Streaks Scrapbook- Bumpy Nixon

The stories of Bumpy Nixon are probably the most intriguing stories of Galesburg basketball. If you are a Streaks fan, you have probably heard many stories about Bumpy. Some legends are true, some are false, and some we are uncertain about. 

The one thing everyone can agree about- Bumpy Nixon was one of the all-time best basketball players in Galesburg and Illinois history!

I have put some basic information together based on old newspaper clippings, records that still exist, conversations with some of his teammates, and unpublished interviews.  

Friday Fotos- Bumpy’s Last Game

Bumpy Nixon- Bumpy transferred to Galesburg HS from Quincy in the summer of 1958. He was leading scorer for the Streaks in both 1958-9 and 1959-60 season.

Western Big 6 Report- Thru Dec 18

Girls WB6 Standings

1- Galesburg  5-0  (10-1)

2- Alleman     4-1  (9-2)

3- Sterling      3-1 (8-1)

4- Moline        3-2  (6-4)

5- Quincy       2-3  (5-4)

    Rock Island 2-3  (6-5)

7- UTHS         0-4  (0-9)

8- Geneseo     0-5  (2-7)

Boys WB6 Standings

1- Quincy       3-0   (7-0)

    Rock Island 3-0  (8-0)

    UTHS         3-0   (7-1)

4- Moline        2-1  (8-1)

5- Alleman     1-2   (1-8)

6- Sterling      0-3  (3-5)

    Galesburg   0-3  (4-6)

    Geneseo     0-3  (0-8)

Deep Dive- Threes in NBA, College, WB6

The game of basketball has changed in the last twenty-five years. The game has seen an increase in the number of three’s taken, and it has seen a decrease in the number of mid-range two’s taken. 

I listened to a podcast that looked at this year’s NBA season to date. They shared that 42.3% of all NBA shots were three’s, and that 56% of the Celtics shots were three’s. Hearing this, it sent me on a mission to see what is going on in both men’s and women’s college basketball, as well as HS boy’s and girl’s basketball.

Old School Coaches- How Would You Change Your Sport

This Week’s Question

The IHSA (or IHSAA), has come to you and appointed you as the commissioner of the sport you coached. They have empowered you to make any change to the rules of your sport or the organization of the sport. What are changes that you would make?

Parents- Learn From A Pro Agent

I never dreamed an agent for pro basketball players would be a source of great advice for parents- but I was wrong! Quite simply a good agent helps their athletes grow and maximize their ability- and a good athletic parent is one who helps their son/daughters grow and maximize their ability!!

The other day I while walking the dogs, I was listening to a conversation between three NBA “experts” and an agent. The conversation really struck a cord with me as a former high school coach. The agents words would have been great advice for a parent of a high school athlete.

Strategy- Do You Have A Layup Play?

As I watch games, I am amazed how few teams in crucial situations seem to have an “After Time Out” or “After FT” or just a deadball play to go to. The other night, I watched a tape of two really good teams in a 5 point games with 5 minutes to go. You know how many sets the two teams ran down the stretch? Zero!!!

At one of my son’s college stops, the team had a great set they ran. It seemed like every time they ran the play, they got a layup. My thought was,”Man, that is a great play, why don’t they run it more.” (Isn’t it great when a HS girls coach thinks they can analyze college basketball?!?!)

Part of the reason it was a great play, was that they didn’t run it often. The “layup play” was something that they may only run twice a game, and usually when they needed a basket in the second half. And they never ran it in games that were not close- they saved it. 

It seems like a lot of coaches that I watch act as if running a set is illegal. They never run sets. Why not have 3-4 sets that you keep to use in the big moments of a game. 

So the question- what do you have in your playbook to run in a pressure situation when you need a score. Here are three plays that are examples of that. I am not putting them out with idea that these are THE plays you should run, just examples of “layup plays.”

Sports Reporters- Memorable Stories- Part III

High school sports in western Illinois has some great stories. Communities have loved their sports teams and supported them. A big part of HS sports over the years has been the tremendous coverage of local media. Sadly, many local papers no longer exist so some great stories today go untold.  

I asked some of my favorite sports reporters to share one of the many great games they covered. They have shared some really wonderful stories. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

I got such a good response from reporters, I have divided it into three parts. Thanks for sharing!

Matt Schuckman- Quincy (Muddy River Sports)

Andy Douglas nearly missed Rocky week. A senior shooting guard on the Quincy High School boys basketball team during the 1999-2000 season, Douglas twisted his ankle in practice and was going to have to sit out the Western Big 6 Conference game scheduled for a Friday night in late January.

Not until Mother Nature intervened.

Winter weather forced the game to be postponed, but because of both teams’ loaded schedules, the game couldn’t be played until the final Saturday of the regular season. By then, the WB6 championship was on the line with two state-ranked teams squaring off at Blue Devil Gym.

Strategy- Stagger into Backdoor

 

Stagger for Three- Point guard dribbles away and the posts go set a stagger for the shooter to come up.

Girls Basketball- Dec 12

Girls Basketball- 12-12-24

Galesburg 44- Quincy 41

Alleman 43- Rock Island 37

Moline 63- UTHS 29

Sterling 45- Geneseo 19

Peoria ND 61- Dunlap 49

Peoria Manual 40- Normal West 34

Dewitt 52- Davenport North 42 

Strategy- Get Guard Going Downhill

Games that I have watched on TV and in person, it seems like creating situations to get ball handler headed down hill is so important. So many actions I see are side to side vs headed down hill. I have put together a simple high ball screen designed to create some down hill opportunities or a high low option, and then a flat ball screen that creates a lot of space for the guard and a good pop opportunity for a skilled post player. 

Sports Reporters- Memorable Stories- Part II

High school sports in western Illinois has some great stories. Communities have loved their sports teams and supported them. A big part of HS sports over the years has been the tremendous coverage of local media. Sadly, many local papers no longer exist so some great stories today go untold.  

I asked some of my favorite sports reporters to share one of the many great games they covered. They have shared some really wonderful stories. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

I got such a good response from reporters, I have divided it into two parts. Thanks for sharing!

Dan Eilts- Ottawa

I’ve seen thousands and thousands of athletic events from five-year old soccer to pro football, but no game will ever equal the spine tingling drama of the five overtime boys basketball game between Ottawa High and Geneseo High in the first round of the Class AA Rock Island Sectional in 1983. 

Ottawa eventually won the epic classic 84-79 and went on to edge Moline 42-41 to win the sectional title. 

New Season- Caitlyn Clark & Iowa Hawkeyes

Here are some great stories on the Caitlyn Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes- enjoy!!

Time named Caitlyn Clark their athlete of the year. Their piece is outstanding.

Time Magazine- Caitlyn Clark

AP Ranking- Illinois HS Dec. 11

3A Girls AP Rankings- The Streaks slid up to #7 after three wins last week. Washington remained the #1 team. The rankings are loaded with teams who either Galesburg will play in the regular season or possible in their Regional/Sectional- 2-Dixon, 5-Quincy ND, 9-Morton, 10-Ottawa, 12-Sterling, #19-Dunlap, #20-Effingham.  

Christmas Ideas From Prolific Readers

Jay Barshinger- Retired Teacher/Coach, Galesburg

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle.  Stories and reflections of a gang intervention program in LA.  Everyone deserves a chance to change and grow.

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Author's husband worked for JFK and LBJ (and RFK).  Together the couple go through letters, diaries, documents, and memorabilia from those years.

The Testament by John Grisham.  Not a recent read, but one of my favorites of the Grisham books.  A wealthy man changes his will and the main character must battle himself and Brazil as he searches for the heir.

Strategy- JH Zone Offense

I was asked by a reader to show some possible zone offenses to use on a JH level. 

Anyone who knows basketball knows two things about youth and JH basketball.

1- Having youth teams or JH teams play zone defenses is absolutely idiotic. Players are taught to stand around and are not taught the important skills of man to man defense. 

2- Teams who use zone defenses on youth and JH levels can dominate teams because it is a challenge for JH players offensively. 

If I were running a JH league, I would ban the use of zone defenses on a JH level. 

Strategy- Side Ball Screen w/ Hammer Action

As I have previously posted, everyone in America seems to run some form of a European side ball screen offense. Earlier I discussed importance of working on the execution of the ball screen phase of the offense- don’t just go thru the motions. This series is emphasizing the high-low action and the opportunity for hammer action.

Sports Reporters- Memorable Games- Part I

High school sports in western Illinois has some great stories. Communities have loved their sports teams and supported them. A big part of HS sports over the years has been the tremendous coverage of local media. Sadly, many local papers no longer exist so some great stories today go untold.  

I asked some of my favorite sports reporters to share one of the many great games they covered. They have shared some really wonderful stories. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. Thanks for sharing!!

I have gotten such a good response, I have divided it into two post. I will post the second part tomorrow.

Don O’Brien- Quincy

I covered a lot of things during my more than two decades as a sports writer - World Series, the Masters, U.S. Open, NFL playoff games. But nothing beats the 1998 Class AA boys basketball state tournament, held in Peoria.

The state tournament was still new to Peoria back in 1998, the town having swiped it from Champaign a few years prior. After what was arguably the best Western Big Six Conference boys basketball season ever, two teams - Galesburg and Quincy - made it to the Elite Eight and Carver Arena in Peoria. (And the only reason Moline wasn’t the third WB6 team there is because Galesburg bounced the Maroons in the sectional final.)

Early Look- HS Girls Basketball

Sadly many local newspapers don’t cover local sports the way they used to. To fill the void for myself (and maybe you), I have decided to put together a look at girls basketball in western Illinois thru the first three weeks. Please realize, that if I missing some teams and games it is simply due to my inexperience and lack of professionalism. So this where girls basketball thru Monday, December 9. 

Streaks Alums- Update on Men & Women in College

Carl Dortch- Knox College (5-2)

Carl is averaging 17 minutes per game, 7.0ppg, and 2.4 rpg- while shooting 61% from the field. Knox will be at home on Wed, December 11 vs. Lawrence at 7:30pm.

Koen Derry- Northeastern State (5-4)

Koen is averaging 2.4ppg and 2.3 rpg. 

Jaylin McCants- Dubuque (7-2)

Jaylin is averaging 19.7ppg, 7.4rpg. He was tourney MVP this winter.

Juniper Schwartzman- Grinnell (7-3)

Juniper is averaging 17 min/game, 3.4ppg, and 5.0rpg. 

Kiarra Kilgore- Missouri S&T (5-2)

Kiarra is shooting 63%, 2ppg, 1rpg

Audree Peck- Clarke (6-1)

Audree is averaging 16 min/game, 2.1ppg, and 4.4rpg

Riley Jenkins- Minn. Crookston (3-4)

Riley is averaging 32 min/game, 12.7ppg, 7.0rpg, and 3apg.

Capre Ferguson- CSC (6-5)

Capre is averaging 10.5ppg and 4.4apg. Vs. Lake Country- Capre had 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. Sandburg will be home Wednesday December 11 vs Spoon River at 5:30pm.

Antonia Kisler- CSC (6-5)

Antonia is averaging 12.4ppg and 10.0rpg, while shooting 83% from the line. In her last four game since being inserted into the starting lineup, she is averaging 14.5ppg and 12.0rpg. Sandburg will be at home Wednesday December 11 vs. Spoon River. 

Proud of all our Streaks alums as they play on the college level. 

Legends Galesburg Played Against

Part of what has made Galesburg boys and girls basketball exciting thru the years has been the rivalries. The Streaks have played against some outstanding players thru the years. Many went onto star at colleges like Duke, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Carolina, Tennessee, La Tech, and Indiana. Over twenty opposing players went onto to play in the NBA or the WNBA. 

I have put together a list of great players, who Galesburg played. This is NOT a list of the best players that Galesburg has played- it is just a list!!

I am going to give you a player’s or a coach’s picture and the player’s or coach’s high school, then you name who the player is. Get out a pad of paper- the correct answers are at the end. Please share your score in the comments- type your name and your score. Good luck!

Strategy- Side Ball Screens

Everybody runs some form of side ball screen offense. If you don’t run a side ball screen action, you should be. While everyone runs a side ball action, very few teams execute a side ball screen action. The breakdown for the side ball screen action is to first go 2 on 0 so players see what the options are. Then go 2 on 2 on the side. Once players can score 2 on 2, they understand the offense. 

Galesburg HS- History of All-Time Scoring Leaders

This is an history of the Galesburg HS all-time leading scorers. I am starting in 1956 with the boys, and 1980 with the girls. It is a chronological order of who held the record for most points in a career. 

Strategy- 2 on 2 Screen Away Drill

If you do not have the NBA side ball action in your offense, figure out how to get it into your offense. The angle of the screen makes it really tough to defend and produces great options. My suggestion is to look at your existing offensive sets and figure out how to get the following:

1- Ball at the top of the key.

2- Post at a wing with a guard in the corner.

3- Two players on the far side. 

If you can figure that out, you are set. Then the great thing is to just set up 2-2 drill work on whichever side you want. With just 10 minutes work each day, your players can become undefendable. 

First AP Boys & Girls State Rankings

AP has released their first Illinois HS rankings. Obviously it is very early and a lot can happen over the next two months, but it is exciting to see who are some of the best teams in Illinois 

Galesburg- Boys Individual Records

Career Most Points

1- Joey Range   2390   1998

2- Grant Gibson   1817   2015

3- Ethan Meeker   1768   2016

4- Byron Thierry   1369   1984

5- Jaylin McCants   1338   2020

6- Elmer Dickerson   1313   1991

7- Eric Johnson   1232   1983

Old School Coaches- Great Road Atmospheres

This Week’s Question

As coaches, your teams probably played many tough road games. What was one of the best road game atmospheres your team played in? It could be the competitive level, the crowd, the things they did to intimidate. For football coaches, you can pick a playoff game that was truly a road game at your opponent's place. For basketball coaches, it needs to be a true road game, not a tourney game at a neutral site. 

Strategy- Elbow Backdoor

This is a great action that provides an elevator screen for a three, or then a backdoor action.

Setting It Up- #1 wants to get the ball back high enough that they are not going east-west but are going a little down hill to get their defender to have to back down some.

#5 is going to go to the elbow. They do not want to be “dancing around,” get the the elbow as a landmark. 

Galesburg vs Pekin 1965- Sell Out

Pekin paper’s preview of 1965 game. 

Galesburg vs Pekin on January 30, 1965 maybe one game that captures the extreme interest in high school basketball in both Galesburg and in Pekin. I don’t have details about the game itself, but I think the built up to the game is fascinating.

Pekin’s paper- headline after 1964 game.

Galesburg and Pekin had developed a huge rivalry, dating back to the late 1950’s. In  1964, Pekin defeated Galesburg at Pekin in front of a record 4,300 fans by a score of 72-67. As many games in this rivalry were, this had its share of controversy. Pekin was whistled for 18 fouls, while Galesburg was whistled for 27 fouls. Galesburg led by 3 points after 3 quarters but was outscored by 8 points in the fourth quarter, which saw two Galesburg players foul out. Pekin was 24-30 from the line and Galesburg was 11-18 in free throws. 

Pekin paper’s picture and caption describing post game in 1964. 

Streaks Girls Team & Individual Records

Click below to see Streaks Girls Basketball Team and Individual Records.

Streaks Girls Basketball Team & Ind. Records

IBCA HOF Selects Barry Swanson, Joey Range, Todd Olinger

The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association has announced the inductees for their 2025 Hall of Fame Class. The class will have a Galesburg flavor with Barry Swanson, Joey Range, and Todd Olinger will be inducted. 

Two Worst Losses of the Season

There are not ties in basketball. If players or coaches find any loss to be fun- they are probably not meant for basketball. That said, some losses are harder to take than other-

Being upset by a team that was clearly weaker than us.

Losing to a team who I felt the coach or the players were arrogant and didn’t respect us. 

Losing in a championship contest such as a game for the conference championship. 

There are many more examples I am sure. But to keep thinking of bad losses would just depress me. The longer I coached, the more convinced I became that there were two losses each season that were the hardest to take. 

Cobden- 60 Years Later

Anyone who is an Illinois basketball fan has heard of the 1964 Cobden Appleknockers. And certainly anyone who considers themselves a Galesburg Silver Streaks fan regrets they have heard of Cobden. The Streaks led tiny Cobden in the Elite 8 game with only minutes to go, only to lose to the Appleknockers. Cobden went onto lose to Pekin in the State Championship game 50-45. 

Strategy- “Miami” Backdoor Action

 

This is a simple backdoor series run out of a 1-2-2 or Horns set. It can be a play that is called or it simply can be the posts flashing high in reaction to the wing being denied. 

Streaksburg

1968- Dave Wood wearing the famous “Streaksburg” warmup jacket.  

Streaks Scrapbook- The Entire Collection

I appreciate the interest people have shown in my "Streaks Scrapbook" posts. My first quest is to do a "scrapbook" post on each of the boys and girls State Teams since 1950. Traditionally a State appearance has been defined as a Sweet Sixteen appearance. This dates back to the 1930's thru 1955 when all Sectional winners played in the State Finals at Huff Gym at the University of Illinois. 

Streaks Girls- Best Uniform?

I am looking for your opinion about the all-time best uniforms that the Streaks girls basketball team has worn. 

Do NOT vote on Facebook. Vote in the comments at the end of the blog. 

There will be a specific year next to each choice. List your top three in order and then put in your first name. For example a vote could be:

“1999, 2017, 1984 Evan”.  This would indicate that I thought 1999 was the best, then 2017 second, and 1984 third. Looking forward to your choices. 

Streaks Boys- Best Uniform?

I am looking for your opinion about the all-time best uniforms that the Streaks boys basketball team has worn. 

Do NOT vote on Facebook. Vote in the comments at the end of the blog. 

There will be a specific year next to each choice. List your top three in order and then put in your first name. For example a vote could be:

“1999, 2017, 1984 Evan”.  This would indicate that I thought 1999 was the best, then 2017 second, and 1984 third. Looking forward to your choices.