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: 10/24/18

October 24, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Boys Soccer Regionals kicked off Tuesday with a series of upsets, while a few more volleyball teams clinched west side or Upper Peninsula league championships.

1. Boys Soccer: Unranked East Kentwood dealt No. 7 Midland Dow its first and only loss, 1-0 in a Division 1 Regional Semifinal – Midland Daily News

2. Boys Soccer: Unranked Grand Blanc scored in the closing minutes to eliminate No. 8 Brighton in Division 1, 2-1 – WJRT

3. Boys Soccer: Unranked Warren DeLaSalle won the shootout to get past No. 4 Berkley 2-1 in Division 1 – C&G Newspapers

4. Boys Soccer: No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood shut out No. 7 Fenton to advance in Division 2 – Oakland Press

5. Boys Soccer: No. 3 Kalamazoo Hackett won a matchup of ranked teams in Division 4, 5-0 over No. 8 Hartford – JoeInsider.com

6. Volleyball: Iron Mountain swept Ishpeming Westwood to add a Western Peninsula Athletic Conference title to its Mid-Peninsula Conference shared championship – Iron Mountain Daily News

7. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 7 Hamilton clinched a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title with a sweep of Hudsonville Unity Christian – Holland Sentinel

8. Volleyball: Saugatuck clinched the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore title with a sweep of Martin – Holland Sentinel

9. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 10 Ann Arbor Skyline held off Canton 1-0 in Division 1 – We Love Ann Arbor

10. Boys Soccer: Tecumseh’s goal three minutes into overtime was the game winner in its 2-1 Division 2 win over Hamtramck – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Volleyball: From Saturday, Division 3 No. 2 Bronson clinched its second straight Big 8 Conference title with a sweep of the league tournament – Coldwater Daily Reporter