This is a description about Thiel Gym and the changes throughout the years. It is interesting to see what people thought of the “new gym” and how has been changed.
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Best Posts 2024- #4 Galesburg’s New, Unnamed Gym
This is a description about Thiel Gym and the changes throughout the years. It is interesting to see what people thought of the “new gym” and how has been changed.
Monday, January 6, 2025
Best Features 2024- #5 Sports Reporters’ Great Memories
I asked fifteen great sports writers from downstate Illinois to share some of their best sports memories. They shared some great, great memories of some wonderful sporting events.
Coaching 101- Dealing with Adversity
On my walk today, I was listening to podcast with a baseball executive. His conversation was about how they evaluate prospects. I realize Major League Baseball is a long way from high school basketball, but this exec made a point that fits any level of sports.
He described in the files they keep on prospects, one of the categories is “handling adversity.” Their belief is that every athlete is going to have to deal with adversity at some point. Adversities of a baseball player could be an injury, not being promoted, being in a slump, being held out of the lineup, losing, and more.
The point is that all athletes will face adversity. According to this exec, one of the most important ingredients for success is the ability to handle adversity and go onto the “next play.”
He described in the files they keep on prospects, one of the categories is “handling adversity.” Their belief is that every athlete is going to have to deal with adversity at some point. Adversities of a baseball player could be an injury, not being promoted, being in a slump, being held out of the lineup, losing, and more.
The point is that all athletes will face adversity. According to this exec, one of the most important ingredients for success is the ability to handle adversity and go onto the “next play.”
Best Posts 2024- #5 Streaks Parents- Past, Present, Future
After retiring, this was written to parents and fans, who had been so wonderful to me during my career.
Sunday, January 5, 2025
Best Features- #6 Alyssa Carl- Football Coach
Alyssa Carl shares her wonderful first year as flag football coach, and her team’s 4th place in State finish. It is refreshing to see the enthusiasm her team had for their first season in football.
Strategy- Press Break with Movement
Years ago, Dan Sullivan, Mike Jaskoski, and I worked the Bill Walton Big Man Camp for 3 days. Pro basketball coach Don Casey was across the hall from us. Every night we met with Coach Casey. He told us to bring beer, a posey board, and questions.
At the time, my team’s were struggling. Because we struggled, everyone pressed us. A lot of my questions were about problems vs presses and ideas for press breaks. After about my 4th question about press breaks, Casey said,”My guess is that you need to do a lot of work on passing, cutting and catching. You team is struggling not because of their press break but probably because of their skills.” Rule #1- There is no magic press break.
Best Posts 2024- #6 Mike Trueblood-Yes, It’s Still A Team Sport
This post looked back at an article written by Mike Trueblood. Mike described getting a letter from former Streaks who did not want to be included in voting for “all-time great” in a newspaper voting. It is so positive to see players putting team first!!
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Best Features 2024- #7 Toby Vallas All-School Weight Program
This was the most viewed blog post of 2024. Farmington football coach, Toby Vallas in two different interviews talked about their school’s organization of an all-school lifting program. And his interview spurred several other interviews about weight programs.
Best Posts 2024- #7 Race, Basketball, and Real Hoosiers
This is a post sparked by the book- The Real Hoosiers. My post looked at some issues of race in America, Illinois, and Galesburg in the 1940’s and 1950’s. It looks into areas of basketball and race.
Friday, January 3, 2025
Best Features 2024- #8 Coaching Their Own Kids
I interviewed Henry Hall (Rock Island), Thom Sigel (Rock Island), Brad Scheffler (Springfield), and Mike Reynolds (DeKalb) about the experience of coaching their sons or daughters. Then I interviewed their sons and daughters about the experience of playing for their dads.
Best Posts 2024- #8 Caitlin Clark: A to Z
This was written in May after the Iowa Hawkeyes season and at the beginning of the WNBA. It was written while sitting in a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma while my wife was shopping.
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Best Features 2024- #9 System Basketball
I started blogging “full-time” this past March. I have absolutely loved researching all sorts of basketball topics and basketball history. Even no one had looked at any the posts, I would still have had fun. I am totally blown away that my blog is approaching 700,000 views. The first ten days of the new year, I want to share my favorites from the past year. I will share my favorite posts each morning and my favorite features each evening. I hope you enjoy!!
This is a collection of posts written about the fastbreak basketball and pressure basketball that is used in “system basketball” and also in any uptempo basketball. Anything you want to read about fastbreak basketball, pressing or the “system”- it’s here.
WB6 Legends- 1977 Sterling State Champs
Sterling’s “Golden Girls” captured the very first IHSA girls basketball State Championship with a perfect 21-0 record under Coach Sue Strong and Coach Jim McKinzie.
Best Post 2024- #9 Greatest Galesburg Player of All-Time
I started blogging “full-time” this past March. I have absolutely loved researching all sorts of basketball topics and basketball history. Even no one had looked at any the posts, I would still have had fun. I am totally blown away that my blog is approaching 700,000 views. The first ten days of the new year, I want to share my favorites from the past year. I will share my favorite posts each morning and my favorite features each evening. I hope you enjoy!!
This was a post in May of 2024. I had retired from coaching and thought it was time to share who I thought was probably Galesburg’s all-time best player.
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Best Features 2024- #10 Jay Redfern Podcasts
I started blogging “full-time” this past March. I have absolutely loved researching all sorts of basketball topics and basketball history. Even no one had looked at any the posts, I would still have had fun. I am totally blown away that my blog is approaching 700,000 views. The first ten days of the new year, I want to share my favorites from the past year. I will share my favorite posts each morning and my favorite features each evening. I hope you enjoy!!
Putting anything Jay Redfern does at #10 makes no sense. Jay’s work at WGIL is great for sports fans and great for the Galesburg community. He has done regular podcasts with many legends from GHS sports that allow us to look back at Galesburg history. They are fantastic.
Best Posts 2024- #10 1974 Regional in Tucson
I started blogging “full-time” this past March. I have absolutely loved researching all sorts of basketball topics and basketball history. Even no one had looked at any the posts, I would still have had fun. I am totally blown away that my blog is approaching 700,000 views. The first ten days of the new year, I want to share my favorites from the past year. I will share my favorite posts each morning and my favorite features each evening. I hope you enjoy!!
This post looked back at a trip to Tucson for the 1974 NCAA Regional featured UCLA, John Wooden, and Bill Walton. I got to go to their practice and to both their games.
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