Mike Wacker Head Basketball Coach - Judson High School - 1990-Present

Over the past twenty seasons at Judson High School Coach Wacker has led the Rockets to statewide prominence, winning an average of 26 games per season. The Rockets have earned a berth in the State Playoffs nineteen of the past twenty years. In 2010 the Rockets went 33-7 and earned a berth in the Elite Eight as Regional Finalists. In 2009 the Rockets won the most games in school history with an overall record of 36 wins and just 2 losses. The Rockets also earned a berth in the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time since 1990. In 2003, the Rockets made their third straight appearance in the Sweet Sixteen, before falling in the Regional Semi-Finals. In 2002, the Rockets enjoyed tremendous success in reaching the round of the Elite Eight, before losing to the 2002 state champion San Antonio John Jay in the Regional Finals. In 2001 the Rockets made their second appearance in the State Tournament and in one of the most memorable games in State Tournament history the Rockets fell in double overtime to the eventual back to back state champion Willowridge Eagles 64-67. In 1993 the Rockets enjoyed their best playoff finish in school history with a 34-4 record, and a berth in the 5A State Championship game before falling to Ft. Worth Dunbar in the title game. During his tenure, the Rockets have won or shared in ten District Championships and finished second seven times. Coach Wacker won his 500th game in only his nineteenth season in 2008-09, and has a current overall record of 533-146 (78.5%), including a record of 208-50 (80.4%) in district play. Making the state playoffs nineteen times, the Rockets have an overall playoff record of 30-19 (61.2%) and the school has had twenty-three consecutive winning seasons. In May 2001, he served as a coach in the TABC All-Star Basketball game, following up his selection as the South team coach for the 1994 THSCA All-Star Basketball game. He is one of the few to ever participate both as a player and a coach in these prestigious events. He has also been named District Coach of the Year nine times, Express/News Greater San Antonio Coach of the Year twice (1993 & 2001), and was nominated for TABC High School Coach of the Year in 1992-93. During the 1995-96 season he was honored by Fox Sports High School Extra as a "Coach Who Makes A Difference" award at the TABC banquet. Entering his 25th season of coaching in 2009-10, Coach Wacker came to Judson High School after spending five years as an assistant in the college ranks. He spent one year at SWTSU (now Texas State), while earning his masters degree in Physical Education, before becoming an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UTSA in 1987. The Roadrunners gained a berth in the 1988 NCAA Tournament and averaged almost twenty wins three straight seasons. He played collegiate ball at the University of Texas from 1980-85 and in 2006 he was named to the UT/H-E-B "All-Time Texas Basketball Team" for the first 100 years, as determined by on-line fan voting, along with guards T.J. Ford and Travis Mays, forward Raymond Downs and center LaSalle Thompson. He was one of the top sophomores in the country in 1981-82 and he led Coach Abe Lemons’ Longhorns to an undefeated 14-0 start and a school-best #5 national ranking (until 2003) before he suffered a career-threatening knee injury. He came back after 2 1/2 years of rehabilitation to earn unanimous All-Southwest Conference honors in 1984-85. In 1999 he was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor. As a high school player, he was a third team Parade All-American at San Marcos High School in 1980 and played in the THSCA and TABC All-Star Games. His professional memberships include the TABC, THSCA and NABC. He was on the THSCA Board of Directors for Region XIII from 1999-2002. He served as the President of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches for 1999-2000. He has served on the TABC Region IV Advisory Committee, the TABC All-State Selection Committee, the TABC All-Star Selection Committee, chaired the TABC All-Star Coach Selection Committee and served as TABC Director for Region IV ‘95-’97. Coach Wacker and his wife Susie have three boys, Chris (19 years old), Karl (17 years old) and David (14 years old). He is the son of Lil and Jim Wacker (deceased) of San Marcos. His father was the former head football coach at TLU, SWT, TCU and Minnesota, who completed his career as Athletic Director at Texas State University-San Marcos.