Coach Evan Massey- Galesburg IL—1018 Wins, 2009 National Coach of the Year, Nat’l Coaches’ HOF NW IL HOF, Knox HOF, GHS HOF, IBCA HOF—- (Twitter-@MasseyBball) (Facebook- Massey Basketball) (Facebook- Massey Basketball Clinic)
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Friday, July 25, 2025
Lindstrom’s: Century of Sounds & Sales- How Teenagers Made Lindstrom’s a Hit in Galesburg
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Streaks Alumni Spotlight- Clay Britton, Class of 1980
Massey- What are some of your favorite memories from your GHS days?
Clay Britton- How great the Galesburg community supported the Silver Streaks. Beating Quincy my Senior year.
A Streaks Basketball Reunion- Hanlon, Thiel, Range
Today I got to go to Thiel Gym to watch Denver East’s Olivia Hanlon work out. Olivia is Class of 2028 and the daughter of Sean and Karla (Emery) Hanlon (GHS Class of 1995). It was fun to watch her as she made 200 threes. Her grandpa and I solved a lot of world problems as we watched!
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
15 Galesburg Pictures- Quiz #2
This is a picture quiz to see if you can recognize some of the sights in Galesburg.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Slappin’ Glass: John Tauer- Successfully Parenting Athletes
Coach John Tauer is the head men’s basketball coach at St.Thomas University in Minnesota. St. Thomas has gone from D3 to D1 in basketball. Coach Tauer has a PhD in Psycholgoy with his background in social-psychology. He actually taught Soc-Psych on a college level. He is the author of Why Less Is More for WOSP’s (Well-Intentioned, Over-Involved Sports Parents.
John Willy: 25 Years of Discipline, Dedication, and Championships in the Pool
In 25 years coaching Streaks swimming, John’s teams won the WB6 10 times. His teams won the Sectional championship 9 times. From 1994-1999 his teams won 6 straight WB6 titles, 6 straight Sectional titles, and went 52-0 in dual meets. Swimming under Willy had 9 seasons going undefeated in dual meets.
The discipline and commitment of his swimmers was inspiring to other athletes and other coaches at GHS. The obvious relationship between work ethic and success was evident with the swimmers.
John Willy grew up in Galena Illinois (northern suburb of Savanna). I am not sure how someone in Galena would learn enough about swimming to be such a successful coach. My guess is that he snuck down to Savanna to take swim lessons in the Mississippi as a youngster.
I reached out to some of his swimmers and asked them to share their experience in the swim program and the impact Coach Willy had on them. The swimmers responses show the pride they still feel in having been part of the GHS swim program, and the impact that Coach Willy had on them as swimmers and now as adults.
Monday, July 21, 2025
Slappin’ Glass: Brook Cupps- Building Culture
No surprise, another great podcast from Slappin’ Glass. They interviewed Coach Brook Cupps from Centerville HS in Ohio. Coach Cupps has a couple books and a website that deal with changing your perspective as a coach and about building culture in your teams. Here are some highlights from the podcast:
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Caitlin Clark: A Black Light in a Hotel Room- Part 2
I am doing a lot of walking these days. Minnie and Nellie have Tractive devices on their collars to measure their activity. They are really pretty lazy laying around the house. So to help them reach their goals for the day, we do a lot of walking. And I do a LOT of listening to Podcasts.
The line from “The Herd” that stuck with me- “Caitlin Clark is like a black light in a hotel room.” Indeed, Clark’s popularity has brought eyes to the WNBA which the WNBA thinks is great. The eyes on the WNBA has brought scrutiny to the WNBA which they don’t always want and they don’t always know how to handle.
The WNBA like many businesses and many sports who are trying to “make it,” probably did a lot of things on the cheap side. Not anticipating how dramatic the increased income and increased attention was going to be- the WNBA is the hotel manager who didn’t know he needed to get the “Presidential Suite” a deep clean. The WNBA didn’t shine their own black light around the room, so it has been the media, the players, and the fans shining the black light to explore the WNBA room.
I am not sure Caitlin Clark is actually the black light in the WNBA hotel room, rather I think because of Caitlin Clark’s popularity she has helped others pull out the black light.
In Part 1, I focused on the issues of salary more than anything, and expressed pessimism that the WNBA will fairly deal with the issue without a lockout or strike first occurring. My focus in Part 2 is to look at the quality of games- in particular officiating and the rules.
Caitlin Clark: “A Black Light in a Hotel Room”- Part 1
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Silver Streaks Took The Train To Michigan Camp
Not being real bright, I had us scheduled to go again in 1989. In early June I got a letter from the Chicago camp saying they had cancelled our session and moved us to another session a week later.
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Streaks Scrapbook- 1960’s- 2 in Big 10 & 1 in MVC
Clippings in Tom Wilson’s scrapbook. Three Silver Streak greats playing in the 1960’s at Illinois, Northwestern, and Bradley.
Streaks Basketball- Coach Lexi Demott Reviews Summer Progress
Coach Lexi Demott started her second Summer as the Streaks girls head basketball coach. They are coming off a successful 20+ win season and a Regional championship. Galesburg will return 4 starters- Grace, Ella, and Taylor Herchenroder, along with Joz Kilgore. They will be juniors. In addition, Lily Furrow (Sr) and Khloe May (Sr) will return after being regulars last year. With all the returning players, there is great excitement about the 2025-6 season. I had a chance to ask Coach Demott some questions about how their Summer went.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Streaks Basketball: Coach Taylor Thiel Reviews Summer Progress
Taylor Thiel was hired in the late Spring to be the GHS boys basketball coach. In the blink of an eye, he was running the Summer program for the Streaks. In Illinois, June is a crucial month for high school basketball. June is when high school teams have practices and games.
While the Summer season is important for the growth of the players, it is also significant time for the high school coach. Coaches get the opportunity to see how players respond in competitive situations, as well as how they respond to coaching. So the month of June was a great opportunity for Coach Thiel to learn about this team. I was able to ask Taylor some questions about how Streaks basketball went this summer.
1956 Streaks- How Good Were They?
This is from Tom Wilson’s scrapbook- a few of the Silver Streaks playing on college teams in 1960. Realize this is not all the Streaks who were playing in college in 1960, but it is what’s in the scrapbook.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Why All The Clark Injuries?
Aliyah Boston: Dribble Hand Off Actions
Aliyah Boston has become really good over the last year in executing the short roll on ball screens, and on dribble handoff options. This season with the DHO actions, she usually gets a good screen and seldom gets called for an offensive foul, plus she reads the defense and make very good choices.
Monday, July 14, 2025
Marjorie Evans: 1929 Reflector Editor and A Lot More- My Mom
My mother, Marjorie Evans graduated from Galesburg High School in 1929.
She was described in the Reflector this way, “Marge is to be highly complimented on her work. She is a senior this year and when she leaves us, GHS will lose a valuable student.”
Sunday, July 13, 2025
Indiana Fever- Wow! Look Sharp vs Dallas
Watching the Fever vs the Wings, I am reminded of the coaching adage- “Shooting makes up for a multitude of sins.” The Fever made 52% of there shots. It is tough not to look good when you shoot 52%.
Pacers and Fever- Flow Offense
The success of the Indiana Pacers offensively has brought attention to the “Flow Offense.” It appears the concept of the “Flow Offense” originated with Rick Carlisle when he was with the Dallas Mavericks. The motivation for its creation was that Carlisle wanted to play fast and he wanted to allow the players to have freedom to read and react.
Friday, July 11, 2025
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…
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.
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Galesburg- SMU Connection Led To 1972 SW Conf Championship
This photo of Galesburg HS grads- John Tuszinski, Zack Thiel, and Ruben Triplett on the SMU Mustangs’ 1972 basketball team is from the Tom Wilson Collection.
Triplett 18.2ppg, 10.8rpg
Thiel 10.0ppg, 3.4 apg
Tuszinski 5.5ppg, 3.9 rpg
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
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!)
Fever’s Floundering: Critical Examination of Loss To Valkyries
It has been an up and down season for the Fever and for Caitlin Clark. A combination of factors have led to making it seem there have been more downs than ups. The Fever have dealt with Clark injuries, adding new players, dropping new players, big wins (vs Lynx, Storm, Liberty), and brutal losses (vs Sun, Valkyries).
At the beginning of the year, there were high hopes that the Fever might be up challenging New York and Minnesota. As the Fever are only 3 games from the mid-point of the season (right now have played 19 of 44 games), they are not close to being a top two team in the league. Right now, depending if you are a glass half-full or half-empty person- the Fever are either tied for 7th or 9th with Washington and Las Vegas. 9th place would mean the Fever would not make the playoffs. Some may say it is still early and Clark just got back- BUT THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
After The Timeout Podcast: Jamon Copeland- Offensive Nuggets
If you have not listened to After The Timeout Podcast with Jon Palicki and Todd Zasadil, you are missing so much. Jon and Todd are both coaches in Illinois, and they interview coaches from all over America. Often their podcasts are not with the famous names but coaches who are making a name on D3, D2, and lower D1 levels.
I have gotten so After The Timeout is one of my go-to podcasts on our dog walks. Some podcasts I listen to for pleasure and some I take a small index card and pen to stop and write some key points down. Their podcast with Jamon Copeland was one where I filled up my index card— great stuff!!
Jamon Copeland is the head men’s coach at Ave Maria University. I want to share just a few of the highlights from the podcast.
Please realize when I post about a podcast or clinic, I am not speaking for that presenter, rather giving my reaction and interpretation.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Monday, July 7, 2025
Recruitment 101- 6 Questions College Coaches Ask About HS Players
Here are the 6 most common questions college coaches asked me about my players:
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Is Illinois Missing Out? Year-Round Coaching in Arkansas
As high school coaches and high school administrators, it is very easy to assume that the way we do things in our State is either the best or the only way of doing things.
As an Illinois basketball coach, we sometimes played Iowa or Wisconsin schools. When we played the Iowa and Wisconsin schools, it became apparent that different States actually had different rules- such things about whether a players could play in the pre-lim and the varsity game, whether coaches could stand or not, and even whether you had a jump ball to start the game.
Now in retirement, on my visits this winter to Oklahoma I became aware that they organized their state tourney to allow double-elimination in the early tourneys of the series. And in a smaller State, Oklahoma had at least 6 classes.
When first confronted to these difference in other States, my knee jerk reaction was, “That’s stupid” or “Our way is better.” But the more I thought about the differences, the more I began to ask, “Is the way that Illinois runs things the best way?” I began to realize that Illinois could benefit by re-examining historical methods and realize that there maybe better ideas out there.
Justin Shiltz was one of the most successful coaches in girls basketball in the WB6 Conference during his tenure at UTHS. His matchup zone still causes me to wake up in a cold sweat even in retirement. Justin is now coaching in Arkansas and I have maintained contact with him- picking his brain on a variety of topics for my blog posts.
Slappin’ Glass Podcast: Mike DeGeorge- Analytics and Offense
Slappin’ Glass Podcast always comes thru with great interviews. I really enjoyed their interview with Coach Mike DeGeorge of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Coach DeGeorge discusses how he developed his offense and how he has used analytics to break down the offense.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Beyond the Gold- Streaks Champs Share Their Stories (Part 2)
I reached out to 8 GHS athletes who won individual State Championships, and 2 GHS athletes who won a doubles State Championship. My purpose has been to celebrate and honor their achievements, and to use their stories as an inspiration for athletes today.
I certainly appreciate this athletes taking the time to share their memories and to share their insights into what is needed to be a champion.
This is Part 2 “talking” with Caricia Andrews, Greg Whittle, Travon Diggins, Josh Eiker, and Gauge Shipp.
Friday, July 4, 2025
Beyond the Gold- Streaks Champs Share Their Stories (Part 1)
I reached out to 8 GHS athletes who won individual State Championships, and 2 GHS athletes who won a doubles State Championship. My purpose has been to celebrate and honor their achievements, and to use their stories as an inspiration for athletes today.
I certainly appreciate this athletes taking the time to share their memories and to share their insights into what is needed to be a champion.
This is Part 1 “talking” with Gene Denisar, Mike “Charlie” Doyle, Dean McKillip, Nate Bobofchak, and Jason Gunther.
4th of July with The Massey Brothers
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Glenn, Oswald, Grandma, Ford, Wendell, Dwayne |
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Caitlin Clark’s All-Star Ranking: Reality Check for Clark or Embarrassment for Players?
It is a great time in the WNBA. TV viewership, game attendance, and merchandise are all exploding.
In 2024, WNBA games on CBS were up 170%, ION went up 133%, and ABC’s All-Star game was up 305%. That means lots of money in the next TV contract, which means better salaries, better practice facilities, and continued charter flights.
In 2024 attendance went up 48%. The highest average attendance for a team was 9,207 back in 2012. This year 9 of the 13 teams average over 10,000 fans, with Indiana 16k, Golden State 15k, and New York 13k. That means lots of money in the next TV contract, which means better salaries, better practice facilities, and continued charter flights.
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
The Summer the Stars Aligned: My 1962 All-Star Game Adventure
The American League outfield had Roger Maris (Yankees), just off his 61 home run season but Mickey Mantle was injured. Here were the position players:
Roberto Clemente- Pirates- OF
Frank Robinson- Reds- OF
Willie Mays- Giants- OF
Hank Aaron- Braves- OF
Orlando Cepeda- Giants- 1B
Ernie Banks- Cubs- 1B
Tommy Davis- Dodgers- OF
Stan Musial- Cards- OF
Billy Williams- Cubs-OF
Ken Boyer- Cards- 3B
Eddie Matthews- Braves- 3B
Del Crandall- Braves- C
John Roseboro- Dodgers- C
Bill Mazeeroski- Pirates- 2B
Bob Gibson- Cards- P
Johnny Padres- Dodgers- P
American League
Rich Rollins- Twins- 3B
Yogi Berra- Yanks- Of
Bobby Richardson- Yanks- 2B
Roger Maris- Yanks- OF
Rocky Colavito- Indians- OF
Jim Gentile- Indians- 1B
Earl Battey- Twins C
Elston Howard- Yanks- C
Luis Aparicio- Sox- SS
Tom Tresh- Yanks- SS
I did not keep a great scorecard so I am not sure which pitchers got in. The National League included pitchers, Juan Marichal and Bob Gibson. By my count, there were about 25 future hall of famers in the game. At one time the outfield for the NL was Musial, Mays, and Clemente. Then it was Clemente, Aaron, and B.Williams. Not bad. But the NL lost 9-4.
After the game we made our way back to our Olds 88. My mom had packed a picnic lunch for us to eat at the car as we waited for traffic to clear out. As we were eating food, other people came to our small lot got their cars and left. About 45 minutes after the game was over, the people parked in the car in front of us came out of the ballpark.