DR. WALLACE: I play high school basketball and am a starting player on our boys varsity team. I'm a junior and a decent player. I work hard, practice hard and try to be a good teammate on the court and off of it.

But it's already been a long season as we've only won one game out of eight so far, and it looks like it will be hard for us to enjoy many of our upcoming league games as we play in a very competitive league with some truly great teams. We lose most of our games by 20 points or more, which is a lot in high school basketball.

I feel that we'd be lucky to win two league games out of the fourteen we have on our upcoming schedule. How can I enjoy being a varsity athlete if we are destined to lose almost every single game we play in? — It's going to be a long season, via email

IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG SEASON: Focus on the fact you have enough talent, health and stamina to compete in varsity basketball. Yes, your team sounds a bit overmatched this season by your local competition, but that does not mean that you have to dread every game and the poor team results you've come to expect.

Before your next game, envision yourself playing an excellent game. See yourself with great concentration, focus and rhythm. Play hard on defense, screen out in a fundamentally sound way on every potential rebound and keep the ball moving well when you are on offense. Play your best personal game within the context of your team's overall strategy. Play hard and smart and put yourself in the position of being able to feel good about your effort when the game ends, no matter the final score.

High school teams rise and fall, evolve and develop. You likely have another season in front of you next year, and anything can happen during that season. Use the remainder of this season to work on your personal game and encourage your teammates to play hard and as a team. Be the leader who realizes that you all are fortunate to be able to play one of the greatest sports we have in this nation, and tell every teammate how lucky you all are to be able to participate.

Do this and I trust the psyche of your team will be elevated throughout the remainder of this season, and that will put your team in a great position to launch next year with a fresh start and a great attitude. Finally, ask your coaches how you can best help your team and teammates develop during this challenging season. Trust me, there's nothing a coach likes better than a player who seeks to make his teammates better via his actions.

I'M IN A MENTAL VALLEY OVER MY HIGH SCHOOL SITUATION

DR. WALLACE: I dropped out of high school in 2021 even though I was only a few months from graduating high school. I'm not a bad student at all, in fact, I had about a B average at the time.

And without going into a lot of detail, let me just tell you that there were huge problems in my home life and with my family. So bad that I'm not going to give you my gender, city or any other detail about who I am or where I'm located.

My problem now is my huge embarrassment about the GED, or General Educational Diploma. Since I don't have a high school diploma, and since I've since moved out of the area I went to high school, I don't feel like enrolling in another high school at my present age.

But I have a real mental hang-up about getting a GED since I feel like I'm already a failure and this will only confirm it further. I can imagine future employers or colleges I'm interested in simply laughing in my face when they find out I did not even graduate from my high school.

What can I do about this? I'm in a real mental valley over all of this. — No diploma yet, via email

NO DIPLOMA YET: I suggest you get your GED as soon as you can and never look back. You honorably did your best in high school for well over 90% of your high school academic career, only to be stopped by circumstances beyond your control.

I trust that as a B student you will quickly be able to pass the GED requirements and you could enroll in a local junior college (JC) very soon. Becoming a college student will be very good for your self-esteem and with your track record of being a good high school student, I trust you have the ability to complete two years' worth of transferable courses at a local JC and that will put you firmly on track to transfer your units to a four-year university to complete your undergraduate degree.

And from there, a world of opportunity awaits you. Nobody will care that you completed your GED, they will focus only on your college degree and the successful career I know you will be capable of.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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