Hacker to lead SD boys basketball program
Jun. 29—South Decatur has named Jason Hacker as boys basketball head coach to lead the Cougars this season.
Coach Hacker has experience on the sidelines and in player development for more than 10 years.
"I have been involved with player development and coached AAU teams (Team Future Indianapolis) up to 15U," Coach Hacker said. "I have also been directly involved with multiple youth teams and building feeder programs as well (Jennings County). This will be my first year as a varsity coach."
Originally, Coach Hacker started coaching as a way to spend more time with his oldest two sons when they were little.
"We started a feeder program in Jennings County that really set the standard they are still using there today. Coaching that first group was when I realized that this was something I wanted to do," Coach Hacker said. "The impact we made was immeasurable. Being able to use basketball to be involved with the maturation and character building of young men over the years has been such a blessing."
There is always some change when moving on to a new coach. So, what can Cougar fans expect this winter?
"Whether it be on offense or defense, toughness and enthusiasm are what we will bring every game. Without giving away too much, expect to see a lot of moving without the basketball, and a lot of passing, we will put a major emphasis on valuing each and every possession," Coach Hacker said. "Defensively, we have to play hard. What we lack in size we will have to make it up with effort."
After being named to the position, Coach Hacker had limited time to work with the Cougar players this summer.
"Once we finally took over, there was only two full weeks we could work with them at practice and prepare to play games. Thankfully, Coach Wildey left us in good standing with a lot of the summer already planned out," Coach Hacker said. "We were able to play in three shootouts and a league. It went well. The boys were excited for the change and we got to work right away."
"Our last seven games, we lost by one point to Belmont with a chance to win at the end, lost to Jac-Cen-Del in a close game (without Jacob Scruggs), we beat Milan, Charlestown, Morristown, Faith Christian and Traders Point. That wrapped up our summer on a pretty good note," Coach Hacker added.
Joining Coach Hacker on the coaching staff will be Maurice Buckner as junior varsity coach and top varsity assistant.
"We also retained Keegan Jewell from last year's staff as our floating assistant and video coordinator," Coach Hacker said. "We are still looking to add a few more coaches to the staff, but as of now we are off to a good start."
It can be difficult taking over a new program, but Coach Wildey left the program in solid shape. The Cougars have seven seniors and a few juniors with a lot of varsity experience.
"We are guard heavy, but that fits my style well. We are healthy and there is a lot of good energy we will use in preparing for the upcoming season. Everyone is buying in and there is a lot of enthusiasm with this group. We have a lot of work to do, but I am confident we will compete hard and maybe even surprise a few teams this year," Coach Hacker said.
Contact Aaron Kirchoff at aaron.kirchoff@greensburgdailynews.com
