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: 2/5/19

February 5, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Winter Mondays tend to be pretty low-key, but a pair of league champions and one of the state’s top scorers provided plenty of buzz to kick off this week.

1. Boys Basketball: Zach Goodline reached 2,000 career points in leading Coloma past Martin 78-48 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

2. Boys Basketball: Sterling Heights Stevenson earned a share of the Macomb Area Conference Red championship with a 54-45 win over co-leader Roseville on the final night of league play – Macomb Daily

3. Competitive Cheer: Hudson clinched the Lenawee County Athletic Association championship with a win at the final league jamboree – Adrian Daily Telegram

4. Boys Basketball: Cadillac downed Lake Michigan Conference leader Traverse City St. Francis 58-47 in nonleague play – WPBN

5. Girls Basketball: Richland Gull Lake outscored Portage Central 3-2 in overtime for a 45-44 win – JoeInsider.com

6. Boys Basketball: Jordan Benson’s last-second 3-pointer gave Adrian Madison a 58-56 win over Britton Deerfield in a matchup of Tri-County Conference contenders – Adrian Daily Telegram

7. Girls Basketball: Bay City Western earned an impressive 42-24 win over Bay City John Glenn – Bay City Times

8. Boys Basketball: North Muskegon held off Ludington 54-47 to improve to 13-1 – Local Sports Journal

9. Girls Basketball: Gobles improved to 11-0, holding on for a 49-44 win over Saugatuck – WWMT

10. Boys Basketball: Otsego scored the game’s first 16 points and improved to 15-0 with a big win over Allegan – WOODTV

Also of note …

Wrestling: From Saturday, New Boston Huron clinched a second straight outright Huron League championship – Southgate News-Herald