Kiarra Kilgore & Joey Range GHS All-Time Leading Scorers |
Kiarra finishes with 1986 |
Keeping It in The Familly
Thanks You Galesburg, Thank You Players
Fans can be both rabid and irrational. This past year there were people who were either critics or haters of Caitlyn Clark. For any of us who have followed sports, this should have been predictable. Why did many hate the Yankees- they won. Why can’t some people admire Lebron James’ game- they don’t want anyone saying he is better than Michael. I could go on and on. People like it when their team wins, but hate it when their rival wins.
Savanna High School |
Coach Shiltz- State Trophy |
Ernie Broglio sent from Cards to Cubs |
HOF’er Lou Brock sent from Cubs to Cards |
Shanell at Redbird Arena 2001 |
1, Don't ever think that you are guaranteed a spot.
2. Remain humble about the work your doing on your own because your improvements will be noticed by others.
3. Know that the off-season is the time to get better and that you may not be comfortable shooting 3s or pulling up for a jump shot at the beginning of the spring/summer, but if you work hard on a few things consistently, they will become habit and your hard work will pay off.
4. If it were easy, everyone would do it. So on those days when you're not really in the mood to go workout on your own, remember how it felt to lose in that last game of the season. Trust me, it will pay off.
1- Get the ball into your shooting pocket.
2- Keep your eye on the rim.
3- Hold you follow thru.
John Thiel Gym |
As a coach, you always hope your players will connect with each other, and feel being part of the team is special. Over the last month, I have NEVER been so proud of the Streaks players. I have gotten dozens and dozens of texts from former Streaks, some from players from the 1980's and 1990's. I have been stopped by former players in the grocery store, and at school been questioned by present Streaks players. All of them wanting to know- "What is going on? Are they going to hire Lexi?" The reason that I have been so proud is that it is clear to me that the questions and the concerns were because they viewed Lexi as their teammate. They may have played in 1996 or they may have played in 2024, it didn't matter, all of them felt connected. You sent me a message- you are all teammates. Being a Streak meant something to you, and it has become clear to me over the last month that you wanted one of your teammates to be in charge of the program.
Former players, you can be sure you have not heard the last from me. From time to time, expect me to be calling you out when it is time for you to step up to support the program and to support your teammate- Coach Demott.
Last off-season, Coach Demott put together a workout program challenging our players to get 10,000 made threes in the summer. We actually had two players get 15,000- Antonia Kisler and Alexis Edgerson. The best ever in the off-season- Coach Demott (25,000) and Saige Milroy (20,000). This is a story about Alabama guard. Shooting in off-season works!!
The following was written by Ronald Evans in the Bama Hammer on April 1, 2024.
Coming out of high school in Texas, Rylan Griffen was a highly touted 6' 5" 4-Star. His slim frame held him back some as a Crimson Tide freshman. There was no mistaking his potential to become an outstanding player.
As an Alabama freshman, Griffen played in 37 games with no starts. He averaged 15.7 minutes per game. Griffen did not quite live up to his 'shooter' reputation in his first Crimson Tide season. He made 50.8% of his shots but only 30.1% of his three-point attempts. His average of 5.9 points must have been well short of his expectations.
No doubt other programs targeted Griffen as a transfer. Thankfully he spurned the offers and stuck with Nate Oats. This season Griffen has sometimes not been given enough credit. Along with becoming a team leader, Rylan was Alabama's best defender who repeatedly asked to be assigned the best opposing guards and wings. In the Elie Eight, his defense against RJ Davis was outstanding.
Griffen has played in 35 games this season with 32 starts. In an average of 26.3 minutes per game, his scoring almost doubled to 11.3 points per game. He made threes at a 39.1% pace, was 82.1% at the foul line, and averaged 3.5 rebounds. Griffen was the difference maker in the Crimson Tide winning multiple games.
No great shooting program has started tomorrow! The greats all start today!!
Alabama is using he model of System basketball when it comes to shot selection.
1- Don’t take mid-range threes.
2- Shoot only threes and layups.
Megan Young was one of the hardest workers to ever play for the Streaks. She was always focused, committed, and locked into anything she did. So as impressive as this is- it is not surprising. Congrats Dr. Megan Young!!
Right now women’s college basketball has exploded in popularity. TV numbers are surpassing the TV numbers of men’s basketball. Arenas are selling out in Stanford, Iowa, and UConn. ESPN during the week actually does analysis of women’s basketball. And men’s basketball experts are spending part of their shows talking about women’s basketball and women’s players.
Those of us who are older may remember when travel ball was certainly not a requirement. In my local community (Galesburg), the YMCA had as many as 12 teams of different age levels playing right in Galesburg. There was huge local participation and it was very convenient. One effect of travel teams in all sports is that participation numbers are way down from where they were 20-30 years ago. But we have to realize, we are not going to go back to those days. And that doesn’t mean travel basketball is bad, it is clearly different than what many of us grew up seeing.
The question many parents asked me as a high school coach,”Does my daughter need to play travel basketball if they are going to be successful eventually on the varsity level?” To accurately answer this question, you have to start by looking at what does a player need to do in order to grow or improve their game. The basic ways for a player to improve their game:
SHOOTERS SHOOT- The entire point of this particular blog is to explain why shooting on the Gun can turn an average shooter into a good shooter, and turn a good shooter into a great shooter. There have been some shooters who have been called "natural shooters." The reality is that there is no such thing as a "natural shooter." Coaches and players who believe in the concept of "natural shooters," usually are coaches and players who tend to lose. Over the last 100 years of basketball, successful coaches and successful players has recognized that the best way to become a great shooter is to..... SHOOT. Shoot a lot of shots.
In retirement, you have a lot of time to reflect. My present this week, made me reflect on the first time that I ever went to an NCAA Regional. Believe it or not, my first NCAA Regional was on March 14 & 16, 1974. Yep, my first NCAA Regional was exactly 50 years ago. My brother, Mark was attending grad school and student teaching in Tucson, Arizona at the University of Arizona. We were on spring break, and four of loaded up in my 1973 Mercury Capri and drove to Arizona. All I remember about the trip was that at 6'1", I was the smallest passenger. When I was not driving, I was put in the back seat. It was a long drive.
While there were many players who "surprised" me in June, Sara Wood and Antonia Kisler. Sara Wood had started as a sophomore but was not a very good shooter. Molly Watson was a year behind her, and I projected Molly to take Sara's place in the starting lineup. When we started camp in June, Sara had not only improved her shot, she was automatic- she never missed.
After Antonia Kisler's sophomore year, I figured she would be able to play on the varsity as a junior, but I figured she would be a "role player". I envisioned Antonia playing maybe 8-10 minutes per game. She had committed to the weight room and had not only gotten stronger, but her weight room work improved her vertical jump significantly and improved her quickness. Her improved ability and her high energy the very first day of camp, changed my thinking completely. As coaches, we excitedly began to change our plans.