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: 1/18/19

January 18, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A basketball weekend filled with major showdowns got rolling Thursday, but our top performance comes from the pool where a pair of powerhouse neighbors faced off.

1. Boys Swimming & Diving: Ann Arbor Pioneer, No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, got past No. 2 Skyline 111-75; Skyline also is the reigning LPD1 champion – We Love Ann Arbor

2. Boys Basketball: Oxford won a matchup of unbeatens, 49-46 over Pontiac to move into first place alone in the Oakland Activities Conference Blue – Oakland Press

3. Girls Basketball: Kingsley moved into first place alone in the Northwest Conference with a 47-39 win over Maple City Glen Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Boys Basketball: Pewamo-Westphalia remained undefeated with a 60-56 overtime win over Dansville – Lansing State Journal

5. Girls Basketball: Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s Baylee Baldwin went over 1,000 career points in a victory over Petersburg-Summerfield, and Carleton Airport’s Emily Swiercz tied her school’s record with 33 in a win over Riverview – Monroe News

6. Boys Basketball: First-place Clarkston downed Oak Park 66-52 in a matchup of OAA Red contenders – Oakland Press

7. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 6 Hudsonville held on for a 178-136 win over honorable mention Grand Haven – Grand Haven Tribune

8. Boys Basketball: First-place Madison Heights Madison finished a Macomb Area Conference Silver sweep of second-place Clinton Township Clintondale, 88-84 in overtime – Macomb Daily

9. Girls Basketball: First-place Detroit East English continued to surge in the Public School League East-Town with a 62-36 win over Pershing – Detroit News

10. Boys Basketball: Posen defeated Hillman for the first time since 2012, 68-51 – WBKB