Retired basketball coach. 782 wins in 37 years at Judson HS and Texas Lutheran. JDYB: Just do your best. My dad's definition of winning.
San Antonio, Texas
Joined February 2009
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My dad, football Coach Jim Wacker, won four National Championships & was the 1984 National Coach of the Year.
But his definition of "winning" had absolutely nothing to do with the scoreboard.
He called it the "JDYB" philosophy. This is the framework he used to build programs 👇
If you want to dive deeper into the playbook, read the stories behind the championships, or bring these principles to your next team clinic, let’s connect.
Join the free JDYB Huddle here: coachwacker.com
I spent 37 years in basketball living out these exact principles as a player and a coach.
Now, I'm opening up the playbook to help the next generation of coaches, educators, and leaders build cultures that stand the test of time.
4️⃣ Fun. If the grind kills the joy, the program will collapse. Energy is infectious. Dad brought a legendary, high-octane enthusiasm to every practice, and it kept his teams loose under pressure. "Just do your best, don't sweat the rest, and let winning take care of itself!"
3️⃣ Future. Coaching is temporary; impact is permanent. Dad always looked at where a player would be 10 years after graduation, not just 10 minutes after the final buzzer. If your program isn't building leaders for the real world, the scoreboard is a lie.
2️⃣ Family. X's and O's don't win close games—trust does. A locker room has to feel like a living room. When players know you care about their life outside the gym, they play harder inside it. You have to play for each other, not just with each other.
1️⃣ Faith (and Focus).Before a team can execute a game plan, they have to believe in the vision. For Dad, it started with an unshakeable belief in the people around him. You don't build a culture by focusing on a win; you build it by anchoring your team to a shared, daily standard
I tried to fix a stubborn player with peer pressure. It didn't work. You can't order friendship on a team. But you can make it a fertile garden. Friendship, block 2 of 15: coachwacker.com/coaching-phi… #JDYB
If the program gets stronger only when you are doing everything, it is not sustainable. Great coaches build systems. Your value grows when you can make the people around you better. Lesson 4 of 10: coachwacker.com/still-coachi… #JDYB
Coaches: first scrimmage is coming fast. That's when the parking-lot conversations start.
Free Basketball Program Playbook. Parent contract with the 24-Hour Rule, parent email, meeting agenda, text scripts, player eval.
No sign-up: coachwacker.com/locker-room #JDYB
Not better. Not smarter. Not more talented. Just harder. Hard work isn't about who you are. It's about who you decide to be today. coachwacker.com #JDYB
The 782 games we won at Judson and Texas Lutheran were a byproduct. Not the starting point.
Know what you stand for. Plan practice around what your players need. Trust your staff.
"It's not what you get—it's what you become." #JDYB
coachwacker.com/still-coachi…
Coach Mike Wacker retweeted
Remember the memories, the traditions, and the moments that made San Marcos feel like home? 🐱
This Homecoming, we're celebrating the memories that made us Bobcats and investing in the student-athletes creating new ones.
Whether you're coming home to San Marcos or celebrating from wherever life has taken you, there's always a way to give back!
Make your Homecoming gift to the Bobcat Club today!
🔗txstatebobcats.evenue.net/ww…
37 years in the gym. I built a home for what I learned: stories, lessons and tips for coaches, plus a place to share a memory. Take a look.
coachwacker.com #Coaching #JDYB
Thank you, Coach Clark! You are one of the coaches who makes a difference in the lives of those that you get to Coach! I will always be grateful that I got to be your coach and I got to meet the entire Clark family!
One of my all-time favorites of course everyone's one of my all-time favorites but you're special Michael Timmins, cause of what you're doing to help grow Basketball in the state of Texas. Winners are people like you!
And thank you Vinnie for what you and all the local media do for both of those programs! I think y'all are awesome!
It was interesting to hear the commish of the @American_Conf bash the media for disrespecting the conference at the public ribbon cutting ceremony for the UTSA hoops and volley facility. I'll assume he was addressing the nat'l media because any other narrative about the local tv/paper group not FULLY supporting UTSA Athletics is completely false and makes me wanna ram my head against the wall. You know, aggressively.