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: 2/22/19

February 22, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

More league championships were awarded Thursday as boys basketball teams finished up their regular season and girls teams closed in on the final week of theirs – and we’re also glad to especially highlight an impressive United Sports effort that brought more than 250 athletes to Novi.

1. Unified Basketball: Novi and the Kensington Lakes Activities Association hosted 10 schools for a league tournament that showcased the growing Unified Sports effort – Detroit News

2. Boys Basketball: Canton downed Howell 78-58 to clinch the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament championship – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Boys Basketball: Walled Lake Northern earned the inaugural Lakes Valley Conference Tournament title with a 29-26 win over White Lake Lakeland – State Champs!

4. Girls Basketball: A big win over Memphis helped Harbor Beach earn a share of the Greater Thumb Conference East title – Huron Daily Tribune

5. Girls Basketball: St. Ignace defeated Cheboygan to clinch the outright Straits Area Conference championship – The Upbeat

6. Boys Basketball: Otsego finished the regular season 20-0 with a 75-61 win over Sturgis in the Wolverine Conference championship game – JoeInsider.com

7. Boys Basketball: Bear Lake’s Trey Gilbert scored 50 points in a 71-48 win over Baldwin to go over 1,000 for his career – Manistee News Advocate

8. Boys Basketball: Pellston secured the outright Ski Valley Conference title with a 54-39 win over Gaylord St. Mary – Petoskey News-Review

9. Boys Basketball: Ovid-Elsie downed New Lothrop 48-28 to secure the outright Mid-Michigan Activities Conference title – Owosso Argus-Press

10. Boys Basketball: Kyle Hulett went over 1,000 career points with 31 for Byron in a 74-72 win over Mount Morris – Flint Journal

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: New Haven’s Romeo Weems, Detroit Renaissance’s Chandler Turner, Canton’s B. Artis White and Westland John Glenn’s Joe Moon were named finalists for the Mr. Basketball Award – State Champs!

Boys Basketball: Gladstone downed Kingsford, but Kingsford’s Tyler Beauchamp became the program’s all-time leading scorer and teammate Luke Terrian scored his 1,000th point – Iron Mountain Daily News

Boys Basketball: From Tuesday, Hale defeated Posen to claim its third straight North Star League Little Dipper title – WBKB