What was your favorite class (classes), favorite teacher (teachers)?
I had so many good teachers during my GHS years. Some of my favorites include Mrs. Dunn (sophomore year Geometry), Mr. Cochran (sophomore year Biology), Coach Bruington (sophomore year P.E.), Mr. Patterson and Mr. Devore (junior and senior year American Studies), Madame Shelly (junior and senior year French) and Miss Gates (senior year Calculus). Great teachers and great classmates made for an excellent academic experience at GHS.
What are a few of your favorite memories from GHS?
I had a great experience at GHS and a lot of good memories. Without a doubt, my favorite high school memory is the Richwoods game in the Regionals my senior year. Richwoods was undefeated and ranked #1 in the state. We played them earlier in the season in December and lost by 10 or so. The build up to the Regional Final was amazing. The game was at GHS and the gym was sold out. We won in overtime. The fans rushed the court. It was an unbelievable game and feeling. We went on to the Elite 8 in Champaign and lost to the eventual state champ, Morgan Park, on Friday night.
Other favorite memories include making varsity as a sophomore. I didn’t play in varsity games to speak of, but I learned so much from practicing with guys like Joe Swedlund, Mark Wilson, Ian Davies, and Ollie Thierry every day. This was heady stuff for a guy who didn’t start or play a lot in junior high at Churchill.
Summertime basketball is also a favorite memory. We played pick-up games daily in open gym at the high school. Mike Campbell and I played regularly on the outdoor court at Covenant Church. And of course, there were great games nightly in the summer played on Craig Johnson’s backyard full court.
What did you do right after high school?
After I graduated from GHS, I attended the University of Iowa for two years on a basketball scholarship. I played a fair amount as a freshman. I broke a bone in my foot during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. It didn't heal completely, and I broke it again during preseason practice of my sophomore year. Long story short, my sophomore year at Iowa was just a tough year in a lot of ways and at the end of the season I decided to transfer (which was a lot rarer than it is today). I transferred to the University of Evansville after the 1978 spring semester.
The entire Evansville team was involved in a plane tragedy December 13, 1977. There were no survivors. At the time, all transfer student-athletes had to sit out a year before they were eligible to play. The NCAA waived the transfer rule so the Evansville team could be rebuilt more quickly. I played my last two years at the University of Evansville and had a great experience as a student-athlete there.
Where and what did you do for a career?
After working in Evansville for a couple years, I went back to school and earned an MBA at Western Illinois University and then earned my doctorate in Marketing at the University of Kentucky. I have been on the Marketing faculty in the Gatton College of Business & Economics at the University of Kentucky since 1989. In addition to serving as a faculty member teaching and conducting research, I have also served in administrative roles including Director of the School of Management, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs, and am currently the Executive Associate Dean for the college.
Share as much as you want of what you are doing now- still working, where are you, family, etc.
Currently I am working as the Executive Associate Dean in the Gatton College of Business & Economics at the University of Kentucky. My wife Pat and I have lived in Lexington, Kentucky since 1989. We have three adult children, Christie in Atlanta, Sean in Denver, and Laira in Nashville and four grandkids (two in Atlanta and two in Denver).
What advice would you have for today’s Silver Streak athletes?
One of the things I remember Coach Bill and Coach Bob saying that always stuck with me is that “Teams are made from October to March, and players are made from April to September.” This resonated with me as a junior high and high school student-athlete. So one piece of advice is to spend the off-season working on developing your individual skills in a focused way. I am not sure if this is even possible anymore in what seems to be a highly structured, nearly year-around, team-focused world of high school athletics. There is something to be said for playing the game for the sake of playing. I also believe there are so many life lessons flowing out of high school athletics that served me well and will serve current Silver Streak student-athletes well in the future. Learning to compete, being a good team member, and being disciplined all come to mind as lessons student-athletes come by that will be beneficial not just while competing in high school but in life as well.
I did an 5 part in-depth story on the 1976 Streaks basketball team with the focus on the Galesburg vs. Richwoods Regional game. To go to the stories, click below…
Streaks Basketball Alums…
If you earned a varsity letter in girls or boys basketball at GHS- I would really like to include you in “Streaks Basketball Alumni Spotlight.” If you want to be included in the “Streaks Basketball Alumni Spotlight,” simply answer the questions below. (Note- if you are a female who played varsity basketball in the 1970’s before GHS gave females varsity letters- please jump in!!) Either text or email your responses and pictures to addresses below.
1- What year did you graduate?
2- What was your favorite class (classes), favorite teacher (teachers)?
3- What are a few of your favorite memories from GHS?
4- What did you do right after high school?
5- Where and what did you do for a career?
6- Share as much as you want of what you are doing now- still working, where are you, family, etc.
7- What advice would you have for today’s Silver Streak athletes?
If you have pictures from high school, send them OR I will get some pictures from yearbooks from when you were in school. Could you send me a picture of yourself or your family now?
Simple either text me at 309-368-0008, or email me at emass70@yahoo.com
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