Basketball Connection: Streaks Who Played At Knox College

Ziggy Hamblin (2nd from left) on 1914 Elite 8 Streaks team. 

According to my research, 26 Galesburg Silver Streaks have gone on to play basketball at Knox College. 22 men and 9 women played for both Galesburg HS and Knox College. (To make the list complete, please add missing names in the comments.)

Streaks Record Holders That Played for Knox

Ethan Meeker (GHS-2016)

GHS Boys All-Time Scoring Leaders

#3-   Ethan Meeker (2016)- 1,768

#11- Mark Junk (1987)- 1,124

#16- Ted Trueblood (1994)- 1,050

GHS Boys All-Time Three Points Made

#1- Ethan Meeker (2016)- 282

Jessica Howard (GHS-2011)

GHS Girls All-Time Scoring Leaders

#4- Jessica Howard (2011)- 1,516

GHS Girls All-Time Three Points Made

Career- #1- Jessica Howard (2011). 378

Season- #1- Jessica Howard (2011). 139 (#2 in State History)

Bucky Swise (GHS-1938)

Streaks Champions That Played for Knox

Jim Wetherbee (Knox-1974)

The following Knox players were on Streaks teams that went to State:

Ziggy Hamblin- 1914 Elite 8

Chuck Bedner- 1929 Sweet 16

Bucky Swise- 1937 Elite 8, 1938 Elite 8

Ken Lundeen- 1946 Elite 8, 1947 Elite 8

Bill Graning- 1955 Elite 8, 1956 Sweet 16

Otis Cowan- 1959 3rd in State

Ed Havens- 1960 Sweet 16

Jeff Sandburg- 1960 Sweet 16

Dave Wood- 1966 2nd in State, 1968 2nd in State

Jim Wetherbee- 1969 Elite 8

Kevin Heimann- 1998 2nd in State

Andie Allison- 2003 Elite 8

Jessica Howard- 2011 Elite 8

GHS Grads Who Were Knox’s All-Time Scoring Leaders When Graduated

1951- Ken Lundeen- 658

1960- Bill Graning- 952

1964- Otis Cowan- 970

1973- Dave Wood- 1,104

1977- Dave Woodward 1,837

Streaks Basketball Players in Knox HOF

Ziggy Hamblin- 1920

Chuck Bednar- 1933

Bucky Swise- 1942

Ken Lundeen- 1951

Bill Graning- 1960

Otis Cowan- 1964

Dave Wood- 1973

Dave Woodward- 1977

Mark Junk- 1991

My Streaks-Knox Starting Five

Bill Graning- 1960

At GHS, Graning was a key player on two great Galesburg teams. In 1955, he played for Frank Adams, who later became his Knox coach. That team with Graning as the leading scorer lost in the Elite 8. The following year under first year Coach Thiel, they lost a heart breaking double over-time game in the Supersectional to the eventual State Champs. 

Graning was a starter on the 1958, 1959, 1960 Midwest Conference Champions. He was First Team All-Conference as a junior and senior. His junior year he averaged 19.7ppg/11.5rpg, then as a senior 17.7ppg/11.9rpg. 

Otis Cowan- 1964

At GHS, Otis formed a lethal backcourt with Jimmie Carr. This Streaks team with Bumpy Nixon inside was ranked #1 in Illinois for most of the 1959 season. They lost in the semi-finals and finished 3rd in State. 

Cowan was an incredible ball handler. Knox’s delay game was to give Cowan the ball and get out of his way. His shooting range may have been the best of any Knox play in history. While in high school, playing with Bumpy Nixon, he did not shoot from outside. In college, he became a prolific perimeter shooter. When opponents came out to take away his three, he developed what today is called a “step-back” shot and just shot from farther out. He led his Knox team’s in assists all three years. 

Dave Wood- 1973

At GHS, Dave has the distinction of being on two teams that both finished 2nd in State. Woody dressed varsity as a soph on the ‘66 team and then was a key starter on the ‘68 team. 

Woody was a three year starter at Knox College. His senior year, he was first team all-conference and led the conference in scoring, scoring 21.7ppg. 

Wood remains the #12 all-time scorer at Knox with 1,104 points in his career. 

Dave Woodward- 1977

Dave Woodward was a four year starter for Knox College. He was a key member of the 1975 Midwest Conference Champions. Woody was 2 times first team all-conference. Upon graduation, Dave was the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in Knox history. 

Dave is still the #1 all-time scorer at Knox with 1,837 points in his career. 

Mark Junk- 1991

Mark was a prolific scorer at GHS. When Mark graduated, he was #5 in career scoring for GHS behind Byron Thierry, Eric Johnson, Dale Kelley, and James Reinebach- indeed pretty elite company. Mark was offered Division I full-rides but chose to attend Knox. 

Mark continued scoring at Knox. He finished his career with 1,646 points, placing him #3 all-time in scoring. Over his career, he averaged an incredible 21.1ppg. Mark started all four years, he was second team all-conference twice and first team all-conference twice. 

Other Streaks Who Played for Knox

If I am missing some players- just message me in the blog comments!!

Jeff Sandburg (GHS-1961)

Ziggy Hamblin

Chuck Bednar

Bucky Swise

Ken Lundeen

Bill Graning

Otis Cowan

Jeff Sandburg

Ed Havens

Dave Wood

Rod Christy

Mike Panther (Costa)

Jim Wetherbee

Dave Woodward

Scott Baldwin

John Junk

Mark Junk

Mick Swanson

Ted Trueblood

Kevin Heimann

Chris Heimann

Ethan Meeker

Eric Thompson

Carl Dortch

Andie Allison (GHS-2004)

Laura Tiehen

Cammi Heimann

Trish Hickey

Andie Allison

Kelly Ricketts

Stef Baker

Claire Anderson

Jessica Howard

Mickey Rodriguez