Jay Bilas- Essay on Toughness

 

Toughness” – Jay Bilas – ESPN .com

I have heard the word "toughness" thrown around a lot lately. Reporters on television, radio and in print have opined about a team or player's "toughness" or quoted a coach talking about his team having to be "tougher" to win.

Then, in almost coordinated fashion, I would watch games and see player upon player thumping his chest after a routine play, angrily taunting an opponent after a blocked shot, getting into a shouting match with an opposing player, or squaring up nose-to-nose as if a fight might ensue. I see players jawing at each other, trying to "intimidate" other players. What a waste of time. That is nothing more than fake toughness, and it has no real value.

Jay Bilas- Book on Toughness, My Takes

Several years ago Jay Bilas wrote an article on toughness which went viral in the basketball world. High school and college coaches all reprinted the article and shared it with their players. (I have it reprinted on this blog.) Bilas said the motivation for writing the article was a reaction to how a commentator used the word "tough" to describe a physical and perhaps a dirty player. The basic premise of the article was "toughness" is more about an attitude and a self-discipline vs. a physical characteristic.

In his book on the same topic, Bilas looks at the characteristics of tough people. He seeks out people in sports and business who are tough in their approach to sport and life.

Toughness Can Be Learned
"Toughness isn't physical. It has nothing to do with size, physical strength, or athleticism. It's an intangible, an attitude, a philosophy. Some people may be born with the aptitude to be tougher than others, but I believe that true toughness is a skill that can be developed and improved in everyone."

Jay Bilas- Book on Toughness (Some Excerpts)

Jay Bilas’ book- Toughness is an outstanding read for both players and coaches. Here are some excerpts from Toughness: 

Successful players and teams don't just assess themselves by records or statistics, but by a standard of excellence that goes beyond a final score.

Self-evaluation takes honesty, and the toughest teams and players do not con themselves. When I was playing for Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, he was often harder on us after a win than after a loss. He would identify areas of concern for our team and for individuals as "slippage" from our standards, and he was quick to point out that a lesser performance might have beaten our latest opponent, but it would not beat the best teams coming up in the future.

Double The Talent, Triple The Bond: Twin And Triplet Athletes

I taught high school psychology and I took my fair share of psychology classes. So I read my share of “twin studies.” The basic premise of most of these studies was to compare if identical twins were more likely to share a characteristic than fraternal twins- so trying to get at the nature vs nurture question. 

According to the stats- in natural births, there is a 1 in 250 chance of having twins and 1 in 10,000 chance of having triplets. 

When one thinks about twin athletes at Galesburg HS, the first names that come to mind are Albert and Elbert Kimbrough (GHS Class of 1957). They were two of the all-time great athletes in GHS history. 

Galesburg: A Prairie City’s Past- Test Your Knowledge

 

#1- Who was the founder of Galesburg?

#2- The founder’s house is located at the corner of what two streets?

#3- When they mapped out Galesburg, the original NW corner of Galesburg was at the corner of what two streets?

#4- When they mapped out Galesburg, the original SW corner of Galesburg was at the corner of what two streets?

#5- When they mapped out Galesburg, the original SE corner of Galesburg was at the corner of what two streets?

#6- When they mapped out Galesburg, the original NE corner of Galesburg was at the corner of what two streets?

#7- Union Hotel was located at the corner of what two streets?

#8- A plaque recognizing the site of Galesburg HS’s location from 1906 to 1959 is at the corner of what two streets?

#9- A plaque is on the wall of Galesburg’s oldest restaurant. What is Galesburg’s oldest still running restaurant?

#10- Where did a Presidential Debate take place in Galesburg?

Caitlin Clark- If I Had A Daughter…

This story was written originally on July 11, 2024 after Dave Wood and I went to Indianapolis to watch the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. I had generously been gifted two tickets by a Knox alum with Fever season tickets. And if there is a basketball game someplace- Woody is ready to go. This post describes our experience at the Fever game. 

Peterman’s Pick- Analyzing Illinois High School Basketball

If you study the history of Illinois HS basketball, you are probably aware of some of the early coaching legends. There were some great coaches in Illinois in the 1920’s, 1930’s, and 1940’s. 

Arthur Trout at Centralia won three State Championships and 6 State Trophies, and won 811 games. 

Ernie Eveland at Paris won two State Championships and 5 State Trophies, and won 436 games. And Eveland also won 3 State Championships in Cross Country.

Duster Thomas at Pinckneyville won a State Championship and 5 State Trophies, and won 460 games. 

Dolph Stanley was highly successful at Equality, Mt. Pulaski, and Taylorville during this time period, including winning a State Championship at Taylorville. He won 8 State Trophies before 1950. 

HS Summer Games Wrap Up- Questions Every Player Should Be Asking

In Illinois, players workouts and games with their high school teams are probably wrapping up the last weekend of June. Hopefully it has been a great opportunity to work with your high school coach and understand the coach’s expectations. As these team workouts and games finish, it is important for players to take the time to reflect about how things went, and about their goals going forward. 

I would recommend high school players reflect on the following questions:

HS Summer Games Wrap Up- Questions Every Coach Should Be Asking

For many high schools across the nation, the month of June can be a wild scramble. Coaches go from the last day of school right into summer basketball. The players often are not in basketball shape, yet coaches want to do as much as possible in limited time. 

So this year, most of the Illinois HS teams are playing one last tourney the weekend of June 28. At that point, coaches are often ready to take their family vacations and decompress. 

Before the summer workouts get too far in a coach’s memory, it is important for the coach to sit down and take notes. The purpose of the notes will be to help prepare for the winter season, and also make next summer’s program more effective. 

So here are questions that are important for coaches to address soon after their summer programs end. 

Caitlin Clark- It’s A Long Season But

With the Fever this year, there have been some highs and some lows.

*** Inconsistent first few games.

*** Clark injured

*** Clark and Fever explode vs. New York Liberty

*** Fever win the East and will play for the Commissioners Cup

*** Fever looks dominate early vs Golden State and Las Vegas then falter.

It is a long season- 44 games, but having played 13 games, the season is about 30% over for the Fever. 

Knox College’s Tribute: Elizabeth Eckford Of The Little Rock 9

On my morning walk one morning, I came across this monument to Elizabeth Eckford at Knox College. 

In 1954, Brown vs Board of Education ruled that separate was not equal, and outlawed segregation in American public schools. While the federal government worked to support and enforce desegregation, some states resisted desegregation. 

Streaks Scrapbook- 1929 Boys Basketball- Sweet 16

I have had this ticket stub by my mom about 50 years ago. It was from her senior year at Galesburg High School. I have kept it on my desk since that time. I think I have kept it as a reminder of a connection with my mom. 

This past week, I was looking at the ticket stub and thought, I should go check out this tourney. And this is how I got started with this blog post- looking at the 1929 Galesburg basketball team. 

1934- More Things Change, More They Stay The Same

I was doing some research in the Galesburg newspaper from March of 1934. I came across the cartoon below. 

Corpus Christi At The 1935 Catholic State Tourney

 In 1935, Catholic schools were not part of the IHSA and held their own State Tourney. This tourney was being held in Decatur. Corpus Christi was one of 16 teams in the State tourney field. 

Corpus lost their first game but at this point won their first game in the consolation bracket of the tourney. 

Corpus Christi had won the 1934 State Championship. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Galesburg HS State Champs

This is a look back thru history at Galesburg HS’s 22 IHSA State Champions. GHS athletes have won: 4 Team State Championships, 1 Relay Team State Championship, 1 Doubles Championship, and 16 Individual State Championships.  

The first was the 1913 Boys Basketball team, and the most recent was Gauge Shipp in wrestling in 2023. 

Josh Eiker accounted for 4 of the 21 State Championships, Goff Eyre won two State Championships (one as an individual and one as part of a team), and Greg Whittle also won two State Championships (one as an individual and one as part of a relay).

Boys Track has accounted for 11 of the State Championships, while Boys Golf and Wrestling have each won 3 State Championships. 

Caricia Andrews in Girls Track has accounted for the only State Championship won by a female athlete at GHS. 

Fever vs Sun: Chaos On The Court- Your Thoughts?

The Indiana Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night 88-71. By my count, the match up produced 3 ejections, 5 technicals, 2 flagrant fouls, and too much trash talking to count.

History of Bad Blood- It is obvious that Caitlyn Clark (Iowa) and Jack Shelton (Ohio State) have bad blood. I am sure Iowa fans could explain to me the evil things that Shelton did in college, and the Ohio State fans could explain to me the evil things that Clark did in college. 

William Allen: GHS Teacher Makes Ultimate Sacrifice in WW2

 William Allen was a 1939 graduate of Knox College. While at Knox, he became a political activist. He was part of a large group of students who were unhappy with the school’s “chapels.” They felt that the chapels had become a way for the college to indoctrinate students with conservative, pro-business speakers. His activism led him to take a leadership role as the editor of the Knox Student (school newspaper). His outspoken approach caused some to label him as un-American and a Communist.  

After graduation, he taught three years in Fairview. He moved back to teach at Galesburg High School in 1942. He was an English teacher and in charge of all of the drama activities. At this time, before TV, school plays were performed almost monthly. 

Caitlin Clark’s Comeback, Fever Stun Liberty, Commissioner’s Cup Implications

I wasn’t the only one that was anxious to have Caitlin Clark back. The game set a record for most watched WNBA game. 

Streaks Scrapbook- From 1954 JH City Champs To 1957 Elite Eight

 

In 1954 Hitchcock hosted a junior basketball tournament at Steele Gym. The tourney included Galesburg’s three JH teams- Hitchcock (today Hitchcock apartments), Lombard, and Churchill (still downtown), as well as ROVA. 

Hey Coach- Happy Father’s Day

Mike Reynolds- DeKalb

"I Doubted I'd Ever be a Streak"

The old GHS located just off the square.

This post was originally published Nov. 13, 2011. 

When we think about segregation and racism in America during the 20^th century, most of us in the North immediately turn out thoughts to the South. The reality is that there were many examples of segregation and racism in the North during the 20^th century.

My mother told a story of when my father was coaching basketball in Savanna, Illinois in the 1940’s. Savanna was located about 40 miles from Wisconsin, so definitely the “North.” My father had an African-American player on his team. If the team was going to stop for a meal after a road game, my father would always go into the local restaurant to see if they would serve an African-American. If they would not, he would go back out and tell the team, “The restaurant is full.” And they would look for another place to eat. Having grown up in the 1960’s, I found this story to be a revelation. I was sure that only happened in the South.

Inside Hoops- Learning From Sue Bird

One of the best ways for coaches and players to learn about the game is to learn from the best players in the world. A great opportunity to do this is with Sue Bird’s podcast. Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird drops every Friday. The podcast can be listened to as a podcast or on YouTube. 

Inside Hoops- Pacer’s Plan To Stop The Star

I write this after game #3 of NBA finals. It may well that the Pacer’s plan does not work in game #4 so you decide that this is not valuable. 

My take is that everyone who knows the NBA is in agreement that OKC has much more talent than Indiana. So how is Indiana managing to be up 2 to 1. 

Players Playbook- We Don’t Do That Here

When we think about the transition from JH to HS, it is easy to think about the basketball skills. It is easy to focus on the JH player needs to learn how to become stronger with the ball, clean up their shooting form, not take possessions off, get down in a defensive stance, etc. That is all true- a JH athlete transitioning to the HS must really improve their skill sets. 

The same is true of players transitioning from FS to Varsity. They have to improve their skill sets. All of this is true.

College Playbook- Advice and Insight From First Year Students

I had the opportunity to reach out to 10 Silver Streaks athletes, who graduated from GHS in 2024. They are all finishing their first year of college. Seven of the ten continued to play a sport in college, while three did not continue playing a sport.

These 10 shared their college experiences this year. They talk about classes, time management, high/lows, advice for graduating high school seniors, and things they missed in Galesburg. 

Summer Sports at GHS- Programs and Opportunities

Summer sports programs have been a part of Galesburg High School dating back to the 1960’s. 

With summer programs just getting ready to start, I reached out to GHS varsity head coaches to see what summer programs were available. 

It is exciting to see the opportunities being provided to Galesburg student-athletes.  

Massey Book Club’s Top Choices For Summer

A big thanks to the people who contributed to this booklist to the “Massey Book Club.” I feel like I am the member of the book club who hasn’t read any of the books but you keep me in the club because I supply the wine!!

Galesburg Summer League- Downstate Tradition

This is the 38th year for the Galesburg Summer League. We started the girls basketball league in the summer of 1987, and took one summer off for COVID. 

Previous to GSL, the Carver Center had run a summer league for men’s and women’s teams. Usually there were 3 Galesburg teams and a couple area teams who entered the Carver league. 

We started to take GHS varsity teams up to Maine West to play in their weekend tourneys. I had become friends with the Maine West coach, Derril Kipp- we were both on the All-State board. At the time, Maine West had a league during the week, and ran a couple one day weekend tourneys. We would go up and play, and usually lose badly. It was very obvious the Chicago area teams were very much ahead of us in the summers. They were playing a lot more basketball. 

The One-Sport Squeeze: Pressures on HS Athletes To Specialize

Greg Bennett is a retired Athletic Director at Lewistown High School in Lewistown, Illinois. I asked Greg to share what he did as AD at a small school to develop a culture where coaches, athletes, and parents saw the value of participating in multi-sports. 

Greg not only shares some of the ways he worked to establish a multi-sport culture, but also touched on some of the pressures placed on athletes to specialize. 

Promoting Multi-Sports Participation

 I had a coach share that a coach at their school was telling some players in their sport not to go out for other sports. The coach had a simple question,”How can this prevented and discouraged in an athletic department. 

To answer this question, I reached out to two individuals who were athletic directors. I wanted to know how they developed a “multi-sport culture at their schools. 

Mike Tracey and Greg King share great advice for athletic directors, coaches, and parents. 

Inside Hoops- Slappin’ Glass Podcast w/ Kellen Sampson

Slappin’ Glass Podcast produced another great one with Kellen Sampson, assistant coach for the Houston Cougars. Their questions and his responses make it a must listen to podcast. Some highlights of the podcast—

UNSCRIPTED POINTS

Houston’s Focus is to win “the unscripted points.” This means winning in three areas- 

1- Offensive rebounds

2- Producing turnovers and fastbreak

3- Rebounding and fast breaks. 

All three of these areas involve winning the battle of energy. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Galesburg’s All-Time Best Season

Galesburg’s all-time best team? The debate is on! There are some who say the best team has to be 1959 with Bumpy Nixon, 1966 with Dale Kelley, 1968 with Jim Reinebach, 1998 with Joey Range. And some might claim 1997 with Molly Watson, 1999 with Sarah Larson, or 2000 with Megan Pacheco. 

Caitlin Clark Reveals The Secret To Her Greatness

Clearly Caitlin Clark has drawn the attention of many, many fans- and brought fans to watch the WNBA. Fans analyze her game, and experts analyze her game. So why should I be any different? 

My question is: What is it that makes Caitlin Clark great? 

Parents Playbook- Advice From A Parent

The following is a Facebook post from a parent- giving parents advice on the do’s and don’t’s of being an athletic parent. It may take some courage for parents to read!!

The Architects of Galesburg Basketball

This is a picture of two Galesburg High School coaching legends- John Gillespie and Gerald Phillips. This picture is from the 1935 GHS Reflector. They are talking in Galesburg’s brand new spectator gym in Steele Gym. 

Streaks Scrapbook- The Legacy of Steele Gym: A Galesburg Treasure

According to the monument on the NW corner of Broad St. and Tompkins St., Galesburg High School was moved to this location in 1906. 

Inside Hoops- Pacers & Thunder- 5 Strategies That Will Shape Basketball

NBA teams are quick to imitate the champions in their league. Colleges and high schools then follow. The Pacers and the Thunder share a template that is sure to impact basketball at all levels in the future. 

PACE- Their uptempo offenses are exciting to watch and have worn their opponents out. They run off rebounds like most teams. The Thunder are deadly in creating and running off turnovers. A lesson from the Indiana Pacers is the value of running off the opponents makes. They don’t do this sometimes, they do it every time. Every game it seems that Siakam get 6-8 points off layups after makes. And when he is not beating the other team up the floor, he is wearing them out. 

Possible Impacts- 1) More HS teams develop true rim runners like Saikem. 2) More HS teams work to run out of the net on makes. 

Building Champions In Off-Season- Coaches Share Their Plans

I always enjoyed “summer basketball” when I was coaching. It was a great chance to build team culture, work on individual skills, and experiment with team offenses and defenses. Summer basketball is a more relaxed atmosphere where the focus can be completely on the process not the outcomes. 

I asked some of favorite high school coaches if they would share their approach to the summer. 

Alan Stein’s Expert Advice For Basketball Parents

Alan Stein started at a basketball trainer for pro basketball players. He worked with and helped develop some of the top NBA players. He knows the game and he knows the mindset of the best of the best. 

Today Stein has become a coach for organizations and of leaders in many fields. He shares the most effective and the least effective ways to help build up people. 

I have collected a series of Tweets from Alan Stein in which he shares expert advice for basketball parents. 

Any parent who wants to help their son/daughter reach their goals in basketball, MUST read these Tweets. Stein clearly spells out the do’s and don’t’s of being a basketball parent. 

As you read these- remember, he has been paid lots of money by the best pro players because he knows what leads to success!!

Alan Stein, Jr.‏ @AlanSteinJr Feb 24

Parents who shout instructions to their child during a game do a few things: 1) Undermine the coach 2) Confuse their child 3) Sound like an ass Remember, just because something is UNDERSTANDABLE doesn’t mean it is ACCEPTABLE. Good intentions doesn’t equal ‘right.’

Alan Stein, Jr.‏ @AlanSteinJr Feb 24

I will be attending my daughter’s kindergarten game and my son’s 2nd grade game today. You won’t hear a peep from me the entire time. When each game is over, all you will hear from me is, ‘I love to watch you play.’ Support Coach

2025 Galesburg Summer League Schedule

Galesburg Summer League for girls basketball will tip-off their 38th season on Tuesday, June 3. 

Games are played in Thiel Gym, and in Kimbrough Fieldhouse. 

Admission for adults is $3, while students are free. 

Old School Coaches- Mark Massey’s Blue Print for Success

Mark Massey was head volleyball coach at Clinton High School (Iowa) for 38 years. He had several teams go to State and five win the Mississsippi Athletic Conference championships. He won 232 conference matches which is the all-time best in MAC history. 

He finished his career with his teams having won 818 matches. 

Mark was the Iowa Coach of the Year in 1994 and twice the finalist for National Coach of the Year. He has been inducted into the NW Illinois HOF, the Iowa VB Coaches HOF, and the Clinton High School HOF. 

I have asked Mark’s players and coaches to share why they think Mark was so successful. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Jay Redfern- Molly Watson Inspiring (2003)

One of the most exciting things for a coach is to see the impact that one generation of players can have on the next generation. To see young players looking up to older players as their idols. 

Jay Redfern in 2003 captured this relationship between Molly Watson and younger players. In Silver Streaks Insider, younger players like Jenna Bicego talk about the impact Molly Watson had on her as a player. 

At the time of the article, Molly was a recent college grad and Jenna was a high school players.

Can You Spot It? Galesburg Picture Quiz #1

I have 25 questions designed to see if you can recognize some places in Galesburg. (Answers at the end- keep your score!)

1973 Streaks & Molly Smith- “Spending Our Whole Lives Watching Boys Get To Play”

This past week I read an article with some of the numbers associated with the WNBA and Caitlin Clark…

** Golden State Valkyries averaging 18,000 for home games.

*** Indiana Fever averaging 16,000 for home games.

*** Teams flying on charter jets

*** TV viewership matching NBA viewership

*** Caitlin Clark has $28 million contract with Nike. 

The interest in women’s sports is booming. It made me reflect on some of the “pioneers” who got women’s sports started in the 1970’s. 

In the Fall of 2022, we were planning a celebration for the Galesburg High School girls basketball program. Interscholastic girls basketball at GHS started in 1972-1973, right after Title IX was introduced. In the Fall of 2022, we anticipated that the Streaks were going to reach a total of 1,000 wins in program history. 

As part of the celebration, we tried to reach out to former player and fans to purchase 1,000 win t-shirts. I received a letter ordering a t-shirt from Molly Smith, who graduated from GHS in 1975. Molly attached a note to her order, which read in part,”Making the team back in 1972 changed my life- finally getting to officially play.” Her letter and my curiousity about that first season, led me to ask her to answer question for Massey Basketball Blog.