1948 Illinois Boys Basketball State Tourney

 State Champions- Pinckneyville

2nd in State- Rockford East

3rd in State- Pekin

4th in State- LaGrange

Cottage’s School of Nursing- Nurses Impacting Health a Century

Galesburg’s Cottage Hospital’s School of Nursing trained nurses in for parts of nine decades. Cottage Hospital opened in 1893, and the School of Nursing started the following year in 1994. Cottage decided to stop admitting new students to the School of Nursing in 1969. 

This Week in Galesburg History (July 20)

 

“This Week in Galesburg History,” Red Grange faced negative publicity, a knee was injured, a floor was damaged, and Camels were being promoted. 

This is a look back at the history of Galesburg (and the world). What was going on 100 years ago, 75 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and 10 years ago this week? 

“This Week in Galesburg History” can be found Mondays on WGIL website and Massey Basketball Blog. 

Streaks Alumni Profile- Neil Myer 1993

Today’s “Streaks Alumni Profile” features Neil Myer from the GHS Class of 1993. 

Aliyah Boston’s Lesson for Young Players

Aliyah Boston was not a good college player at South Carolina, she was a GREAT college player. She was a 4 x starter, 4 x All-SEC First Team, 3 x All-American. In 2022 when SC won the NCAA Title, Aliyah was voted the Tourney Most Outstanding Player. 

Coaches’ Corner- Trapping Sideline Actions

A defensive strategy that you see often in the WNBA is to trap half-court sideline actions. The key in making all of these actions successful is for the other three defender to be ready to rotate to take away passes out of the traps. These traps are very effective because the offense on the sideline has fewer options to pass out of the traps. 

1997 Illinois Girls Basketball Class AA State Tourney

 

State Champions- Loyola Academy

Caitlin Clark & WNBA- Optimistic or Pessimistic

After back to back wins, it becomes easy to forget the loss to Golden State. The Fever beat the hapless Seattle team without Aliyah Boston in epic offensive games by Clark and Mitchell. Then seemingly found the ability to put all the pieces together vs. New York in one of the Fever’s best games of the year. There are certainly things to be optimistic about, but still things leaving me pessimistic. 

1964 Silver Streaks- Tom Wilson’s Scrapbook

Here are pictures from Tom Wilson’s scrapbook of the 1964 Silver Streaks, plus brackets and boxscores from the IHSA State Series.

24 Tips from Twitter

This is a collection of the best that I have seen on Facebook and Twitter over the last month. 

Massey Basketball Quiz #2- Legendary Illinois Coaches & Teams

This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of Illinois basketball coaching legends. 

Beyond the Arc: Cross Country Race & Baseball Trade

In basketball once you start shooting from beyond the three point arc, things can get wild. In this series, I am going to share some stories that may seem a little wild too. 

“Beyond the Arc” is a series that looks at the unusual from the past. Stories from our history, both locally and nationally. Some are from the sports world and others just from the world. Some are stories I have read about and others are legends passed down to me. 

Coaches’ Corner- Zoom Action with Fade

 

This set is creating a zoom action for a guard, but the real play is a fade after the handoff. 

Streaks Alumni Profile- Zach Statham 2008

Today’s “Streaks Alumni Profile” features Zach Statham from the GHS Class of 2008. 

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

(Originally published August 3, 2025)

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.