Streaks Basketball Alumni Spotlight: Alicia Brannon-Canario 1988

Alicia Brannon-Canario (GHS Class of 1988)

What are some of your favorite memories from GHS?

It's tough to narrow down some of my favorite memories from GHS because there were many! A few that come to mind are having Mr. Devore as a teacher, mentor and confidant and the comradare that came with being a part of succesful basketball and track teams. Mr. Devore helped me fill out college/scholarship applications and he believed in me at a time when it mattered the most. Many of my teammates for Streaks basketball and track became great friends of mine. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention how close the class of 1988 were and resulting friendships that still endure today. 

WNBA- 13 to Go, Controversial Podcasts, & Trump

13 To Go

After tonight’s game, the Indiana Fever are down to only 13 games to go. It would seem that the Fever have elected to make sure Clark is 120% healthy before returning. It will be interesting to see if when she comes back if she indeed has enough time and the Fever have enough time to develop any kind of rhythm going into the playoffs. 

Most experts think Clark’s comeback will be vs. the Lynx on Friday, August 22. The reasoning is that the Fever will play the Sun on Aug. 17 and the Fever will then potentially have 4 days for the team and Clark to practice. The Lynx game on the 22nd will start a grueling schedule- Lynx, Lynx, Storm, Sparks, Valkyries, Mercury, Sky, Mystics, and Lynx. So it would mean Clark would play in last 9 games of the season, all would be play-off contenders, and three games vs Lynx. 

I am not on the inside with medical staff but it would seem to me that during the stretch before Aug 22 when the Fever play the Sky, Wings, Mystics, and the Sun that it might be good to use that stretch against weaker teams as kind of a “pre-season” for Clark. If she could just play 10-15 minutes per game, it would seem like it would be a great way to phase her back in. 

Streaks Basketball Alumni Spotlight: Rob Johnson 1972

Rob Johnson- GHS Class of 1972 

What are some of your favorite memories of GHS?

My favorite memories were from my senior as starting guard for the Streaks and Coach Thiel. During summer camp before my senior year Coach had me practicing as a guard. I had always played forward up until then. He said you’re athletic enough to play guard so the rest is history. I wound end up playing guard for the rest of career in college.

Massey Quiz #4- Galesburg Photo Challenge

I have fifteen Galesburg pictures of the past and present. There may be pictures of places, people, monuments, parts of buildings, and even more. The quiz is designed to celebrate how wonderful Galesburg is, and test your knowledge of our community. Enjoy and have fun!!

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

Choosing Not To Choose: Lily Furrow’s Multi-Sport Success at Galesburg (Part 2)

Today more and more high athletes specialize in just one sport. Often they are pressured by high school coaches, club coaches, travel team coaches, or AAU coaches to focus on just one sport. The message is often,”If you want to get a scholarship, you need to do this sport year-round.”

So athletes become committed to doing one sport for a solid 12 months. Numerous sports psychologists feel this leads to a “burn out” by athletes. And there are “sports trainers” who feel the rise in more injuries by pitchers in baseball and more ACL/achilles injuries in basketball may be the result of 15-16 year old using the same muscles and the same actions in the same sports over and over. 

Lily Furrow, who will be a senior at Galesburg HS is certainly the exception to athletes specializing. Whether she or her parents heard the voices saying just do this sport, she chose not to specialize. If anything, probably Lily’s greatest regret is that there are only 3 sports seasons so she can’t do an 4th sport. 

Choosing Not To Choose: Lily Furrow’s Multi-Sport Success Story at Galesburg HS (Part 1)

Today more and more high athletes specialize in just one sport. Often they are pressured by high school coaches, club coaches, travel team coaches, or AAU coaches to focus on just one sport. The message is often,”If you want to get a scholarship, you need to do this sport year-round.”

So athletes become committed to doing one sport for a solid 12 months. Numerous sports psychologists feel this leads to a “burn out” by athletes. And there are “sports trainers” who feel the rise in more injuries by pitchers in baseball and more ACL/achilles injuries in basketball may be the result of 15-16 year old using the same muscles and the same actions in the same sports over and over. 

Lily Furrow, who will be a senior at Galesburg HS is certainly the exception to athletes specializing. Whether she or her parents heard the voices saying just do this sport, she chose not to specialize. If anything, probably Lily’s greatest regret is that there are only 3 sports seasons so she can’t do an 4th sport. 

Slappin’ Glass: Zach Chu- Using Analytics

Coach Zach Chu worked as an assistant for Rick Carlisle in Dallas, then in Indiana. His area of expertise was to use analytics to help drive decision-making. Chu went from working in the pros to be an assistant with SMU, and now is the head men’s basketball coach at Radford. 

Here are some thoughts from Coach Chu:

He believes that the role of analytics in is to take a “problem solving approach to basketball, anchored with data.”

The Summer the Stars Aligned: My 1962 All-Star Game Adventure

My dad, W.F.Massey was a high school teacher, coach, and athletic director in Savanna, Illinois. In Savanna, everyone called him “Mass.” Summers we loaded up the car and went back to where he had grown up, in rural Hollandale, Wisconsin. There to his four brothers and the family, he was his called by his middle name, “Ford.” Dad owned a dairy farm that he rented out. Our summers were spent cutting thistles, white washing the barn, building fences, and getting to play baseball with all the Massey cousins. 

Streaks Basketball Alumni Spotlight: Molly Watson-Fourdyce 1997

Massey- What are some of your favorite memories from GHS?

Molly- I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be a Silver Streak! I got to play the game I love with my best friends, and the best coaching staff in Illinois! The entire experience of playing basketball at GHS was a highlight for me. Learning the value of work ethic, teamwork, and getting the opportunity to compete in multiple state tournaments for the best fans in Illinois is something I will never forget!

Massey Quiz #3- Baseball Photo Challenge

Can you identify these baseball pictures? I have 20 past and present Cardinals, Cubs, and White Sox. Enjoy and have fun!!

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

Caitlin Clark Effect- How It Compares to Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Sue Bird

Preface

I realize that many are tired of hearing about Caitlin Clark. Non-Fever fans think someone like me is giving her too much attention. Fever fans are apt to express they don’t want to hear about any drama. This past week I had an opportunity to read Howard Megdal’s Becoming Caitlin Clark, the Sophie Cunningham Podcast came out, and listened to a couple podcasts on WNBA finances. So while what I am going to write may seem like old news, I hope I am sharing some new twists to the old story. 

Old Time Basketball- Small Courts Made For Complicated Game

High school players from 1900 to 1950 seldom played games on a regulation 84 foot basketball court. Most court were around 64 feet. That often meant the top of the key and the center circle were either very close to each other or they even overlapped. 

In the 1930’s, my father at Fulton always scheduled one game at Wharton FH vs Moline. It was a rare opportunity to play on an 84 foot court. 

With small courts, there were many unusual ground rules to cover unusual things. For many early gyms, seating was in a balcony. It was not unheard of for the balcony to go over the court and have support poles on the court. Generally if the ball hit the pole, they played it as still live unless it went out of bounds. Some schools considered an overhanging balcony as being inbounds while others considered it out of bounds. 

Class of 2021- What’s Going On Four Years Later?

 

I was blessed to be able to have a career as a teacher and as a coach. The best part about teaching and coaching is the young people. I got to spend my career around young people who had energy, enthusiasm, and dreams. Young people are inspiring! 

I have enjoyed this project as much as any. I reached out to some 2021 Galesburg HS grads to see what they have done the last four years, and what their plans are going forward. It is no surprise- their stories are very inspiring!

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences!!

Assists: 3 Possible Adjustments to the Stat

The first time that I heard about the concept of an “assist” was in 1966. I was a freshman on the FS team at Savanna. The varsity coach, Ron McCready asked me to keep the varsity stats. None of the teams that I had played on had ever kept stats so it was all new to me. He explained that if a player made a pass that led to a made basket, it was an assist. 

Sonia Citron’s Playbook- 8 Strategies for Success

Sonia Citron is a 6’1” rookie guard for the Washington Mystics. She played college basketball at Notre Dame, and was the #3 pick in the WNBA 2025 draft. She is averaging 14.1ppg, 5.0rpg, 2.0apg, 45 FG%, 37% 3’s, 89% FT. She was selected to the 2025 All-Star game. 

I had the opportunity to listen to her in a podcast interview with Sue Bird on “Bird’s Eye View. She shared things that have helped her and have helped other WNBA players become successful.