HS Summer Games Wrap Up- Questions Every Player Should Be Asking

In Illinois, players workouts and games with their high school teams are probably wrapping up the last weekend of June. Hopefully it has been a great opportunity to work with your high school coach and understand the coach’s expectations. As these team workouts and games finish, it is important for players to take the time to reflect about how things went, and about their goals going forward. 

I would recommend high school players reflect on the following questions:

HS Summer Games Wrap Up- Questions Every Coach Should Be Asking

For many high schools across the nation, the month of June can be a wild scramble. Coaches go from the last day of school right into summer basketball. The players often are not in basketball shape, yet coaches want to do as much as possible in limited time. 

So this year, most of the Illinois HS teams are playing one last tourney the weekend of June 28. At that point, coaches are often ready to take their family vacations and decompress. 

Before the summer workouts get too far in a coach’s memory, it is important for the coach to sit down and take notes. The purpose of the notes will be to help prepare for the winter season, and also make next summer’s program more effective. 

So here are questions that are important for coaches to address soon after their summer programs end. 

Caitlin Clark- It’s A Long Season But

With the Fever this year, there have been some highs and some lows.

*** Inconsistent first few games.

*** Clark injured

*** Clark and Fever explode vs. New York Liberty

*** Fever win the East and will play for the Commissioners Cup

*** Fever looks dominate early vs Golden State and Las Vegas then falter.

It is a long season- 44 games, but having played 13 games, the season is about 30% over for the Fever. 

Knox College’s Tribute: Elizabeth Eckford Of The Little Rock 9

On my morning walk one morning, I came across this monument to Elizabeth Eckford at Knox College. 

In 1954, Brown vs Board of Education ruled that separate was not equal, and outlawed segregation in American public schools. While the federal government worked to support and enforce desegregation, some states resisted desegregation. 

Streaks Scrapbook- 1929 Boys Basketball- Sweet 16

I have had this ticket stub by my mom about 50 years ago. It was from her senior year at Galesburg High School. I have kept it on my desk since that time. I think I have kept it as a reminder of a connection with my mom. 

This past week, I was looking at the ticket stub and thought, I should go check out this tourney. And this is how I got started with this blog post- looking at the 1929 Galesburg basketball team. 

1934- More Things Change, More They Stay The Same

I was doing some research in the Galesburg newspaper from March of 1934. I came across the cartoon below. 

Corpus Christi At The 1935 Catholic State Tourney

 In 1935, Catholic schools were not part of the IHSA and held their own State Tourney. This tourney was being held in Decatur. Corpus Christi was one of 16 teams in the State tourney field. 

Corpus lost their first game but at this point won their first game in the consolation bracket of the tourney. 

Corpus Christi had won the 1934 State Championship. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Galesburg HS State Champs

This is a look back thru history at Galesburg HS’s 22 IHSA State Champions. GHS athletes have won: 4 Team State Championships, 1 Relay Team State Championship, 1 Doubles Championship, and 16 Individual State Championships.  

The first was the 1913 Boys Basketball team, and the most recent was Gauge Shipp in wrestling in 2023. 

Josh Eiker accounted for 4 of the 21 State Championships, Goff Eyre won two State Championships (one as an individual and one as part of a team), and Greg Whittle also won two State Championships (one as an individual and one as part of a relay).

Boys Track has accounted for 11 of the State Championships, while Boys Golf and Wrestling have each won 3 State Championships. 

Caricia Andrews in Girls Track has accounted for the only State Championship won by a female athlete at GHS. 

Fever vs Sun: Chaos On The Court- Your Thoughts?

The Indiana Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night 88-71. By my count, the match up produced 3 ejections, 5 technicals, 2 flagrant fouls, and too much trash talking to count.

History of Bad Blood- It is obvious that Caitlyn Clark (Iowa) and Jack Shelton (Ohio State) have bad blood. I am sure Iowa fans could explain to me the evil things that Shelton did in college, and the Ohio State fans could explain to me the evil things that Clark did in college. 

William Allen: GHS Teacher Makes Ultimate Sacrifice in WW2

 William Allen was a 1939 graduate of Knox College. While at Knox, he became a political activist. He was part of a large group of students who were unhappy with the school’s “chapels.” They felt that the chapels had become a way for the college to indoctrinate students with conservative, pro-business speakers. His activism led him to take a leadership role as the editor of the Knox Student (school newspaper). His outspoken approach caused some to label him as un-American and a Communist.  

After graduation, he taught three years in Fairview. He moved back to teach at Galesburg High School in 1942. He was an English teacher and in charge of all of the drama activities. At this time, before TV, school plays were performed almost monthly. 

Caitlin Clark’s Comeback, Fever Stun Liberty, Commissioner’s Cup Implications

I wasn’t the only one that was anxious to have Caitlin Clark back. The game set a record for most watched WNBA game. 

Streaks Scrapbook- From 1954 JH City Champs To 1957 Elite Eight

 

In 1954 Hitchcock hosted a junior basketball tournament at Steele Gym. The tourney included Galesburg’s three JH teams- Hitchcock (today Hitchcock apartments), Lombard, and Churchill (still downtown), as well as ROVA. 

Hey Coach- Happy Father’s Day

Mike Reynolds- DeKalb

"I Doubted I'd Ever be a Streak"

The old GHS located just off the square.

This post was originally published Nov. 13, 2011. 

When we think about segregation and racism in America during the 20^th century, most of us in the North immediately turn out thoughts to the South. The reality is that there were many examples of segregation and racism in the North during the 20^th century.

My mother told a story of when my father was coaching basketball in Savanna, Illinois in the 1940’s. Savanna was located about 40 miles from Wisconsin, so definitely the “North.” My father had an African-American player on his team. If the team was going to stop for a meal after a road game, my father would always go into the local restaurant to see if they would serve an African-American. If they would not, he would go back out and tell the team, “The restaurant is full.” And they would look for another place to eat. Having grown up in the 1960’s, I found this story to be a revelation. I was sure that only happened in the South.

Inside Hoops- Learning From Sue Bird

One of the best ways for coaches and players to learn about the game is to learn from the best players in the world. A great opportunity to do this is with Sue Bird’s podcast. Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird drops every Friday. The podcast can be listened to as a podcast or on YouTube. 

Inside Hoops- Pacer’s Plan To Stop The Star

I write this after game #3 of NBA finals. It may well that the Pacer’s plan does not work in game #4 so you decide that this is not valuable. 

My take is that everyone who knows the NBA is in agreement that OKC has much more talent than Indiana. So how is Indiana managing to be up 2 to 1. 

Players Playbook- We Don’t Do That Here

When we think about the transition from JH to HS, it is easy to think about the basketball skills. It is easy to focus on the JH player needs to learn how to become stronger with the ball, clean up their shooting form, not take possessions off, get down in a defensive stance, etc. That is all true- a JH athlete transitioning to the HS must really improve their skill sets. 

The same is true of players transitioning from FS to Varsity. They have to improve their skill sets. All of this is true.

College Playbook- Advice and Insight From First Year Students

I had the opportunity to reach out to 10 Silver Streaks athletes, who graduated from GHS in 2024. They are all finishing their first year of college. Seven of the ten continued to play a sport in college, while three did not continue playing a sport.

These 10 shared their college experiences this year. They talk about classes, time management, high/lows, advice for graduating high school seniors, and things they missed in Galesburg. 

Summer Sports at GHS- Programs and Opportunities

Summer sports programs have been a part of Galesburg High School dating back to the 1960’s. 

With summer programs just getting ready to start, I reached out to GHS varsity head coaches to see what summer programs were available. 

It is exciting to see the opportunities being provided to Galesburg student-athletes.  

Massey Book Club’s Top Choices For Summer

A big thanks to the people who contributed to this booklist to the “Massey Book Club.” I feel like I am the member of the book club who hasn’t read any of the books but you keep me in the club because I supply the wine!!

Galesburg Summer League- Downstate Tradition

This is the 38th year for the Galesburg Summer League. We started the girls basketball league in the summer of 1987, and took one summer off for COVID. 

Previous to GSL, the Carver Center had run a summer league for men’s and women’s teams. Usually there were 3 Galesburg teams and a couple area teams who entered the Carver league. 

We started to take GHS varsity teams up to Maine West to play in their weekend tourneys. I had become friends with the Maine West coach, Derril Kipp- we were both on the All-State board. At the time, Maine West had a league during the week, and ran a couple one day weekend tourneys. We would go up and play, and usually lose badly. It was very obvious the Chicago area teams were very much ahead of us in the summers. They were playing a lot more basketball. 

The One-Sport Squeeze: Pressures on HS Athletes To Specialize

Greg Bennett is a retired Athletic Director at Lewistown High School in Lewistown, Illinois. I asked Greg to share what he did as AD at a small school to develop a culture where coaches, athletes, and parents saw the value of participating in multi-sports. 

Greg not only shares some of the ways he worked to establish a multi-sport culture, but also touched on some of the pressures placed on athletes to specialize. 

Promoting Multi-Sports Participation

 I had a coach share that a coach at their school was telling some players in their sport not to go out for other sports. The coach had a simple question,”How can this prevented and discouraged in an athletic department. 

To answer this question, I reached out to two individuals who were athletic directors. I wanted to know how they developed a “multi-sport culture at their schools. 

Mike Tracey and Greg King share great advice for athletic directors, coaches, and parents. 

Inside Hoops- Slappin’ Glass Podcast w/ Kellen Sampson

Slappin’ Glass Podcast produced another great one with Kellen Sampson, assistant coach for the Houston Cougars. Their questions and his responses make it a must listen to podcast. Some highlights of the podcast—

UNSCRIPTED POINTS

Houston’s Focus is to win “the unscripted points.” This means winning in three areas- 

1- Offensive rebounds

2- Producing turnovers and fastbreak

3- Rebounding and fast breaks. 

All three of these areas involve winning the battle of energy. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Galesburg’s All-Time Best Season

Galesburg’s all-time best team? The debate is on! There are some who say the best team has to be 1959 with Bumpy Nixon, 1966 with Dale Kelley, 1968 with Jim Reinebach, 1998 with Joey Range. And some might claim 1997 with Molly Watson, 1999 with Sarah Larson, or 2000 with Megan Pacheco. 

Caitlin Clark Reveals The Secret To Her Greatness

Clearly Caitlin Clark has drawn the attention of many, many fans- and brought fans to watch the WNBA. Fans analyze her game, and experts analyze her game. So why should I be any different? 

My question is: What is it that makes Caitlin Clark great? 

Parents Playbook- Advice From A Parent

The following is a Facebook post from a parent- giving parents advice on the do’s and don’t’s of being an athletic parent. It may take some courage for parents to read!!

The Architects of Galesburg Basketball

This is a picture of two Galesburg High School coaching legends- John Gillespie and Gerald Phillips. This picture is from the 1935 GHS Reflector. They are talking in Galesburg’s brand new spectator gym in Steele Gym. 

Streaks Scrapbook- The Legacy of Steele Gym: A Galesburg Treasure

According to the monument on the NW corner of Broad St. and Tompkins St., Galesburg High School was moved to this location in 1906. 

Inside Hoops- Pacers & Thunder- 5 Strategies That Will Shape Basketball

NBA teams are quick to imitate the champions in their league. Colleges and high schools then follow. The Pacers and the Thunder share a template that is sure to impact basketball at all levels in the future. 

PACE- Their uptempo offenses are exciting to watch and have worn their opponents out. They run off rebounds like most teams. The Thunder are deadly in creating and running off turnovers. A lesson from the Indiana Pacers is the value of running off the opponents makes. They don’t do this sometimes, they do it every time. Every game it seems that Siakam get 6-8 points off layups after makes. And when he is not beating the other team up the floor, he is wearing them out. 

Possible Impacts- 1) More HS teams develop true rim runners like Saikem. 2) More HS teams work to run out of the net on makes. 

Building Champions In Off-Season- Coaches Share Their Plans

I always enjoyed “summer basketball” when I was coaching. It was a great chance to build team culture, work on individual skills, and experiment with team offenses and defenses. Summer basketball is a more relaxed atmosphere where the focus can be completely on the process not the outcomes. 

I asked some of favorite high school coaches if they would share their approach to the summer. 

Alan Stein’s Expert Advice For Basketball Parents

Alan Stein started at a basketball trainer for pro basketball players. He worked with and helped develop some of the top NBA players. He knows the game and he knows the mindset of the best of the best. 

Today Stein has become a coach for organizations and of leaders in many fields. He shares the most effective and the least effective ways to help build up people. 

I have collected a series of Tweets from Alan Stein in which he shares expert advice for basketball parents. 

Any parent who wants to help their son/daughter reach their goals in basketball, MUST read these Tweets. Stein clearly spells out the do’s and don’t’s of being a basketball parent. 

As you read these- remember, he has been paid lots of money by the best pro players because he knows what leads to success!!

Alan Stein, Jr.‏ @AlanSteinJr Feb 24

Parents who shout instructions to their child during a game do a few things: 1) Undermine the coach 2) Confuse their child 3) Sound like an ass Remember, just because something is UNDERSTANDABLE doesn’t mean it is ACCEPTABLE. Good intentions doesn’t equal ‘right.’

Alan Stein, Jr.‏ @AlanSteinJr Feb 24

I will be attending my daughter’s kindergarten game and my son’s 2nd grade game today. You won’t hear a peep from me the entire time. When each game is over, all you will hear from me is, ‘I love to watch you play.’ Support Coach

2025 Galesburg Summer League Schedule

Galesburg Summer League for girls basketball will tip-off their 38th season on Tuesday, June 3. 

Games are played in Thiel Gym, and in Kimbrough Fieldhouse. 

Admission for adults is $3, while students are free. 

Old School Coaches- Mark Massey’s Blue Print for Success

Mark Massey was head volleyball coach at Clinton High School (Iowa) for 38 years. He had several teams go to State and five win the Mississsippi Athletic Conference championships. He won 232 conference matches which is the all-time best in MAC history. 

He finished his career with his teams having won 818 matches. 

Mark was the Iowa Coach of the Year in 1994 and twice the finalist for National Coach of the Year. He has been inducted into the NW Illinois HOF, the Iowa VB Coaches HOF, and the Clinton High School HOF. 

I have asked Mark’s players and coaches to share why they think Mark was so successful. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Jay Redfern- Molly Watson Inspiring (2003)

One of the most exciting things for a coach is to see the impact that one generation of players can have on the next generation. To see young players looking up to older players as their idols. 

Jay Redfern in 2003 captured this relationship between Molly Watson and younger players. In Silver Streaks Insider, younger players like Jenna Bicego talk about the impact Molly Watson had on her as a player. 

At the time of the article, Molly was a recent college grad and Jenna was a high school players.

Team Chemistry- The Value of Summer HS Basketball

Years ago I was sitting between Galesburg Summer League games with a few of the varsity girls basketball players. While we were sitting there, one of the “stars” of the varsity boys team came up and joined in conversation. One of the girls said,”I thought you guys had games tonight, what are you doing here?”

The guy replied,”I was too tired, I played 18 holes of golf today and I want to rest up for a golf tourney this weekend.” 

After he left, one of the girls made a comment,”That’s why they won’t be very good, they don’t have the commitment to each other that we do.”

Caitlin Clark- If I Had A Daughter…

This story was written originally on July 11, 2024 after Dave Wood and I went to Indianapolis to watch the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. I had generously been gifted two tickets by a Knox alum with Fever season tickets. And if there is a basketball game someplace- Woody is ready to go. This post describes our experience at the Fever game. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Old GHS, Churchill, and Steele Gym

Galesburg High School looking across Broad Street.

1906-1959 was GHS.

Destroyed by fire in Sept. of 1965.

Fever’s First Test- How Clark Injury Changed The Narrative

Fever fans, myself included had such high and perhaps unrealistic expectations going into the season.  

The Fever are only 6 games into their 44 game season. The Fever lost their best player and have only had 2 games to try to reorganize and play without Clark.

I don’t want to sound like that crazy parent who has emotional reactions to their child’s team but I can’t help myself. I want to share my reactions to the Fever season. My question for you- are my reactions realistic or am I overreacting? I would love for you to share your thoughts in the comments at the end of the blog. 

Friday Fotos- Game Never In Doubt

This Friday Foto, is actually a “foto” of an article from 1964. Read the entire short story, and see if you aren’t smiling at the end. 

Shimer College was located in Mt.Carroll, Illinois. Shimer was a small, liberal arts school famous for its high academic reputation. Unfortunately Shimer closed its doors in the 1970’s. 

In 1964, Shimer’s basketball team made the national news by setting a collegiate basketball record that took three seasons to accomplish. 

Inside Hoops- Negative Comments About the WNBA Miss The Mark

The last week or so, I have become a combination of puzzled, annoyed, and amused by comments of people on social media about the WNBA. Some of it is posts put up on Twitter and Facebook, but most of it is comments people attach to posts. 

“I don’t think I will watch anymore WNBA, I am tired of all the petty stuff.”

This comment was a reaction to the Caitlin Clark hard foul on Angel Reese, the ensuing on court shoving and the later off-court heated discussions by the media. The WNBA and the media would like Clark vs Reese to be an issue- to be something to sell tickets and bring eyes to TV. The reaction to this was media generated. When Haliburton took a hard foul on Anonoube in a similar fashion, there was no media explosion. 

Did people quit watching the NBA after Isaiah Thomas got the other players in the NBA All-Star game to freeze out Michael Jordan? Many pro athletes are successful because they are driven with big egos.

Despite the media attempts, the Reese vs Clark rivalry is either dead or on its last breath. Angel Reese is not on nor will ever be on Clark’s level as a basketball player. The WNBA will eventually use Clark vs Buecker or Clark vs JuJu Watkins just as the NBA used Bird vs Magic. 

“Poor Caitlin, she shouldn’t have to go thru what she is going thru.”

Caitlin Clark is not the first emerging star to have to deal with testing by the veterans in a league. It is a tradition among pro athletes. 

Lew Alcindor as a rookie was brutally and physically attacked by Willis Reed and Wilt Chamberlain. In the eyes of the veterans, Lew was not on their level and they resented the publicity that he had gotten. Sydney Crosby in hockey, Odell Beckham Jr in football and Kobe Bryant in basketball all went thru this “veteran hazing.”

Sometimes it even happens within a team. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were so tired of hearing Jerry Krause talk about Toni Kukoc that in an Olympic game, they brutally and ruthlessly tried to embarrass Kukok, and did. 

If opposing players cross the line, the refs need to deal with it. Caitlin is getting the defensive attention because she is great.

“There are too many players that I can’t root for because of their political and social stands.”

If we are sports fans, all of us pick out “our teams.” Once we pick out a team, it takes a lot for us to quit rooting for that team. If we are a strong fan, we are very invested and we have a lot of passion for our team. Often to justify our passion and our loyalty, we find moral reasons to support our team. Our team is the good guys and the other team is the bad guys. 

Cub fans showed disdain for the Cardinals because Tony LaRussa got a DUI. The White Sox fans who can’t root for the Cubs because their owner has given millions of dollars to Donald Trump. The person who rooted against Ali because he “dodged the draft.” The fan who can’t root for the Warriors and Steve Kerr because he is too liberal. All of us try to find moral reasons why our teams are the best. The reality is, if we are looking for a team with unflawed individuals, we probably need to look at chess as a sport to follow.

“I just want to watch basketball, I can’t stand all the hate and booing in the WNBA.”

When I was going thru some sports pages from the 1930’s, I ran into an account where the referee in a high school basketball game stopped the game because the fans were making noise when the opposing team shot free throws. He warned the fans they would all be kicked out if this continued. Needless to say, the idea of not making noise when the opposing team is shooting free throws, is an idea whose ship has sailed. 

Booing an opposing player is not something unique to the WNBA. Who did the Minnesota T-Wolves fans boo whenever he touched the ball? SGA is booed with every touch. Opposing fans don’t pick out the 10th player on the other team to go after this way. In a weird way, it is acknowledging greatness.

If you want to get an angry fan reaction, just post a message on social media either saying LBJ is the GOAT or that Michael is the GOAT. Few fans can remain neutral and unemotional on this topic.

Part of athletics and part of competition is that is hard not to just root FOR your team without rooting AGAINST the opposing team. I tell people that in the MLB I root for two teams- the White Sox and whoever the Cub’s are playing. During college basketball, I root for Wisconsin and whoever the Illini are playing. That goes back to abuse that I got from Illinois fans in JH and HS after an Illini win. 

It is easy to throw the word “hate” around in analyzing this. I don’t think that I hate the Cubs or Illinois. If I improve my vocabulary, I would be more accurate to say that I have disdain, contempt, or despise those teams. 

While sportsmanship purist would say it is wrong, the negative passions of the home team at games is part of sports. This is not unique to the WNBA.

“No need to watch the WNBA for the next couple weeks with Clark injured, it will be boring.”

This was a message to me from an Iowa fan. It is sad that they have followed the WNBA now for a full year and have not moved from just being a Caitlin Clark fan. And to be honest, such fans are part of why some WNBA fans resent Caitlin. The WNBA is boring without Clark sentiment fails to acknowledge all of extraordinary players and teams in the WNBA.

For me, I am excited to see how the “supporting cast” emerges over the next couple weeks. Will Mitchell, Cunningham, Hull, or Bonner emerge as much stronger than we realized? 

“Coach, you have never seen a group like these girls coming up.”

This was a comment that I heard multiple times as a high school coach. It might be a parent or a fan wanting me to know that a 4th or 5th grade group were really going to be good, or the 8th grade team that went 18-2 was going to be so good. 

Part of the problem with the message was that the person giving the message had never seen what Sarah Larson, Molly Watson, or Megan Pacheco had looked like as players as youngsters. Or they had never watched the Streaks play at State. 

I know I should not have felt this way but often I resented the message because I viewed the message as perhaps an insult to previous players. 

And that is the message all WNBA fans should reflect on. Michael Jordan may be the all-time GOAT in the NBA, but you still need to honor the achievements of Oscar Robertson, Kareem, Magic, and Larry. If Caitlin turns the ball over less and defends better, she may become the WNBA GOAT, but pause and reflect on how good Sue Bird, Ionescu, Stewart, Wilson, Catchings, and Parker are or were. They created the longest lasting women’s pro league in America. 

“The Fever added all this talent to go with Clark but they still have lost. Does this coach know what they are doing.”

Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart won their first WNBA title in year 3. Kobe Bryant and Diana Taurasi won their first title in year 4. A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Sabrina Ionescu won their first titles in year 5. LeBron James and Michael Jordan won their first titles in year 7. 

Most championship teams don’t just come out of nowhere and win a title. It usually takes a couple years of knocking on the door before they can win. How many times did the Bulls lose to the Pistons before they finally broke thru. 

The season is still young. Winning is not easy!!