me when I was struggling to believe in myself. When it came to basketball, having confidence was always something that was hard for me. Before you gave me confidence, I would shoot the ball and if I missed a few in a row, I would not shoot again. Before you gave me confidence, I would be timid to even take a shot sometimes. I was playing the game scared. I didn't know why I was playing this way, but I was. Basketball is by far my favorite sport, but I ended up loving the game even more after you built up my confidence. I was no longer timid when I took a shot. I no longer stopped shooting after missing a few. In fact, sometimes I felt like I shot too much, but then you reassured me that I had the green light and could shoot whenever I had the space to get my shot off. I mean after all, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take," right? This minor change of you believing in me made me thrive. I was making more shots, I was playing with more energy, I was even having more fun out on the court than I ever had before. It's crazy how a little confidence boost can make such a big difference in someone's game. For this, I owe it all to you.
I am now playing at the collegiate level and I truly believe I wouldn't have made it this far without you. You pushed me to become better all while believing in me. You would rebound for me, give me tips on my mechanics, and you would give me extra drills to work on outside of practice. I did all of these drills to my best ability whenever I got the chance because I knew you believed in me and I didn't want to let you down.
My love for the game has grown so much since I've had you as a coach. Quite honestly before you coached me, I was thinking about quitting basketball to focus more on softball. Crazy how things have changed and instead I ended up quitting softball for basketball. I was so much more naturally talented at softball, but something about basketball challenged me and I love being challenged so much more than doing something that comes easy to me. Basketball is always something I have to work on. If I don't shoot for even a few weeks, I notice a huge difference the next time I get in the gym. You taught me so much about the game and about myself so for that, I thank you! I definitely wouldn't be the player I am today without you.
