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: 6/2/25
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 2, 2025
(Please also see Finals coverage of track & field, Lower Peninsula girls tennis and Upper Peninsula girls and boys golf throughout MHSAA.com.)
1. GIRLS LACROSSE Saline downed Farmington Hills Mercy 13-11 in Division 1 to claim its first Regional title in this sport – Saline Post
2. SOFTBALL Cedar Springs defeated Greenville and Rockford to clinch its first District championship in this sport, in Division 1 – Grand Rapids Press
3. GIRLS SOCCER No. 11 Hartland handed No. 2 Bloomfield Hills its first and only loss this season, 2-1 in a Division 1 District Final – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. SOFTBALL Division 3 top-ranked Clare won its District, defeating Farwell 18-3 in the championship game after downing No. 3 Evart 5-0 to advance – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
5. BASEBALL No. 2 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart won its first District title since 2016 by downing No. 3 Beal City 9-0 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
6. BASEBALL Trenton repeated as a Division 2 District champion with wins over No. 4 New Boston Huron and No. 14 Flat Rock – Southgate News-Herald
7. SOFTBALL South Haven came back to defeat No. 5 Stevensville Lakeshore 7-5 in a Division 2 District Final – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
8. BASEBALL No. 6 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s clinched a Division 2 District title with a 3-0 win over No. 8 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep – Oakland Press
9. GIRLS SOCCER Mattawan downed Battle Creek Lakeview 3-2 in Division 1 to clinch its first District title in 24 years – Kalamazoo Gazette
10. SOFTBALL Port Huron Northern edged honorable mention Macomb Dakota 8-7 in eight innings to claim its first District title since 2003, in Division 1 – Port Huron Times Herald