ABSTRACT
The concept of mentor is an oft-used term but it probably means different things to different people. University sport in the United States of America (USA), especially in the highly competitive National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 competitions, is considered to be a key transition period from elite youth to elite senior, therefore, the coach featured is considered a high-performance coach. Interviews with Coach Smith. E. R revealed insights into the coach's philosophy, expectations for the season, and the nature of his relationship with the student-athletes. Coache's behaviours influence athlete's self-determined motivation through their impact on athlete's perceptions of autonomy, competence and relatedness/belonging. Coach Smith was able to consistently produce championship-winning teams and also establish a strong personal bond with the senior student-athletes through the coaching process. A hierarchical content analysis of the student-athlete focus group data showed discrepancies between the two groups, senior student-athletes and non-senior student-athletes.
