Angel Reese- Etiquette in Basketball

This week Angel Reese tied or broke a rookie record for double-doubles. The controversy is that with the Fever leading by 25, both the Fever and the Sky subbed out their starters, except Reese. In last three minutes, Reese got 4 rebounds and 5 points to get a double-double in a totally meaningless situation. 

I have witnessed in a high school game when one team was leading late and still pressing, the other coach rolled up his shirt sleeves, yelling, “Do you want a pint of blood too?”

In another situation when a team was up 20 and kept their star in so he could get an individual scoring record, an assistant coach screamed at other coach, “We’re going outside after this game.” 

So is there such a thing as definitive rules of etiquette in sports. In baseball you are not to steal late in the game if up by 5 runs. And if you are down late and the other team allows a player to steal, it is statistically not counted as a steal- it is labeled as “indifference.” 

What do you think is the proper etiquette in the following situations?

1- Team A is ahead by 30 with 4 minutes to go and subs out all their starters. Team B does not sub. Team B has not pressed the entire game, but they now put their press on vs. Team A’s reserves.

Old School Coaches- Discuss Coach They Would Like To Shadow

I am hoping to do this segment- "Old School Coaches" on a regular basis. I have put together a crew of retired coaches, who were highly successful in their high school coaching career. My hope is to post one question to them every two weeks. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield HS

Bob is retired as boys basketball coach at Williamsfield. At a school of only 89 students, in 45 years, his teams won 732 games along with numerous tourney and conference championships. His 1997 team made it to the Elite 8. Selected to the IBCA HOF. 

Mike Cooper- Ottawa HS

Mike is the retired Athletic Director at Ottawa HS. He was varsity girls basketball coach for 22 years, as well as sophomore football coach for many years. He was inducted in the the IBCA HOF.

Tim Engebretson- United HS

He was varsity head football coach for many years at United HS. He also has coached basketball at different levels. His 2005 team won the Illinois State Title, and Tim is in the Illinois Football Coaches' HOF as well as the United HOF.

Mark Massey- Clinton HS

Mark was the head volleyball coach at Clinton for 38 years. His teams won 818 games, and twice took second in State. He is in the Iowa Volleyball HOF and Clinton HS HOF.

Thom Sigel- Rock Falls/Rock Island HS

Thom coached basketball for 32 years. His teams won 502 games, and he has the distinction of winning the State Title at both Rock Falls and Rock Island. Thom is in the IBCA HOF.

Mike Tracey- Alleman, UTHS, Moline HS

Mike coached football at Alleman, UT, and Moline for over 20 years. By most, he is considered the premier football coach in WB6 history. His teams won 140 games, and twice finished second in State. Mike is in the Alleman HS HOF and the Illinois Football HOF. He was also selected Illinois AD of the Year. 

Tom Wierzba- Farmington HS

Tom coached basketball for 38 years, coaching 26 years at Farmington. At Farmington, his teams won 7 sectionals and made 5 trips to State, including a third place and fourth place finish. For his career, his teams won 611 games. In addition, he coached softball at Farmington for 10 years- going 225-50. His softball teams won the State title twice and took fourth once. He has been inducted into both the IBCA and Greater Peoria Sports HOF's. 

This weeks question- All of you have expressed how important is to learn from other coaches. As coaches, we are constantly "stealing" from other coaches. As the Fall sports seasons get started, if you had the opportunity, who would be 2-3 football or volleyball coaches who you would love to have been able to shadow for a season. The coach can be still active, retired, or deceased. Who would you choose to shadow for a season?

Caitlin Clark- The Fever Are Growing

One game does not make a season, but last nights Fever win over Connecticut shows some VERY positive trends for the Fever. Here are some things to consider:

1- The Fever started the season a dismal 2-9 start to the season. In the Fever’s last 20 games, the Fever have gone 13-7

2- First time vs the Sun, the Fever lost 92-71, and the game was not that close. In their first three meetings, the Fever lost all of them by an average of 14 points. 

3- In the first two meetings with the Liberty, the Fever lost by 102-66 and 104-68. The Fever looked so overmatched, they looked like a scrimmage between the JV team vs the Varsity team. The third meeting, the Fever won by 83-78.

Old School Coaches- Coach They Would Like To Shadow

 

I am hoping to do this segment- "Old School Coaches" on a regular basis. I have put together a crew of retired coaches, who were highly successful in their high school coaching career. My hope is to post one question to them every two weeks. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield HS

Bob is retired as boys basketball coach at Williamsfield. At a school of only 89 students, in 45 years, his teams won 732 games along with numerous tourney and conference championships. His 1997 team made it to the Elite 8. Selected to the IBCA HOF. 

Mike Cooper- Ottawa HS

Mike is the retired Athletic Director at Ottawa HS. He was varsity girls basketball coach for 22 years, as well as sophomore football coach for many years. He was inducted in the the IBCA HOF.

Tim Engebretson- United HS

He was varsity head football coach for many years at United HS. He also has coached basketball at different levels. His 2005 team won the Illinois State Title, and Tim is in the Illinois Football Coaches' HOF as well as the United HOF.

Mark Massey- Clinton HS

Mark was the head volleyball coach at Clinton for 38 years. His teams won 818 games, and twice took second in State. He is in the Iowa Volleyball HOF and Clinton HS HOF.

Thom Sigel- Rock Falls/Rock Island HS

Thom coached basketball for 32 years. His teams won 502 games, and he has the distinction of winning the State Title at both Rock Falls and Rock Island. Thom is in the IBCA HOF.

Mike Tracey- Alleman, UTHS, Moline HS

Mike coached football at Alleman, UT, and Moline for over 20 years. By most, he is considered the premier football coach in WB6 history. His teams won 140 games, and twice finished second in State. Mike is in the Alleman HS HOF and the Illinois Football HOF. He was also selected Illinois AD of the Year. 

Tom Wierzba- Farmington HS

Tom coached basketball for 38 years, coaching 26 years at Farmington. At Farmington, his teams won 7 sectionals and made 5 trips to State, including a third place and fourth place finish. For his career, his teams won 611 games. In addition, he coached softball at Farmington for 10 years- going 225-50. His softball teams won the State title twice and took fourth once. He has been inducted into both the IBCA and Greater Peoria Sports HOF's. 

This weeks question- All of you have expressed how important is to learn from other coaches. As coaches, we are constantly "stealing" from other coaches. As the Fall sports seasons get started, if you had the opportunity, who would be 2-3 football or volleyball coaches who you would love to have been able to shadow for a season. The coach can be still active, retired, or deceased. Who would you choose to shadow for a season?

Mike Trueblood- Yes, It's Still A Team Game

“It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.” 

John Wooden

Mike Trueblood was long-time sports editor for the Galesburg Register-Mail. Mike combined several qualities that made him a good sports writer. He likes sports and he knows sports. When I say he knows sports, I am not talking about the rules, I am saying he understands what HS sports are about. And he really knows how to write. 

Several weeks ago, a coach sent me an article Mike wrote probably 10 years ago. The coach had saved the article, and said he shared it with the coaches in his program. The article describes two great Galesburg girls basketball players, and as usual, Mike captures the essence of HS sports. 

Championship Weight Training- The Latest Movement in HS Sports

What does it take to compete successfully in high school athletics? If you look back over the last 100 years, coaches and athletic programs have constantly come up with new ways and more efficient methods to improve their athletes and their athletic teams. 

In the 1960's and 1970's, coordinating programs down to the JH level helped many sports become stronger. Cross country and indoor track grew in the 1980's to help outdoor track programs. Camps and summer programs improved different sports throughout the 1980's and 1990's. Since 2000, club teams, travel teams, and AAU teams have improved HS teams. While all of these "movements" may have made for better players and better teams, many of these "movements" have also produced greater specialization of HS athletes. 

The next development to improve HS sports is going to happen in the weight rooms. Obviously most HS's have had weight programs since as early as the 1970's. In the 2020's, it is becoming clear there is a new direction taking place among schools in their weight rooms. This new approach in the weight room is not only improving school's athletes, it is also causing those schools to have fewer athletes specializing in a single sport. 

Race, Basketball, & The Real Hoosiers

W.F.Massey

My dad, W.F.Massey coached at Savanna, IL in part of the 1930's and 1940's. It was the custom at the time after games to stop and feed the players after road games. Savanna had an African-American player, when the team would stop to get a meal, my dad would first go into the restaurant to see if they would serve an African-American. Sadly, it was not unusual for restaurants to refuse service. In thatt case, my dad would go back out and tell the team, "They are full." This was Savanna, Illinois- not Savannah, Georgia. Savanna was  only 40 miles from the Wisconsin border.

Pete Thierry

I had an opportunity to do an earlier blog with Pete Thierry, who was an African-American, who graduated from Galesburg High School in 1953. For those of you unaware, Galesburg is in the “North,” Galesburg is about 125 miles from the Wisconsin border. Even though Galesburg had a significant African-American population, Pete was only the third to start for Galesburg HS. The earlier two players were not usually permitted by opposing schools to play in their gyms when Galesburg was on the road.

Bill Garrett in the 1947-8 season was the first Black basketball player in the Big Ten. He graduated from Indiana in 1951. His entire time at Indiana there were no other African-American players in the Big Ten.

Humility- Quality Needed by Players, Coaches, and Teams

I believe the foundation of greatness in sports lies in humility. Many may disagree and view humility as being almost a trait of weakness. Those people might prefer an athlete is cocky and arrogant vs being humble. 

Dick Bennett, who was a coaching legend in the State of Wisconsin developed five pillars for his programs. His son, Tony has taken the same concepts to the University of Virginia. (At the end of this article I have put links to several things on Bennett's program.) At the foundation of their programs is humility. 

Today in sports, we talk about building culture. I believe strongly that in sports and in life, humility is fundamental requirement for success. I believe if humility is at the core of a team's values, it helps the team in six distinctive areas. And I might add, I think this is true in all areas of our lives- not just sports. 

GROWTH- Humility allows us to recognize the need to grow. With humility, we have self-awareness to know our strengths and weaknesses. All great teams and all great players need to have a drive to improve. Players with humility see the need to improve and to grow.

For coaches, humility is the trait that pushes them to improve. Instead of being satisfied with the same offense, same drills, same communication methods- coaches need to recognize they can improve. 

Confucious- "Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues."

COACHABILITY- Not only does humility allow players to accept the need to grow, humility allows players to recognize they cannot do it alone. Players recognize the need and the importance of coaching. Players who lack humility view a coach's criticism as "being pick on." Players with humility want to be coached.

For coaches, humility pushes them to see the value in going to clinics, watching videos, and reading material on their craft. They want to be "coached" to become a better coach. 

Proverbs 12:15- "The wise listen to advice."

TEAMWORK- Part of the humble player recognizing the need for improvement is to also recognize that they cannot reach their goals alone. To be successful in becoming who they think they can become as a player- they need their team. The humble player believes in their teammates. Humility allows players to be thankful for their team.

For coaches- humility helps them recognize their assistants and their players may have ideas that will help them improve their team. 

Phillippians 2:3- "In humility value others above yourself."

AWARENESS- Humility allows a player to be aware of who they are as a player. A humble player doesn't have "false humility." The saying goes, "Don't be so humble that you are not that good." Humility is the honesty and openness to recognize both your weaknesses and your strengths. The humble player knows themselves so they know how they can help their team, and how they can't help their team. The humble team knows their identity as a team- to succeed we must play this way. 

For coaches- humility helps them to analyze practices and games with a critical eye to what the things they could have done better as a coach. 

Tony Bennett- "Humility allows us to know who we are, play to our identity."

CONFIDENCE BUT NOT ARROGANCE- To succeed, athletes must be confident but not arrogant. A great quote on confidence vs arrogance, and the impact humility has on these two attitudes comes from the National Black MBA Association: "Confidence is rooted in a genuine sense of self-worth that's not dependent on external validation. Arrogance manifests as an inflated sense of self-importance and superiority. Arrogant individuals often exaggerate their abilities. Arrogance blinds individuals to the values of others. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, it's called humility. 

For coaches- humility helps the coach have a confidence that effects the entire team. The coach is confident and the players are likely to be confident. 

National Black MBA Association- "The confident are self-aware, the arrogant are not aware."

SUCCESS- Ultimately humility allows us to be successful. It allows us to have the proper work ethic, thankfulness and connection with team, leadership to serve our team. 

Matthew 23:12- "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Tony Bennett's Core Values

Tony Bennett's Foundation for Success

Sermon Based on Five Pillars of Bennett

 

WNBA Players Selling Most Merchandise- Quiz

Who are the five highest ranking WNBA players this season in terms of total merchandise sold? 

Guess the order before scrolling down!!

WB6, Mid-Illini, Peoria- Some History & Some Numbers

This post is looking at the schools of the Western Big Six Conference, the Mid-Illini Conference, and the schools in the city of Peoria. The stats that have been put together were taken from the IHSA website, so if any stats are inaccurate, it is because either the stats on the website are inaccurate or I miscopied them.

The schools involved are:
WB6- Sterling, Geneseo, UTHS, Moline, Alleman, Rock Island, Galesburg, Quincy

Mid-Illini- Dunlap, Canton, Limestone, East Peoria, Morton, Metamora, Washington, Pekin

Peoria- Peoria ND, Manual, Peoria, Richwoods

My hope is to educate the reader about the rich athletic traditions of these schools, and to celebrate those achievements. First off, you need to take out a pen and pad of paper- it’s time to test your sports knowledge. 

Galesburg High School- Can We Still Compete?

I started teaching and coaching at Galesburg High School in the Fall of 1974. I can still vividly remember our first pep rally in the old auditorium, which held over 2000 people. For the pep rally, it was filled- main floor had no empty seats and balcony looked full as well. When Sally Rynott cranked up the band to play Hi Yo Silver, the entire student body got to their feet and began clapping in rhythm. It was unbelievable, it gave me chills.

Game night for boys basketball, students filled the entire main floor on the north side of the gym. They were active and they were involved. I share these stories to try to draw a picture of the “good old days” at Galesburg High School. GHS definitely was a big school with highly involved students. 

Clark & WNBA- How Many Really Care

In 2017 we faced Morton in the Sectional at Limestone. It was the first time in several years that we had a Sectional within 60 minutes of Galesburg. It was a big game- Sectional, Morton. We will pick in the crowd, Peoria doesn’t know what Galesburg fans are like come tourney time. That night there were 5 times more Morton fans than Galesburg fans. I don’t think I was ever so disappointed in a Galesburg crowd as I was that night. My point is that sometimes our own personal interest blinds us to the interest level of other people. 

When it comes to the women’s basketball (college & WNBA), and Caitlin Clark, I look at the number of games on TV, the huge crowds, and the conversations on TV talk shows. This morning the lead story on ESPN Sportscenter was on Caitlin Clark’s first game coming back after the Olympic break. So I look at all this and my thought is that women’s basketball is taking off. 

WNBA- What's The Future

The WNBA gets back into games tonight (Thursday). The season is over half over but what can we watch during the rest of the season?

Williams and Meesseeman- Where will they end up playing? 

The WNBA has a “Prioritization Clause” in their present contract. It basically sets up if a player chooses to sign a contract with a non-WNBA team, and that other team’s schedule interferes with the WNBA, it makes the player ineligible to sign with an WNBA team. The basic concept is that the WNBA does not want to become a “secondary league.” Five players who previously were ruled ineligible have just been ruled eligible.

The top two players in this category are Gabby Williams (France) and Emma Meesseman (Belgium). They were free agents going into this WNBA season but chose not to sign to workout and play with their national team. Williams (UConn) was the player who made the shot to tie the game vs USA but was 2 inches over the line. Meeseman lost in bronze medal game and was Belgium’s leading scorer. Both were ruled eligible as it was their national team they were with, not a contract with a pro team.

Williams has played with Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm. She is rumored to be in negotiations with with Seattle, Phoenix, and New York. She would be an immediate impact player as a 5’11” forward. Meesseman is a dominant 6’4” post and has played for the Sky and Mystics. She was the Finals MVP in 2019.

Caitlin Clark- Whiffle Ball?

Fever vs Mercury on Friday at 6:30pm on ION

WNBA starts back this Friday. I have really missed the WNBA during the Olympic break. Since I have been at least temporarily won over to be an Indiana Fever fan, I was excited last week when I saw on social media that they were back from break and starting practices. My first thought was,”The Olympic break is going to work out well for the Fever.”

My logic was that the Fever were back practicing with their entire roster available to practice. Many other WNBA teams were starting back to practice also, but for most of the other teams, their best player or best players were missing practice with the Olympics. During the first half of the season, I had thought the break would be much needed for the Fever to get practice time they did not have at the beginning of the year.

Old School Coaches- Have Kids Changed

I am hoping to do this segment- "Old School Coaches" on a regular basis. I have put together a crew of retired coaches, who were highly successful in their high school coaching career. My hope is to post one question to them every two weeks. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield HS

Bob is retired as boys basketball coach at Williamsfield. At a school of only 89 students, in 45 years, his teams won 732 games along with numerous tourney and conference championships. His 1997 team made it to the Elite 8. 

Mike Cooper- Ottawa HS

Mike is the retired Athletic Director at Ottawa HS. He was varsity girls basketball coach for 22 years, as well as sophomore football coach for many years. He was inducted in the the IBCA HOF.

Tim Engebretson- United HS

He was varsity head football coach for many years at United HS. He also has coached basketball at different levels. His 2005 team won the Illinois State Title, and Tim is in the Illinois Football Coaches' HOF as well as the United HOF.

Mark Massey- Clinton HS

Mark was the head volleyball coach at Clinton for 38 years. His teams won 818 games, and twice took second in State. He is in the Iowa Volleyball HOF and Clinton HS HOF.

Thom Sigel- Rock Falls/Rock Island HS

Thom coached basketball for 32 years. His teams won 502 games, and he has the distinction of winning the State Title at both Rock Falls and Rock Island. Thom is in the IBCA HOF.

Dan Sullivan- Brimfield/Princeville HS

Dan coached basketball for over 30 years, being the head coach at both Brimfield and Princeville. He also was the Athletic Director at Princeville for many years. Dan gained fame in both Illinois and Wisconsin as he directed the very popular Milwaukee Bucks Camps at various locations. 

Mike Tracey- Alleman, UTHS, Moline HS

Mike coached football at Alleman, UT, and Moline for over 20 years. By most, he is considered the premier football coach in WB6 history. His teams won 140 games, and twice finished second in State. Mike is in the Alleman HS HOF and the Illinois Football HOF. He was also selected Illinois AD of the Year.