State Champions- Nashville
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Streaks Volleyball- Creating a Culture of L.O.V.E.
Galesburg volleyball is starting out with a busy week. At home vs Burlington (Monday), At Morton (Tuesday), and then at Quincy’s Early Bird Tourney (Saturday). The Quincy Tourney traditionally is one of the better downstate volleyball tourneys.
Coach Nicole Kisler is starting her third season as the varsity head coach at Galesburg HS. This past summer, she added some new things to the Streaks’ routine. Besides their normal summer camp, they played competitively in Kimbrough Fieldhouse and got involved in a couple college camps.
Coach Kisler introduced these competitive challenges to not only increase the team’s skill level but to bring a level of excitement to the program. In reaching out to Coach Kisler, it is obvious that she has great energy and sees good things ahead for the volleyball program.
Monday, August 24, 2026
Streaks Alumni Profile- Juniper Schwartzman 2023
Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile features Juniper Schwartzman from the Galesburg HS’s Class of 2023.
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Silver Streaks Senior Profiles & Team Schedules
Galesburg High School’s Fall Sports are off and competing. We can help you fans with:
Fall Sports Schedules
This Week’s Home Events
Senior Profiles
This Week in Galesburg History (Aug 24, 2026)
“This Week in Galesburg History,” there asbestos for sale, women’s hosiery sales, and PE uniforms at JC Penney’s.
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” is available each Monday on the WGIL website and on Massey Basketball Blog.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Building A Championship Culture
Some say “culture” is an over used word in sports. I would disagree, “culture” is at the heart of any team’s success. “Culture” is what makes any business or organization successful. Culture is a set of shared values, beliefs, and norms for behavior. When everyone is “on the same page,” “buying in,” “rowing the same direction”- a group or organization works.
Massey Basketball Quiz #4- Legendary Illinois Coaches & Teams
This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of legendary coaches, players, and teams from Illinois basketball history.
1971- Streaks Boys Basketball- Undefeated at Home- 18-6
The 1971 Silver Streaks went undefeated at home, and had an overall record of 18-6. In the IHSA 1-class system, in the Regional the Streaks beat Abingdon and Monmouth before losing to Macomb in the Regional 79-54.
Friday, August 21, 2026
Galesburg Football- “That's our goal, and the next year build on that.”
Galesburg HS football has had a tough time. In the last twenty-five years, the Streaks have had only 2 years where the teams finished above .500.
To turn things around is not an easy task. It will require a strong team of coaches with leadership, enthusiasm, and relentless energy. Shawn Hickey took over in the Summer of 2024. The process of changing the culture is tough, Hickey and his staff have worked to increase the number of players in football and the enthusiasm for football. Their hope is that the wins will follow if they get the numbers and the commitment raised.
I sat down to talk to Shawn about the process of building up the football program.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Thanks for 2 Million Views! Here is How to Navigate the Full Massey Basketball Blog
Massey Basketball Blog
I started Massey Basketball Blog back in 2010. As the GHS girls basketball coach, I had just decided to put in the Grinnell System. The players loved it but some parents and fans were not sold on the idea, so the blog was my way of trying to explain “The System.”
After we discontinued using the System, I used Massey Basketball Blog as a way to share inspirational info and coaching tips with the players.
When I retired from coaching in 2024, I didn’t plan to be a full-time blogger, it just happened. While I do some about present day athletes, I love researching sports history and Galesburg history. I didn’t grow up in Galesburg but my grandfather drove a street car in Galesburg in the early 1900’s, my mom was the editor of the 1929 GHS Reflector, and I taught/coached at GHS for 50 years.
Massey Basketball Blog is my retirement hobby, doing topics that interest me.
2 Million Views
This week, Massey Basketball Blog went over 2 million views, and 1 Million of those views just happened in the last 6 months. I owe a big thanks to Jay Redfern and WGIL for helping Massey Basketball Blog take off. Jay suggested that I share one of my articles each week with WGIL. Soon one article per week became 3-4 articles. Not all the articles on Massey Basketball Blog appear on WGIL.
Finding Massey Basketball Blog
There are over 1,000 articles on Galesburg history, Streaks history, coaching tips, advice for players and parents, and more. It is simple to find Massey Basketball Blog. You can just Google, “Massey Basketball Blog.” Or if you click below, it will take you to Massey Basketball Blog.
Navigating the Blog Page
There are over 25 different sections that you can use to explore a variety of topics.
Massey Quizzes- There are over 50 post quizzes on general knowledge, Galesburg history, and Galesburg sites. There are a dozen quizzes focused on sports history.
Silver Streaks History- There are over 100 stories on Galesburg HS sports history from the 1913 basketball state champs to Lily Furrow winning the 2026 Don Morris Award.
Basketball History- There are 100 articles on things like the Cobden Appleknockers to Why Were Scores So Low to Greatest Illinois State Champions.
Streaks Alumni Profiles- I have “interviewed” over 100 alums at this point and want to keep adding to the list. I have profiles on athletes and non-athletes. With time I hope to get a cross section of GHS alums, sharing their memories.
Jay Redfern’s Podcasts- Jay has done dozens of podcasts on Streaks sports/activities, Knox sports, and area sports. This is a collection of his GHS podcasts.
Coaches’ Corner- This is a series of articles sharing experiences from my coaching career. Some are X/O’s, some motivational ideas, and other ideas to help with player development.
Hall of Fame Insights- I have reached out to 15-20 Hall of Fame coaches, and asked their opinions a variety of sports topics. They are football coaches, boys basketball coaches, girls basketball coaches, and volleyball coaches from Illinois and Iowa.
Players Playbook- This is articles designed to provide guidance to players.
Parents Playbook- These are all articles for parents of athletes. Advice on how parents can make their son/daughter’s experience more positive.
Caitlin Clark & More- I am a Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever fans. I also love the NBA and college basketball. These are all articles on my thoughts on Clark, the W, and basketball.
Galesburg Past and Present- This is articles on Galesburg, GHS, Sandburg, and more.
Top Ten Articles of the Past Year
Best of the Past Year
Here are the most viewed articles over the past year.
Coaches’ Corner- Late Game Side OB
This is a late game side ob play when trailing. It was run by the Indiana Fever when down 2. It gives 2 options for threes, and one option for an inside two.
1967 Silver Streaks- Tom Wilson’s Scrapbook
This is a collection of pictures from Tom Wilson’s scrapbook. It is pictures of the 1967 Silver Streaks.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Streaks Alumni Profile- Heather (Aten) Mackowiak
Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile features Heather (Aten) Mackowiak from Galesburg HS’s Class of 1993.
1993 Boys Basketball- Churchill, Lombard, Costa Team
These pictures are from the collection of Jim & June O’Brien. There are pictures of the 7th and 8th grade teams from Churchill, Lombard, and Costa.
Churchill 8th Grade- Coach Steve Cheesman
Lombard 8th Grade- Coach Phil Erickson
Costa 8th Grade- Coach Herb Knoblauch
Churchill 7th Grade- Coach Mick Swanson
Lombard 7th Grade- Coach Arnold Gonzalez
Costa 7th Grade- Coach John Watson
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