Hall of Fame Insights: 5 Tips for Parents

 

Question of the Week: What are five tips for parents to help their son/daughter have a positive athletic experience? 

33rd and Final Season: Ray VanHootegem a Silver Streak Legend

Ray VanHootegem started coaching girls swimming at GHS in the Fall of 1993. This Fall will be his 33rd and last year coaching Silver Streaks swimming. 

Ray has also coached the Streaks boys swimming coach for the last 14 seasons. He has been a varsity swimming coach for 47 seasons. And by the time you add in his years coaching the Knox County YMCA swimming team, Ray has probably coached over 80 seasons of swimming in Galesburg. 

Coach VanHootegem’s dedication to swimming in Galesburg is incredible. Ray is a Silver Streak legend.

I have asked some of his swimmers to share their memories of swimming for Ray, their perspective on why he has been so successful, and what his impact has been on them. 

A Collection of 8 Illinois State Basketball Champions from 1908 thru 1946

Local historian, Tom Wilson had a scrapbook with pictures of some of the early Illinois State Basketball Champions. He had 8 pictures of teams from the era of 1908 thru 1946. This is not intended to be all inclusive. 

I have added some scores, all-tourney teams, and box scores for some of these tourneys. Enjoy!!

Photo Essay: Celebrating Women’s Basketball Boom

Women’s basketball is in a very good place. There has been a real boom in interest in women’s basketball in the last few years. 

The Seattle Storm just honored the role that Sue Bird played in this growth of popularity in women’s basketball. The Storm dedicated a statue to honor Sue Bird.

Streaks Basketball Alums: Mark Junk 1987

Favorite Class? Favorite Teacher?

Outdoor Living with Coach Bruington 

Some of favorite memories from GHS?

Playing basketball with my brother John on varsity, my sophomore year

Pekin Christmas Basketball Tournament game against Rich East

Regional Championship game, where we beat Coach Peck’s brother 

Caitlin Clark: Whether Back or Not, It’s Going to Be Tough

Everything was great until it wasn’t

With 10 games to go for the Indiana Fever, there is a sense of desperation for fans. Without Caitlin Clark, they started their west coast road trip on a bright note. Then they got dumped by the LA Sparks and just hammered by Phoenix. The last two losses could be dismissed as- underhanded vs strong teams at the end of a long road trip. 

1971 Pekin Christmas Tourney- Competing Coaches

 

Streaks Scrapbook- 1935 Ponies & JH City Championship

Clear back in 1935, Galesburg basketball understood the importance of preparing younger players for varsity basketball. 

The “lightweight” or sophomore team was called the “Ponies.” In 1935 the Galesburg Ponies were coached by Charles Bednar. Coach Bednar had been a star basketball player at Knox College and later he would become famous as the GHS baseball coach and Athletic Director.

Streaks Volleyball: Ready to Serve on August 25

Coach Nicole Kisler will be starting her second season as the Streaks volleyball varsity head coach. They have had an exciting summer with a strong group of returning players. 

The Streaks will open on the road at Burlington on Monday, August 25 before returning to Thiel Gym for their home opener on Wednesday, August 27 vs. West Central. 

Coach Kisler shared their summer progress and the excitement about the upcoming season. 

Streaks Basketball Alums: Scott Shaver 1979

Scott Shaver (GHS Class of 1979)

What are some of your favorite memories?

Playing in front of a huge crowd, the Western Big 6 was great competition, Quincy was rated #1 in the state,  East Moline was rated #2, (we beat East Moline pretty soundly), we almost beat Quincy at Quincy!  Also memorable was coming out of the locker room and hearing the band play, the crowd, and you felt like you could jump out of the gym. Also breaking the backboard at GHS, dunking!  (I still have some of the glass!) I made lifelong friends from GHS. A special memory for me was when I was inducted into the GHS Athletic HOF. 

Massey Quiz #5: 15 Galesburg Photos

 

I have fifteen Galesburg pictures of the past and present. There may be pictures of places, people, monuments, parts of buildings, and even more. The quiz is designed to celebrate how wonderful Galesburg is, and test your knowledge of our community. Enjoy and have fun!!

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

1973 Illinois Coaches All-State Board- Filled with Legends

 

Massey Quiz #6: 15 WNBA Players

How many of these basketball pictures can you recognize? These are 15 players from the WNBA. Enjoy and have fun!!

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

Old School Coaches: 5 Tips for Players to Make Your Season Successful

 

This Week’s Question: As athletes head into their sports seasons, what are 5 tips you would give to athletes to help them make their season successful and their experience a positive one?

Streaks Football: Set to Kick Off August 29

Shawn Hickey is starting his second season as the Silver Streak varsity head coach. It is actually the first season where he has been able to run an entire off-season program in preparation for the 2025 season. 

I honestly could not tell you what the Streaks will be doing in terms of X/O’s- what their offense or what their defense will be this coming season. I still get over to GHS often enough to see from a distance what is going on in the athletic program. My quick takes on what Coach Hickey has brought to GHS football:

Old School Coaches: Back for Year #2

“Old School Coaches” is back for another year. Our format has changed just a little bit this year. Some of our coaches like Coach Bennett were getting worn out writing every other week. When he found he was not getting graduate credit for this, he rebelled. 

This year will have four of our coaches addressing a topic each week, but we will take one week off. On the off-week, I will be posting one of last year’s blogs again. 

I really appreciate these coaches taking the time to share their thoughts. I know I have learned a lot reading their posts over the last year, and I certainly hope that maybe some “new school coaches” will also find it valuable. 

This year our “recruiting coordinator”, Mark Massey really came thru for us. We have added two legendary coaches from the State of Iowa. Kathy Bresnahan (Iowa City West) and Diane Lichtenberg (Bettendorf) were HOF coaches and State Champions in volleyball. 

1960’s Illinois HS Coaching Legends- 20 Photo Quiz

Tom Wilson, a Galesburg sports historian kept scrapbooks that included clippings from the ‘50’s, ‘60’s, and ‘70’s. Here are twenty pictures of famous Illinois boys basketball coaches from this era. 

How many of the twenty can you identify?

Streaks Basketball Alums: Ted Trueblood 1994

Ted Trueblood- GHS Class of 1994

What are some of your favorite memories from GHS?

Playing for the Silver Streaks was something that has become more special with age.  Playing in front of several thousand fans on Friday night against some of the powerhouse programs in the state at the time was an incredible experience, and it is something that I think about often when I watch my girls still playing basketball in the Western Big 6, especially when they’ve played at Galesburg.

Fever Update: Chasing Homecourt in Playoffs

Lexie Hull Where Have You Been

Going into the All-Star game Lexie Hull led the WNBA in 3 % and then has gone thru a huge slump. Saturday night she went 4-6 from threes. With McDonald and Colson out, she started and played 32 minutes. She appeared to play with the same confidence and energy that she did early in the year after coming off the Unrivaled season. One can only hope that all of the injuries eventually allow players like Hull to get minutes and confidence. 

Slappin’ Glass: Jeff VanGundy- Guarding Stars & More

Slappin’ Glass just keeps rolling out great podcasts. If coaches are not listening to them regularly, you are missing out on a great resource. And any of you who have heard Jeff VanGundy speak before know that he is absolutely a must-listen speaker. 

Focus on Preventing the Star From Scoring in These Ways

1- Stop Transition scoring by the star

2- Don’t allow them to be an offensive rebounder

3- No reckless shooting fouls 

4- Staying with spot up shooters when star has the ball is a MUST

From Silver Streak to Lieutenant Colonel: Sara Wood’s Vision for Effective Leadership

The school year is about to start up. It is a chance for a “fresh start” for students in their classes, and for athletes in their sports. In the classroom there are many opportunities to learn and to develop new skills as a problem solver. In athletics, it is a chance to develop a stronger work ethic and improve on the skills of the sport. 

One area of focus for students and athletes is to become stronger leaders. Strong and active leaders in the classroom can elevate an entire class. Invested leaders on a sports team have the ability to turn a good team into a great team. 

Sara Wood graduated from GHS in 1996. She was a tough competitor and an intense leader that helped her Streaks basketball team finish third in State. In a career in the Marines, Sara rose to become a Lieutenant Colonel, specializing in intelligence. She has been an instructor in Cyberspace Operations and also in Information Operations. Presently, she is a Registered Nurse and also is the Intelligence Section Head in the Marine Corps Reserves. 

Streaks Basketball Alums: Alicia Brannon-Canario 1988

Alicia Brannon-Canario (GHS Class of 1988)

What are some of your favorite memories from GHS?

It's tough to narrow down some of my favorite memories from GHS because there were many! A few that come to mind are having Mr. Devore as a teacher, mentor and confidant and the comradare that came with being a part of succesful basketball and track teams. Mr. Devore helped me fill out college/scholarship applications and he believed in me at a time when it mattered the most. Many of my teammates for Streaks basketball and track became great friends of mine. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention how close the class of 1988 were and resulting friendships that still endure today. 

WNBA- 13 to Go, Controversial Podcasts, & Trump

13 To Go

After tonight’s game, the Indiana Fever are down to only 13 games to go. It would seem that the Fever have elected to make sure Clark is 120% healthy before returning. It will be interesting to see if when she comes back if she indeed has enough time and the Fever have enough time to develop any kind of rhythm going into the playoffs. 

Most experts think Clark’s comeback will be vs. the Lynx on Friday, August 22. The reasoning is that the Fever will play the Sun on Aug. 17 and the Fever will then potentially have 4 days for the team and Clark to practice. The Lynx game on the 22nd will start a grueling schedule- Lynx, Lynx, Storm, Sparks, Valkyries, Mercury, Sky, Mystics, and Lynx. So it would mean Clark would play in last 9 games of the season, all would be play-off contenders, and three games vs Lynx. 

I am not on the inside with medical staff but it would seem to me that during the stretch before Aug 22 when the Fever play the Sky, Wings, Mystics, and the Sun that it might be good to use that stretch against weaker teams as kind of a “pre-season” for Clark. If she could just play 10-15 minutes per game, it would seem like it would be a great way to phase her back in. 

Streaks Basketball Alums: Rob Johnson 1972

Rob Johnson- GHS Class of 1972 

What are some of your favorite memories of GHS?

My favorite memories were from my senior as starting guard for the Streaks and Coach Thiel. During summer camp before my senior year Coach had me practicing as a guard. I had always played forward up until then. He said you’re athletic enough to play guard so the rest is history. I wound end up playing guard for the rest of career in college.

Spotlight on Galesburg: Your Weekly Photo Quiz #4

I have fifteen Galesburg pictures of the past and present. There may be pictures of places, people, monuments, parts of buildings, and even more. The quiz is designed to celebrate how wonderful Galesburg is, and test your knowledge of our community. Enjoy and have fun!!

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

Choosing Not To Choose: Lily Furrow’s Multi-Sport Success at Galesburg (Part 2)

Today more and more high athletes specialize in just one sport. Often they are pressured by high school coaches, club coaches, travel team coaches, or AAU coaches to focus on just one sport. The message is often,”If you want to get a scholarship, you need to do this sport year-round.”

So athletes become committed to doing one sport for a solid 12 months. Numerous sports psychologists feel this leads to a “burn out” by athletes. And there are “sports trainers” who feel the rise in more injuries by pitchers in baseball and more ACL/achilles injuries in basketball may be the result of 15-16 year old using the same muscles and the same actions in the same sports over and over. 

Lily Furrow, who will be a senior at Galesburg HS is certainly the exception to athletes specializing. Whether she or her parents heard the voices saying just do this sport, she chose not to specialize. If anything, probably Lily’s greatest regret is that there are only 3 sports seasons so she can’t do an 4th sport. 

Choosing Not To Choose: Lily Furrow’s Multi-Sport Success Story at Galesburg HS (Part 1)

Today more and more high athletes specialize in just one sport. Often they are pressured by high school coaches, club coaches, travel team coaches, or AAU coaches to focus on just one sport. The message is often,”If you want to get a scholarship, you need to do this sport year-round.”

So athletes become committed to doing one sport for a solid 12 months. Numerous sports psychologists feel this leads to a “burn out” by athletes. And there are “sports trainers” who feel the rise in more injuries by pitchers in baseball and more ACL/achilles injuries in basketball may be the result of 15-16 year old using the same muscles and the same actions in the same sports over and over. 

Lily Furrow, who will be a senior at Galesburg HS is certainly the exception to athletes specializing. Whether she or her parents heard the voices saying just do this sport, she chose not to specialize. If anything, probably Lily’s greatest regret is that there are only 3 sports seasons so she can’t do an 4th sport. 

Slappin’ Glass: Zach Chu- Using Analytics

Coach Zach Chu worked as an assistant for Rick Carlisle in Dallas, then in Indiana. His area of expertise was to use analytics to help drive decision-making. Chu went from working in the pros to be an assistant with SMU, and now is the head men’s basketball coach at Radford. 

Here are some thoughts from Coach Chu:

He believes that the role of analytics in is to take a “problem solving approach to basketball, anchored with data.”

The Summer the Stars Aligned: My 1962 All-Star Game Adventure

My dad, W.F.Massey was a high school teacher, coach, and athletic director in Savanna, Illinois. In Savanna, everyone called him “Mass.” Summers we loaded up the car and went back to where he had grown up, in rural Hollandale, Wisconsin. There to his four brothers and the family, he was his called by his middle name, “Ford.” Dad owned a dairy farm that he rented out. Our summers were spent cutting thistles, white washing the barn, building fences, and getting to play baseball with all the Massey cousins. 

Massey Quiz #7: 1960’s/1970’s Galesburg HS Coaches- Identify 20

 I have twenty Galesburg pictures of the past. These are some of the Galesburg HS coaches from the 1960’s and 1970’s. The quiz is designed to celebrate Galesburg and test your knowledge of our community. Enjoy and have fun!!

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

10 Tips for Athletes: Using Sports to Grow Life Skills

Participation in high school sports can be a valuable experience. Studies point out the value of participation in athletics. Many successful people point back to their athletic experience as being important to their success later in life. 

Athletics can be used to build self-confidence, the ability to handle adversity, teach value of teamwork, foster leadership skills, and build pride. 

Streaks Basketball Alums: Molly Watson-Fourdyce 1997

Massey- What are some of your favorite memories from GHS?

Molly- I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be a Silver Streak! I got to play the game I love with my best friends, and the best coaching staff in Illinois! The entire experience of playing basketball at GHS was a highlight for me. Learning the value of work ethic, teamwork, and getting the opportunity to compete in multiple state tournaments for the best fans in Illinois is something I will never forget!

Massey Quiz #3- Baseball Photo Challenge

Can you identify these baseball pictures? I have 20 past and present Cardinals, Cubs, and White Sox. Enjoy and have fun!!

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

Caitlin Clark Effect- How It Compares to Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Sue Bird

Preface

I realize that many are tired of hearing about Caitlin Clark. Non-Fever fans think someone like me is giving her too much attention. Fever fans are apt to express they don’t want to hear about any drama. This past week I had an opportunity to read Howard Megdal’s Becoming Caitlin Clark, the Sophie Cunningham Podcast came out, and listened to a couple podcasts on WNBA finances. So while what I am going to write may seem like old news, I hope I am sharing some new twists to the old story. 

Old Time Basketball- Small Courts Made For Complicated Game

High school players from 1900 to 1950 seldom played games on a regulation 84 foot basketball court. Most court were around 64 feet. That often meant the top of the key and the center circle were either very close to each other or they even overlapped. 

In the 1930’s, my father at Fulton always scheduled one game at Wharton FH vs Moline. It was a rare opportunity to play on an 84 foot court. 

With small courts, there were many unusual ground rules to cover unusual things. For many early gyms, seating was in a balcony. It was not unheard of for the balcony to go over the court and have support poles on the court. Generally if the ball hit the pole, they played it as still live unless it went out of bounds. Some schools considered an overhanging balcony as being inbounds while others considered it out of bounds.