Strategy- 1998 Coach Pogue’s Play

 Matt Pogue was an assistant coach for me during the 1992-3 season. He was a great assistant- he had experience, he was invested in the players, and he had great insights. We were a lot like in that after the games, we liked to analyze and reanalyze the games. It was fun. On one occasion, my wife came downstairs at 3am and asked us to hold it down a little. 

Matt was a coaches son, Buddy Pogue had been a legendary coach at Costa JH for years. And Matt had been an assistant in boys basketball for Mel Casper at Avon. Casper had been one of the most successful small school coaches in this area for years- first at Avon and then at Lewistown. 

During the 92-93 season, Matt shared a play they had used at Avon that he thought was very successful. The concept of the play was to have a double high post, take the ball to one side, and then have the weakside post flash across the lane and back screen the other post. It was something that was successful for us in 92-93 but something we did not really use after that until 1997 season. 

Strategy- 1998 Press Adjustments

 

In 1998, we had beaten Dixon in OT 66-60 at Galesburg. While we didn't feel we had played well, in the Sectional we played them in the Championship game. We were #1 seed and they were #2 seed. The first time our press had not been very successful against them. So we looked to see if we could make any adjustments to our normal 1-2-1-1 press. 

Our primary defense was to press 1-2-1-1 then fall back into half-court man to man defense. This shows our alignment. 

#1= Jaque Howard or Sarah Pacheco

#2= Michelle Flaar or Rachel Bicego

#3= Megan Pacheco

#4= Jenny Zolper or Whitney Snyder

#5= Sarah Larson

Mark Harden Jr- New GHS Freshman Coach

Mark Harden Jr. has been an outstanding JH coach and Freshman Boys Coach for the last several years. He is willing to invest hours to help young players to grow and improve as players. Mark has shown the ability to pick out the important details needed in skill development. It is exciting that not only is he the 8th Grade Girls Coach this year, but he will also be the Freshman Girls Coach this winter. It will be exciting to see what he adds to the Girls Basketball Program. 

Massey- How did you get involved in basketball?

Coach Harden- I have had a basketball in my hand since I was 3 years old and have loved the game ever since! I played in my first league when I was in 2nd grade at the YMCA. The basketball court has always been where I felt most comfortable and relaxed. I went to Lombard Middle School and had two great basketball seasons in 7th and 8th grade, where I was able to hone my skills more and become a better leader. I will never forget the Lombard vs.Churchill game! It was an amazing event, a competitive rivalry that brought the town of Galesburg together. 

Coaching 101- HS Coaches Can Learn From College Transfer Portal

Sometimes our biases cloud how we look at things. I don't know if that is the case with with me in what I am writing. I believe college players should be paid, just not with the present system. And I believe they should be able to transfer but not with the total, unlimited freedom of today. Usually when people talk about the transfer portal, the focus on how it is impacting competitive balance that we once were used to seeing.

I watched two football games this past Saturday, and they both got me thinking about the importance of culture and the importance of player development. I am not talking about what college coaches should do, I am thinking that there may be some valuable lessons for us as high school coaches. What I saw reminded me of two important lessons in coaching. 

Streaks Scrapbook- 1959 Boys 3rd in State

 

Boys  1959-    

3rd in State        

29-2        

(State Rank- #1)

The 1959 Galesburg basketball team is considered by many to be the best Silver Streak basketball team of all-time. Obviously deciding such a thing is open to debate. Clearly, the ‘59 Streaks must be in that debate. 

Anyone who knows history would not be surprised for me to start out talking about how a transfer impacted the team, but they would be surprised to find out that i am talking about two transfers that took place clear back in 1950. Two fourth grade boys moved into Galesburg on the exact same day in 1950. Jimmie Carr was from Texas, and Otis Cowan was from Arkansas. They lived a block from each other, and were in the same fourth grade class. 

They developed a relationship early on with Coach John Thiel. They lived within a couple blocks of GHS and the Steele Gym. The Streaks varsity would hold evening practices on Wednesdays that were open to the public. Cowan and Carr as 8th graders would walk over to watch practice. Coach Thiel would take time to talk to them and set them up to do some stats or run the scoreboard for him. 

Today, Jimmie Carr is famous as an all-time great radio announcer for Streaks basketball. People probably don’t realize how great he was as a player. In 1959, Carr (6’0”) and Cowan (5’10”) were Galesburg’s starting backcourt. Together they brought havoc on opponents with their quickness and pressure defense, and offensively pushed the ball. Together with what they could do offensively and defensively, veterans considered them one of the all-time best backcourts in GHS history. 

IHSA Tourney Proposal- High Seeds Host

 In Illinois in the 1930’s, there was a period of time when the team who took second in the Regional tourney also advanced to the Sectional level. The IHSA has made adjustments throughout the years. 

Up until the 1990’s, the IHSA assigned teams to a particular Regional, and a specific site. The frustration coaches, players, and fans had with this setup was that sometimes the two best teams in that whole area of the State might be in the same Regional. For example in the boys 1976 Regional at Galesburg, they sent Richwoods (#1 in the State) to play Galesburg (#7 in the State.) Coaches pushed for a change in format that would allow a chance to separate the best teams. The idea was to have the Galesburg vs Richwoods matchup take place on a neutral site at the Sectional level. 

1959- Steele Gyms Last Season

The 1959 Streaks were excited because they thought they were going to be the first team to play at the new high school located out on Fremont St. Because there water issues, the opening of the school was delayed. So the '59 Streaks were the last team to play in Steele Gym. 

Realize that Steele Gym was old but a great gym. In 1959, the two best gyms in western Illinois were Wharton FH and Steele Gym. And the last season at Steele was great- the '59 Streaks did not lose a single game. 

The following is a description with pictures of Steele Gym:

Steele Gym- A Community Treasure

This Sunday- Streaks Scrapbook- 1959 Boys 3rd in State

1959- Jimmie Carr- All-Time Great Streak

When people think about Galesburg basketball, nobody is more associated with the Streaks than Jimmie Carr. He has covered the Streaks on the radio for decades and still supports both the girls and the boys basketball teams. 

It all started for Jimmie as a player. Jimmie was one of the best players on one of the best teams in GHS history. 

The following is an interview with Jimmie Carr:

Jimmie Carr- I Was So Excited, I Could Hardly Sleep

This Sunday- Streaks Scrapbook- 1959 Boys 3rd in State

1959 Carr, Cowan, Nixon, Cox, Cannon, Nichols

The 1959 Silver Streak basketball team may have been the best basketball team in Galesburg history. They lost only one regular season game, and they were ranked #1 in the State most of the season. They finished the regular season as the #1 ranked team in Illinois. 

It's Official- Albert & Elbert Kimbrough Field House

It is exciting that the District #205 School Board voted on Monday night to name the GHS Fieldhouse- The Albert and Elbert Kimbrough Fieldhouse. It will honor the 1957 GHS grads. The following is the letter that was sent to the School Board:

When District #205 chooses to name a building or area of the schools after individuals, it is a way for the school district to recognize and honor the achievements of individuals. The naming is also an opportunity for District #205 to educate our students and our community about individuals who have made historic contributions. The naming can also become a source of inspiration to Galesburg students to look at what is possible and to set their own dreams.

Gyms- Girls Deserve The Best

I saw a picture on social media of the UTHS girls basketball team in an open gym in the school’s main gym. The floor had been redone evidently this past off-season and it looked spectacular. Seeing the girls doing an open gym in the main gym gave me hope that maybe the girls were going to start playing there again. I couldn’t help myself, so I fired off several texts to people to ask if the girls would be moving back into the main gym. Happily, my sources indicate that the Panthers will be playing their girls games in that gym.

Streaks Scrapbook- 1997 Girls 4th in State

1997- Fourth in State    

33-2   

(State Rank #2)

The Streaks headed into the 1997-8 season after the 3rd in State finish by the 1995-6 team and the Sweet 16 finish by the 1994-5 team. Winning was expected but a return trip to State was probably not likely.

The 1997 team lost 60% of their scoring with the graduation of Sara Wood, Ami Pendry, and Jennifer Bulkeley. Wood and Pendry had been three year regulars, and Bulkeley a two year regular. 

The 1997 Streaks had a core group of Molly Watson (Sr- 5'4" Guard 19.0ppg), Melanie Pendergrass (Jr- 5'8"- Guard- 11.0ppg), Angie Galyean (Sr- 5'8"- Forward- 6.7ppg, 3.5rpg), Sarah Larson (So- 5'11"- Post- 9.7ppg, 8.7rpg), Jessica Thompson (Sr- 5'10"- Post- 7.7ppg, 5.8rpg), Megan Pacheco (Fr- 5'9"- Post- 6.5ppg, 4.8rpg), Meg Sherwood (Sr- 5'8" Guard- 3.5ppg). 

While many focused on what the Streaks lost in graduation, they missed what was returning. Watson had just signed to play D1 basketball at DePaul and was returning to start her third years as point guard. Thompson was returning as a starting post player. Larson, Sherwood, and Galyean all had been regulars. Larson slid into the starting lineup as a post. Galyean moved to the perimeter as a senior. She was limited as a shooter but gave the Streaks quick, athlete on the break. Watson would hit her over and over during the year as she sprinted the lane. And Galyean and Thompson were just what the Streaks needed at the front of their press- two long and active defenders to torment the ball. 

While Megan Pacheco was just a freshman and Sarah Larson just a sophomore, it should be noted that Pacheco, Larson, and Watson even today are in the top six of GHS career scoring. So in retrospect, the 1997 team had three of Galesburg's greatest players on their roster. 

Friday Fotos- 1997 Relentless Press

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures. This was the Galesburg press creating a turnover vs. Taylorville in the semi-finals at State in 1997. There are four Galesburg players on the floor going for a loose ball. The end result was a layup by Galesburg, and setting up the press again. 

Strategy- 1997 Molly Watson’s Play

As coaches, sometimes we think that offensively we need to make it complicated to “fool the defense,” or we need multiple plays to “trick the defense.” I was probably guilty of that too many times thru the years. In 1996-7 season, I was not guilty of trying to be too complicated. 

In 1997, we shot in transition off steals, rebounds, and made baskets about 25% of the time. We ran one simple action 50% of the time, and then ran others sets 25% of the time. Is this a successful formula, or is that too simple? In 1997 it was a successful formula. Galesburg went 27-0 in the regular season, ranked #2 in Illinois, and finished 4th in State. 

Why did something this simple work? The answer was Molly Watson. Molly was returning for her third year as starting point guard and that fall had signed with DePaul, a perennial top 20 program. At 5’4”, she was ver good. Rock Island coach, Rod Leatherman labeled her as,”The best girls basketball player I have ever seen.”

Faith and Coaching

In conversations with Thom Sigel, I became aware of the FCA Coach's Huddle that he is a part of. Earlier, I did an interview with Thom where he discussed the group- how it worked, who was involved, and the impact the group had on him. 

The conversation with Thom got me thinking about how religion and faith can impact individual coaches. In this blog, I have had an opportunity to see how five coaches feel their faith has impacted their coaching. Their thoughtfulness and caring for their student-athletes is inspiring. 

Jason Marquis- Bureau Valley, Head Boys Basketball Coach. He has been coaching at BV for 16 years, and been their head coach for 12 years.

David Terronez- Bettendorf, Head Boys Cross Country and Track Coach. He has been in this position for the last 10 years. He also was Head Cross Country and Track Coach at Rock Island for 12 years, and has been involved coaching basketball during this time. 

Ryan Kelley- Geneseo, Junior High Boys Basketball Coach and HS Golf Coach. Ryan has coached for 30 years as a HS boys and girls basketball coach. 

Thom Sigel- Retired- Thom was Head Boys Basketball Coach at Rock Falls and Rock Island. (If he ever comes back, it would seem the only "Rock" left would be Rockridge.)

Andrew Hofer- He was formerly the Head Football Coach at Mercer County. Today he is director of Three Rivers FCA.