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: 5/28/19

May 28, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of May saw the majority of the final regular-season events for the 2018-19 school year, plus the annual team championship meets in track & field hosted by the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association.

1. Track & Field: The Clare top-ranked girls and No. 2-ranked boys repeated in sweeping MITCA team championships in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

2. Track & Field: The Pittsford No. 2-ranked girls won their third straight MITCA Division 4 team title, while top-ranked Addison won the boys title – Hillsdale Daily News

3. Track & Field: The top-ranked Zeeland East girls and top-ranked Zeeland West boys won MITCA Division 2 titles – Holland Sentinel Girls | Boys

4. Track & Field: The top-ranked Rockford girls and top-ranked East Kentwood boys won the MITCA Division 1 championships – Athletic.net

5. Baseball: Division 2 No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s won its first Detroit Catholic League A-B title with a walk-off hit in the 10th inning to get past Division 1 No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central – State Champs Sports Network

6. Baseball: Division 3 No. 4 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett downed No. 3 Riverview Gabriel Richard to win the Catholic League C-D title – State Champs Sports Network

7. Baseball: Division 1 No. 3 White Lake Lakeland got past No. 9 South Lyon to clinch the Lakes Valley Conference title – Oakland Press

8. Softball: Colon ran its winning streak to 20 straight with a sweep of Burr Oak that clinched a Southern Central Athletic Association title – Sturgis Journal

9. Boys Golf: Austin Fauser and Clinton continued their domination of the Tri-County Conference with league titles – Adrian Daily Telegram

10. Softball: Posen celebrated a North Star League Little Dipper title with a sweep of Hale – Alpena News

Also of note …

Softball: Division 2 honorable mention Chelsea claimed a share of the Southeastern Conference White title with a win over Monroe – Chelsea Sun Times

Softball: Division 1 No. 3 Howell and honorable mention New Baltimore Anchor Bay continued their back-and-forth to finish as the new MHSAA record holder for home runs in a season – State Champs Sports Network

Softball: From Thursday, Division 4 No. 9 Unionville-Sebewaing clinched the outright Greater Thumb Conference West title with a sweep of Bad Axe – Huron Daily Tribune

Track & Field: From Thursday, Brimley claimed both the girls and boys Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference meet championships – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Softball: From Thursday, Division 2 top-ranked Escanaba finished a league title run in the Great Northern Conference with a shutout of Marquette – Escanaba Daily Press

Boys Golf: From Thursday, Hanover-Horton – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – won the Cascades Conference tournament to force a shared league title with No. 4 Napoleon – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Track & Field: From Tuesday, Sault Ste. Marie’s girls and Newberry’s boys won Straits Area Conference meet titles – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Softball: From last week, Division 3 honorable mention Stanton Central Montcalm locked up its fifth straight Central State Activities Association Gold title – Greenville Daily News