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: 10/23/2018

October 23, 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.

A pair of Detroit Catholic League Tournament championship celebrations lead a list filled with Monday volleyball winners and a pair of cross country invitational pacesetters.

1. Volleyball: Division 1 top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy swept No. 7 Bloomfield Hills Marian to win the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship for the second straight season – Observer & Eccentric

2. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 6 Wixom St. Catherine claimed its second straight Catholic League C-D title with a sweep of Division 3 No. 4 Riverview Gabriel Richard – Oakland Press

3. Volleyball: Division 2 honorable mention Kingsley and Traverse City St. Francis both went 2-1 at the ABCD quad with Division 4 top-ranked Leland with Traverse City Central also playing – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Cross Country: The Hanover-Horton boys and Pittsford girls won Sand Creek Invitational championships; Pittsford’s girls are ranked No. 4 in Lower Peninsula Division 4 and Hanover-Horton’s boys are No. 3 in LPD3 – Adrian Daily Telegram

5. Volleyball: Midland came out on top in a matchup of second-place finishers in the Saginaw Valley League with a crossover sweep of Flint Powers Catholic – Midland Daily News

6. Volleyball: Pellston earned wins over Gaylord and Harbor Springs – Petoskey News-Review

7. Volleyball: L’Anse took the season’s second “Battle of the Bay” meeting with Baraga with a three-set sweep – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

8. Volleyball: Kalamazoo Central swept Climax-Scotts on the Maroon Giants’ senior night – JoeInsider.com

9. Volleyball: Petoskey swept Cheboygan in nonleague play to improve to 33-4-1 – Petoskey News-Review

10. Volleyball: Chassell continued to make strides with a sweep of Dollar Bay – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Also of note …

Cross Country: From last week, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills girls won the Ottawa-Kent Conference White championship, believed to be the first in program history – Grand Rapids Press

Cross Country: From Saturday, Portage Northern’s boys won their first Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference meet championship in a decade – Kalamazoo Gazette

Cross Country: From Saturday, Parma Western held on at the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference meet to sweep the overall league championships – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Cross Country: From Saturday, Brownstown Woodhaven swept Downriver League meet titles and the boys won the league outright; Allen Park’s girls held on to their overall league championship – Southgate News-Herald girls | boys