The start of every basketball season brings an excitement. The players experience a surge of energy, feeling like it is finally “our turn.” The coaches can’t wait to see how the off-season work pays off. It is like Christmas morning for the loyal fans, they can’t wait to “open up” the season and see what the ‘26 Streaks will look like.
All of that happens in a normal season. The 2025-6 season isn’t a “normal season” for the Streaks. Galesburg has a new coach, the anticipation is always elevated with a new coach. Galesburg knows about that, this is the 12th “new coach” since the legendary John Thiel retired in 1973.
Taylor Thiel as the new head coach brings an even higher level of enthusiasm among players and fans. Taylor brings the excitement having been a star on GHS’s last State team in ‘98. Taylor brings on his staff one of the greatest all-time Streaks in Joey Range. And Taylor is a Thiel, the grandson of Streaks legend John Thiel. It is an exciting time in Galesburg!
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| Tobi Kivunina, Stone Thiel, Keigen Crummer, Lesli Kelley |
Returnees
The Streaks return ten players from last year’s roster with 8 of them playing regularly. For this season, there are 5 new players to the varsity roster. (**= Returnees, ##= Played Regularly, N=New to the Team)
Tobi Kivunina 6’1” Sr. ** ##
Stone Thiel 6’0” Sr N
Keigen Crummer 6’1” Sr. ** ##
Leslie Kelley. 6’2” Sr. ** ##
Grady Hickey. 6’1” So **
Cesaire Bile. 6’4” So ** ##
Malakai Casillas 6’0” Jr. N
Day’Vion Jones. 5’9” So. N
Shawn Taylor. 6’1”. Sr. **
Demetrius Watson. 6’0” Sr. ** ##
Gabe Irizarry. 6’0” Jr. N
Mayala Eden. 6’5” So. ** ##
Derrick Curtis. 6’1” Jr N
Rahkim McCellan. 6’4” Sr ** ##
Jaxon Wyatt. 6’5” Sr. ** ##
The Streaks return four players over 6’4”, who all played varsity last year- Jaxon Wyatt 6’5”, Rhakim McCellan 6’4”, Eden Mayala 6’5”, and Cesaire Bile 6’4”.
The Streaks have 8 seniors on their roster, so there is a veteran presence.
Two sophomores were able to play varsity minutes last year as freshmen- Cesaire Bile (6’4”), and Eden Mayala (6’5”).
It is always good to add to your roster. Stone Thiel comes in as a senior with extensive varsity experience in Texas.
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| Jaxon Wyatt |
Start of the Season
Thanksgiving Tourney
Wed Nov 26. 7:00pm Limestone at Galesburg
Fri Nov 28. 6:00pm. Madison at Galesburg
Sat Nov 29. 6:00pm. Little Village at Galesburg
Regular Season
Tue Dec 2 7:00pm. Pekin at Galesburg
Fri Dec 5. 7:00pm. Galesburg at Alleman
Sat Dec 6. 6:00pm. Rockford Jefferson at Galesburg
Tue Dec 9. 7:00pm. Rock Island at Galesburg
Fri Dec 12. 7:00pm. UTHS at Galesburg
Tue Dec 16. 7:30pm. Burlington at Galesburg
Fri Dec 19. 7:00pm. Galesburg at Quincy
Sat Dec 20. TBA. At Iowa/Illinois Shootout
Christmas Tourney
Dec 27-30. At Dekalb
Carl Sandburg Shootout
Sat Jan 3. 7:30pm. Galesburg vs Bloomington at CSC
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| Taylor Thiel |
Coach Taylor Thiel's Thoughts…
Massey- You started out in June and had to learn about the players. In the last 6 months what have you learned about them? And what have they shown you that makes you excited about the season?
Coach Thiel- When I started in June, everything was new—new faces, new personalities, new skill sets. Over the last six months, what’s impressed me most is how coachable this group is. They show up, they listen, they work, and they genuinely want to get better. They’ve embraced structure, accountability, and competition.
I’ve also learned they care deeply about representing Galesburg the right way. They take pride in wearing the " Galesburg Silver Streaks" jersey. Their work ethic this fall—early-morning workouts, open gyms, strength sessions—has shown me they’re hungry and ready to change the trajectory of the program. That gives me a lot of excitement heading into the season.
Massey- I know you don’t want to give a scouting report, but in general terms, what will fans see from this team?
Coach Thiel- Without giving away any X’s and O’s, fans are going to see a team that plays hard, plays together, and competes on every possession. We want to be disciplined on both ends and play with great pace, energy, and toughness.
Defensively, we’re striving to be a team that makes opponents uncomfortable. Offensively, we want the ball to move, bodies to move, and we want to play unselfishly. Fans will see a group that plays for each other and takes pride in doing the little things that win games.
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| Eden Mayala |
Massey- How many players are you hoping to play in games? Where will your scoring come from? In the time you have been here, who are some of the players who have really taken their game to another level?
Coach Thiel- We feel good about our depth. Right now, we’re expecting to play around 7–9 guys, depending on matchups and how the season evolves. We are Senior Class heavy, but we will get some strong contributions from some of our underclassmen.
I don’t want to single out too many names, but we have several players who have taken real steps forward since summer. Some guys have gotten stronger, some have improved their shooting, and some have become more consistent defenders. Our scoring will come by committee—we’re not built around one guy taking 25 shots a night. We want multiple players who can step up on any given night.
What I appreciate is how many of our players attacked the offseason. A few of them are barely recognizable compared to June—they’ve put in that much work. That development is going to be key for us.
Massey- It is tough to project a goal in terms of wins/losses, but what are some of your hopes or goals for this year?
Coach Thiel- Wins and losses will take care of themselves if we do things the right way daily. Our goals are more controllable:
-Compete every night.
-Be the toughest, most disciplined team on the floor.
-Play together and represent our school with pride.
-Keep improving week by week so we’re playing our best basketball in February.
If we can do those things consistently, the results will follow.
Massey- Joey has always had the ability to inspire kids when they need motivation and give them discipline when they need someone to get tough with them. As a teammate, a friend, and a great player- how valuable has Joey been in the role as a volunteer assistant?
Coach Thiel- From a basketball standpoint, Joey has been incredibly valuable. He has such a strong connection with the kids—they trust him, and he knows how to reach them. He has a great sense of when to challenge them and when to encourage them. He has known many of our players and general student body across our entire high school since they were very young. Having him around the program and showing his support and trust in me has really helped bring this entire team together.
He is arguably Galesburg's greatest player ever, who understands the program and the community, and who brings perspective that you can’t duplicate anywhere. He cares about these players and about Galesburg basketball. His presence has made us all better. I am lucky to call him a lifelong friend and have him on the bench with me this season.
Massey- From what you saw this summer and what the “experts” are saying- who are the teams to beat in the WB6?
Coach Thiel- With great history and tradition, the WB6 is always competitive, and this year is no different. Based on what we saw this summer and what people around the conference are saying, there are a handful of teams that return a lot of talent and experience. Every night is going to be a battle. You have to show up ready, because anybody can beat anybody in this league. Most recently the top half of the league has included Rocky, UT, Moline, and Quincy. Rocky and UT are poised to build on their success from last season with Rocky adding a couple key pieces and UT returning a lot of experience. Moline and Quincy graduated some key players, but you know Coach Taylor and Coach Douglas will get the best out of their groups. Sterling is young as well and they are always going to play hard. Geneseo is under new leadership and after talking with Coach Lacey at the WB6 banquet, I can tell he is excited to bring a new energy to the program. Alleman will be young but they had some new talent join the program. This should be a competitive year for the WB6.
We’re focused on our own growth first, but we know the conference will demand our best. And that is what we will give them.
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