Linked Up: 12/19/11

December 20, 2011

We've hit a bit of a slow spot with schools out for break and most contests reserved for holiday showcases and the like.

Here are some suggestions if you have some time for some reading between now and the start of 2012.

High school coaches try to bring basketball back to basics (Detroit News)

For most of the last decade, we've heard about the recessing of basketball fundamentals even among elite high school players. Enter Ben Kelso, Marshall Thomas and a number of other Michigan coaches who have pledged to end that trend. Tom Markowski tells us how the Metro Detroit Basketball Coaches Association aims to do so.

Lantzy retires after more than 4 decades as Ike grid coach (Macomb County Advisor & Source)

Utica-Eisenhower coach Bob Lantzy has been his school's only varsity football coach. He took four teams to MHSAA Finals and this fall became one of only nine state football coaches to win more than 900 games. He has retired after 41 seasons, and Kevin Lozon fills us in on the legacy.

Tabahn Afrik poised for greatness in pool for West Ottawa (Holland Sentinel)

The Holland area has its next big swimming star. Dan D'Addona introduces us to Tabahn Afrik, a freshman at Holland West Ottawa who qualified for the MHSAA Division 1 Finals in two events in his first meet this season.

High school basketball: History of class hoops is just that (South Bend Tribune)

"Hoosiers" made Indiana's former one-class basketball tournament known on a grander scale. But Indiana went to classes (similar to Michigan's) beginning in 1997-98. Al Lesar tells us how some in the state are attempting to revert to one class.

Today in the MHSAA: 9/30/19

October 1, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The race was the place to be this weekend as girls swimming & diving and girls and boys cross country invitationals produced much of our best competition and many of our top performances.

1. Girls Swimming & Diving: Farmington Hills Mercy – No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – placed first and LPD3 No. 1 East Grand Rapids second at the prestigious Pioneer Classic at EGR – Swimcloud.com

2. Cross Country: The Bridgman girls continued their perfect season and the Berrien Springs boys repeated at the Berrien County Invitational – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

3. Girls Golf: Carleton Airport won its first Monroe County tournament championship, shooting a 360 to clear the field by 21 strokes – Monroe Evening News

4. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD3 honorable mention Trenton earned six first places to win the Downriver Classic for the third straight season – Southgate News-Herald

5. Cross Country: The UPD2 top-ranked Ishpeming boys ran their streak at their Tracy Strom Invitational to six victories, while the UPD1 No. 2 Houghton girls won their side and Negaunee’s Emily Paupore set a course record – Marquette Mining Journal

6. Cross Country: Caledonia swept Division 1 titles (the girls are No. 14 in LPD1, the boys No. 8), while the LPD2 top-ranked East Grand Rapids girls and top-ranked Otsego boys were victorious in Division 2 at the Otsego Invitational – Athletic.net

7. Cross Country: The Dearborn Divine Child (LPD2 No. 7) and Ann Arbor Pioneer girls (LPD1 No. 6) and East Lansing and Walled Lake Northern boys won Coaches Legends Classic championships – Athletic.net

8. Boys soccer: LPD2 top-ranked Richland Gull Lake edged Portage Central 1-0 to lock up the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship – JoeInsider.com

9. Boys Tennis: LPD3 No. 9 Petoskey earned a 5-3 win over LPD4 top-ranked Allegan – Petoskey News-Review

10. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow outpaced seven others to win the Tri-Cities Championship – Midland Daily News