Erin McNamara wrestled with the decision.

Her father John had always been her hoops tutor. But this was the high school team. She wondered if "Coach Mac" was more appropriate.

That title, Pentucket teammate Ashley Viselli said, lasted one day of tryouts.

"I can't call him that," Viselli remembers Erin saying. "He's just dad."

For the past few years, both John and Erin have thrived in a potentially difficult situation.

"You have a tough day at basketball and you have to sit across from each other at the dinner table," said John, whose Sachems won the Division 3 North title in both 2006-07 and 2007-08, his first two seasons at the helm. "Other kids can come home and talk about what a pain I am. She can't do that."

Erin heard the whispers when she was a slight but talented freshman in the fall of 2006.

"It was hard," she said. "People would say, 'The only reason she made the team is because her dad's the coach.'"

It didn't take long to dispel that notion. After the first day of tryouts, an assistant coach told John she thought Erin was a lock for the varsity squad.

"I felt a little better," John said. "I didn't have the blinders on."

Erin, a three-year starter at point guard, is in the midst of a breakout season. She's averaging 12.8 points and 5.0 assists and shooting 49 percent (18 of 37) from 3-point range for the Sachems (8-1). She said John, who played college ball at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has been a boon to her career.

"I'm really happy he's as involved as he is in my life," said Erin, whose mother Patricia played at Fitchburg State. "My dad's made me the player I am today."

Initially, John didn't think coaching his daughter at the high school level was even a good idea.

"That was the last hurdle to cross before I decided to apply," he said.

Thankfully, the ride has been smooth so far.

"It's nice to be involved; it's been a positive experience," John said. "There were times I was wondering if it would be uncomfortable for her and her friends. I haven't seen that."

Pressure proof

Viselli gets a kick out of watching Erin take a jump shot. Her form, from the placement of her feet to her release point, is identical to John's.

"There's no difference," Viselli said.

Like her dad, Erin is precise on the court.

"She never really gets pressured," said Viselli. "You never see her frazzled. If I had to play point guard, I don't even know what I'd do. I'm so grateful she's on our team."

The 5-foot-5 West Newbury resident won't be posting up defenders anytime soon, but she has added muscle to her frame.

"I definitely feel stronger," said Erin, who averaged 9.7 points per game last season. "I don't get pushed around as much."

It's a battle she's been fighting since she was a grade schooler. John remembers watching her participate in an AAU 3-point shooting contest as a 10-year-old. While her teammates' attempts bounced off the rim, "Erin would be three feet short," John said. "But her shot looked beautiful."

She never lacked aggressiveness, though. By the time she reached high school, she was ready to take on bigger, stronger players.

"She spent a lot of time on the floor as a freshman," said John. "(Kids) take some falls. You wonder how they survive. Then the next time down they're doing the same thing. She wasn't afraid to put her nose in there."

As tough as Erin is, she's still getting used to playing for her dad.

"You can't really escape," she said. "He tells me things I did wrong, It can be good certain times. Sometimes you need a little break."

John agrees. "It's good for all the kids to have a different voice," he said.

But, Erin said, the positives outweigh the negatives. She likes being able to voice her opinion on basketball issues.

"I speak up more because I'm comfortable with him," she said.

In the waning moments of Pentucket's matchup with Swampscott Dec. 30, she suggested a play that hadn't been put in yet this season. It unfolded perfectly, but Erin missed what would've been a game-tying 3-pointer. The Sachems may have lost 46-43, but like any supportive coach/dad, John put it in the proper perspective.

"It's not," he said, "like it's the end of the world."