Experienced Staff

We start practices on Monday. I am VERY fortunate to have an experienced staff at GHS. I would guess there are view programs with more experience in their coaching staff.

Coach Michael Rux has 20+ years as sophomore coach. He has been active not just with the sophomore team but in assisting the varsity team. He has definitely been there and done it.

Coach Jay Barshinger has been freshmen coach for 10+ years. He is the most patient teacher in our school district, and he takes the same approach to basketball.

Woody in Knox HOF

Note his Old Siwash sweathirt.

Dave Wood, Knox class of 1972 was inducted into the Knox College Hall of Fame. Woody was a Streaks great who was a leader on the Streaks '68 second place in State team. Woody transferred to Knox from Western and went on to become a three year starter at Knox (freshmen were not eligible to play varsity in the NCAA at that time). Woody led the Siwash in scoring every year at Knox and led the Midwest Conference in scoring his senior year by putting in 21.7ppg.

Woody was Grinnell basketball before Grinnell.

Jay Bilas- Toughness

This is a famous essay on toughness written by Jay Bilas....

“Toughness” – Jay Bilas – ESPN .com

I have heard the word "toughness" thrown around a lot lately. Reporters on television, radio and in print have opined about a team or player's "toughness" or quoted a coach talking about his team having to be "tougher" to win.

Then, in almost coordinated fashion, I would watch games and see player upon player thumping his chest after a routine play, angrily taunting an opponent after a blocked shot, getting into a shouting match with an opposing player, or squaring up nose-to-nose as if a fight might ensue. I see players jawing at each other, trying to "intimidate" other players. What a waste of time. That is nothing more than fake toughness, and it has no real value.

I often wonder: Do people really understand what coaches and experienced players mean when they emphasize "toughness" in basketball? Or is it just some buzzword that is thrown around haphazardly without clear definition or understanding? I thought it was the latter, and I wrote a short blog item about it a couple of weeks ago.

Putting First Things First

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe