1969 Streaks- Elite 8

Galesburg finished 2nd in State in 1968, and had high expectations going into the 1969 season. 

Leadership by Kaylee Miller

Team culture involves the behaviors expected of each other, the level of work ethic desired, attitude toward each other and the coaches, and having a shared vision of goals. A positive team culture does not just happen, it is built. Coaches can try to build a championship culture, but the most successful teams have players who are effective leaders, who build the culture. Kaylee Miller is one of those leaders who has the ability to change the direction and culture of a team. She shares her beliefs about how to be an effective leader, and what she has to say is outstanding advice for all of us. 

What Makes A Great Teammate?

Camellia is a very good teammate- she gets it as far as supporting her team and her teammates. But I thought it would be better for an actual teammate to write about Camellia as a teammate.

The following was written by Kaylee Miller:

Camellia is such a good teammate because she is the definition of a good friend. I’ve always thought a good friend is someone who is kind, caring, and supportive of your successes. Camellia is just that; she is the person who would jump up and down for any small success you may have! She is a diligent worker in every aspect of her life, and that includes basketball. 

Out of every teammate I’ve ever had, she is the most diligent person when it comes to watching film and being “game prepared.” She was always the person to have the film up before games or know exactly what the other teams plays were.

She is a great teammate because she leads by example. Even if Coach Massey or Coach Barshinger were not talking to her specifically, she would listen intently to improve her game as well. 

Leadership by Chelsea Stevenson

Leaders come in all different forms. There are so many ways to express leadership, whether it is by a verbal actions or simply doing things the team can and should follow.

Showing leadership can mean cheering your team on during practice when a play goes wrong, cheering for them while doing the ladder, or simply saying “good shot” when someone shoots. Simple actions like that gets everyone moving and being verbal together.

Not every team has that one person to get everyone motivated to speak, but there are always players who show leadership by their actions. Getting dressed for practice and coming out to shoot makes everyone else want to hurry and get out there too. It makes the team ready to get things going and let’s the coaches know the team is serious! Or having a player simply listen to the coaches corrections and fixing the mistakes they pointed out helps everyone. Always be supportive of your team, even the younger players. Everybody makes mistakes and it is always good to be a positive role model.

It is better to have good leadership in some form at practice than it is to have no connection and feel like the practice is dragging on with no energy. Plus, that could involve having to run for a “not so focused” practice.

And while the players are stuck in quarantine there are ways to still be a leader. Grab and ball and just practice shooting up to yourself, or going outside and shooting for 45 minutes a day. A little time each day can go a long way. Motivating friends to get outside is leadership. Posting a picture of yourself on snapchat showing you’re outside shooting is leadership because it may make other players want to go out as well.

It is so much better being a leader and not a follower. Do what is expected and it will make the coaches and other players much happier. And it will lead to a fun season! 

Leadership by Coach Daniels

I believe that a player can be an effective leader by leading by example. If a player is able to set a tone for practices and off-season workouts and be consistent all the way through teammates will soon follow along. Once everyone gets on the same page that is when great success will come.

Right now during the stay-at-home players can be leaders by being reliable and communicating with their teammates. Reaching out to your teammates and seeing what they did to better their game that day. I know coach Massey has sent workout challenges out to all the players, so I would make sure that at the end of each week your name shows up in the completion of the challenge. This will show your teammates that they can rely on you to continue to work. Always remember what you do when nobody is watching is what separates a champion from everyone else.

MINDSET

MINDSET is the theme of our off-season workout program. Players came up with MINDSET. Letters of MINDSET represent qualities we think will be important for our development as players, and our development as a team in the off-season.

MOTIVATION- For you to be successful in the off-season, it must start with you being high motivated. For us to be successful as a team, your motivation must be contagious. Your work and your enthusiasm must help motivate your teammates.

IMPROVEMENT- Our focus in the off-season must be on improvement. Each of us individually must get better, and that will make us better as a team.

NEVER- We can never be negative, and we can never quit.

DISCIPLINE- Discipline means we are willing to workout even when we really don’t feel like working out. Discipline means we pay attention to little details so we execute the fundamentals correctly.

SACRIFICE- We must be willing to sacrifice our time to keep improving. We need to be willing to sacrifice our personal interests for the interests of the team.

ENERGY- No one is ever successful in life with a lukewarm approach. Energy is what allows us to play harder and to work harder than our opponents.

TEAM- Ultimately our level of success is determined by our commitment to each other- to our team. We must be together to succeed.  

Lexi Daniels- What Her Teammates Say

Lexi was part of some very successful high school teams. As a junior, the Streaks went 27-8 and made it to the Sectional finals before losing a heartbreaker to the eventual State Champs. Her senior year, the Streaks were 30-4 and ranked #3 in Illinois.

Lexi never played any Freshmen or Frosh-Soph basketball, she was on the varsity all four years. She invested hours and hours in the off-season to become one of the greatest three point shooters in school history. Her abilities earned her All-State recognition her last two years.

Lexi Daniels- Back Teaching/Coaching in Galesburg

I am so excited that Lexi Daniels was hired to teach in District #205, and that we can get her involved coaching in the girls basketball program.

Lexi had a great career at GHS as a player. She continued to be a big part of our program throughout college. She has been instructor in Streaks Camps, coach/counselor at Purdue Camp, and coach of our JH and Frosh teams in Summer League. She has coached with our program actually since her sophomore year in high school.

Now that she is coming back to Galesburg, we are going to continue to have her involved coaching in our program. We are excited that we are going to have Lexi as an assistant with Coach Barshinger and myself with the varsity team.

Neil Myer- Servant

It has been quite a while since Neil Myer was broadcasting in Galesburg for the Streaks, and since he was last in Galesburg. It was time to catch up with Neil.

My first memory of Neil was when our new pastor, his father, was coming to Galesburg and my father-in-law offered to take the young son to a basketball game on Friday night. After the game, Ben Allen told about how animated Neil had been during the game. I knew he was ok at that point.

Leadership by Casey Williams

Casey Williams played four years on the varsity at GHS, and then went onto have a good four year college career at Benedictine. Casey was a tremendous defender for the Streaks. She took great pride in her defense and her ability to guard different positions.

Lily- Shows Energy

Lily has faced adversity and just kept going. As a sophomore she was in the middle of great season and she hurt her knee in a skiing accident. It resulted in her missing the rest of the season and the entire summer of basketball. This past season she had games where she played and others she only played a little. It is not easy when you have been a “regular” your entire career to not play as much.

Leadership by Rainee Meeker (Sibley)

Have you ever met someone who never seems to have a bad day? They always seem happy to see you, and always are filled with enthusiasm and energy. Rainee Meeker (Sibley) is one of those people. She has the ability to change people with her enthusiasm. Leaders have the ability to influence others, and indeed, Rainee has that ability.

Grace- Focused on Improving

Having point guard on the floor to set up the offense, handle defensive pressure, and get the team in the right defense is so important. While Riley has been getting the job done on the varsity level, Grace has done that for her teams. In JH and HS, Grace's teams have all won. As point guard on each of those teams, Grace has played a huge part in her team’s successes. Grace can handle the ball, she sees the floor and passes well, and she is athletic. She has the ability to get up and pressure the other team.

Leadership by Megan Young

Megan Young is graduated from GHS in 2011. Megan brings high energy to everything she does. She was a perfect fit for the “system”, when we pressed all over and ran up and down. No one for the Streaks has ever played any harder than Megan played. She totally “got it”, in terms of the value of team building and having a positive team culture.

Leadership by Jess Howard

Jess Howard was an example of a player who was motivated to work on her own to improve her game. Yes, she did the practices, the camps, and the leagues- but she also invested hours working on her own game. As Jess looks at leadership, she touches on how work ethic and individual workouts result in self-improvement, they help provide leadership and set a team culture.