Mike Wicker

@BadCallOfficial Looked like a double dribble, then a travel then a foul on CC’s face?

This was not called a travel on Florida. This was called a foul on Kentucky. That’s a bad call.

@JeffBarnes52 Yes!! Started 11 years ago with the goal of regional runner up. We got that the first year. Fast forward to this year and our goal is a state championship. Yes, we have the athletes to make it happen.

As an AD, when I meet with coaches at the start of the year, I always ask “What’s your team goal?” Many say “State Championship” because they think that is the answer I want. My next question is “Do you have state championship talent?” Most say no. That is when I remind them the best programs build by setting attainable goals, hitting them, and growing from there. Championship programs are built step by step, not declared in a meeting.

@TStark202 @playgolfcollege I had a boy a few years ago that I left more than once. He didn’t come back for his senior season.

@WickerMike @playgolfcollege I’ve only had one issue in 4 years with anyone being late, and luckily her number only 3.

Early in my coaching career I had a talented player who was chronically five minutes late to everything. Not egregiously late. Just five minutes, every single time. I let it slide because he was good and I didn’t want the conflict. Within a month, half the team was showing up five minutes late. Nobody said a word. The standard just drifted. That’s when it hit me. You’re either actively maintaining your standards or you’re passively lowering them. There’s no neutral position. I’ve also learned that expectations and standards aren’t the same thing, and that distinction matters more than most people realize. Expectations are the vision. The why. In my programs they’ve always been simple. Have fun. Create great experiences and relationships. Learn and grow. That’s the emotional foundation everything else gets built on. Standards are the daily behaviors that actually get you there. Be on time. Be trustworthy. Have a growth mindset and work hard. Take responsibility for your actions. Encourage the people around you. Don’t make excuses. When those are clear and consistent something interesting happens. The standard becomes the authority, not the coach. I don’t have to lecture anyone. I just point to what we all agreed on. The conversation stays about the behavior, not the person. That’s where real accountability lives without anyone feeling attacked. What I’ve seen over 25 years is that the teams, families, and programs that define these things clearly and hold them consistently almost always outperform the ones with similar talent that don’t. It’s not magic. It’s just clarity. People do better when they know exactly where the lines are. Kids especially. They don’t struggle in high standard environments. They struggle in ambiguous ones. Whatever you walk past becomes your new standard. The good news is it works in both directions. Raise the bar and hold it, and the people around you will rise to meet it. Every time.

@TStark202 @playgolfcollege I suspect you do not have any issue with the track girls being late?

@WickerMike @playgolfcollege Yes sir! If my girls are late they run their jersey number is laps. To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is to be left!

I cannot stress this enough: PLAY MULTIPLE SPORTS IN HIGH SCHOOL New teams, new roles, new bonds built, new opportunities to compete, etc. College coaches love to see multi-sport athletes and prefer them over specialization. This has never changed. This is a hill I die on.

@steven_montoya Yep, always tell them to take time if they need it!! Even when the other sport doesn’t reciprocate! I try to make several events when my athletes are in other sports as well.

When one of my XCTF athletes plays another sport I tell them they are all-in with that sport until it’s over. And when that sport ends, if you need a week to rest and recover or catch up in school, go ahead. I feel that’s the right thing to do. Out of season coach’s who try to force practice time or use pressure of playing time or “everyone else is getting better while you’re not”… You’re not in it for the right reasons. That’s your ego and/or your insecurity talking!

If you are a team sport athlete… Please understand how much you can improve your on-field performance simply by improving your 10 yard dash If that improves, you are opening up so much in your performance ability This should be a top 3 priority of your training

Congrats to senior Layla Green on her recent commitment to Bellarmine University!!

@RunCoachTripp I agree!! Rest and recovery are so critical for high school athletes.

@WickerMike Thats still a 4 day training week and two built in days OFF. That's so important.

HS Track & Field Hot Take: A 5-Day training week and meets every Saturday is a structure designed for a collegiate athlete but not necessarily appropriate for High School athletes. HS Varsity Track Meets are best prescribed on Friday nights.

TRACK SEASON IS HERE! Football & Track goes hand & hand! Before walking on the football field you must first cross/walk on the TRACK! That was designed like that for a reason! All skill football guys should be running track! Running track is better than going to a speed trainer

@THS_trackfield @MSHeartland_ Can’t wait to see your guys on April 4th.

Triad Boys are State ranked for the first time this season per @MSHeartland_

@THS_trackfield You’ve got some serious speed there coach!!

24 second drill 70° 🌞 ☀️ in mid February w/ 8MPH West crosswind: 216 Silas Jr 215 Brock Jr 212 Jacob Sr 211 Jayden H Jr 211 Brody Sr 210 Andrew Soph 205 Aiden Soph 202 Landyn Soph 200 Camden Soph 199 Rock Jr 199 Cody Sr 198 Jayden R Fr 198 John Soph

@pntrack @clh_strength Sometimes you just get beat by someone better.

@clh_strength Defaults after losing. 1) Soft (toughness) 2) No leadership 3) Conditioning (more hard work needed!) 4) Attitude (they wanted it more than we did!)

A coach that gives this excuse to the press is one who has ran out of ideas on how to succeed. This has to be the largest red flag for any coach to do this. There is nothing good that yields from this? Other than being fired for such a selfish decision to say this?

@TweetsbyCoachP As a high school coach I always tell any of my athletes with college aspirations to make sure they hit the books. That doesn’t mean they don’t continue to make themselves better athletes, it just means the sport and the books have to be prioritized.

If most college athletes receive little or no athletic scholarship, why do so many families approach sports like a full-ride college plan? Isn’t that simply a youth sports “scratch off” at that point?

@TweetsbyCoachP AAU

Why do you believe we are seeing such a steep decline in girls high school basketball participation? Non-refutable data from the NFHS says that participation has dropped 21% over the last 25 years. But why? What is your take on the why when the highest levels of the sport have never been more popular.

@THS_trackfield @OlneyTigerTrack This is where we do most of our indoor meets. It’s a top notch facility and the competition is always stiff.

@OlneyTigerTrack Sounds like a great weekend, Coach!

Norton Healthcare Center in Louisville, KY. 200m banked track. It’s no joke.

@kyhighs @racercard Looks like it could happen on the girls as well.

My story on today's draws for the KHSAA Boys and Girls Sweet 16. No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the first round of the boys tournament? It could happen. Both brackets right here: courier-journal.com/story/sports/p…

@howard_boone You called this early in the season!!

Best offensive player I have seen in a several years at Murray State. Ride this horse!