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: 10/3/18
October 3, 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.
1. Cross Country: Top-ranked Brighton edged No. 2 Plymouth in a boys race featuring the top teams in Lower Peninsula Division 1; Brighton’s No. 13-ranked girls also won close, by three over honorable mention Plymouth – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
2. Volleyball: No. 2 Farmington Hills Mercy swept No. 8 Bloomfield Hills Marian in a matchup of top Detroit Catholic League Central and statewide Division 1 teams – Oakland Press
3. Volleyball: Division 1 No. 9 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek moved into first place alone in the Oakland Activities Association Red with a 3-2 win over No. 3 Lake Orion – Oakland Press
4. Girls Swimming & Diving: Holland, tied for No. 10 in LPD2, earned its first win over rival and LPD3 No. 4 Holland Christian in four years, by two points – Holland Sentinel
5. Boys Soccer: West Bloomfield earned a share of the OAA Blue title with a draw against Farmington Hills Harrison, but Harrison also can share if it wins its final league game – Oakland Press
6. Girls Golf: LPD3 No. 4 Big Rapids locked up the Central State Activities Association championship – Big Rapids News
7. Cross Country: Traverse City Central swept Big North Conference races, the boys winning by just a point over Alpena; Central’s girls are No. 6 and Traverse City West’s No. 7 in LPD1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. Boys Soccer: Grand Haven scored two second-half goals to edge East Kentwood 2-1 – Grand Haven Tribune
9. Cross Country: Allen Park’s girls added a second Downriver League jamboree win after also claiming the first conference race – Southgate News-Herald
10. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 7 Spring Lake needed a fifth set but got past Sparta – Local Sports Journal
Also of note …
Athletic Directors: The Lansing State Journal takes a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of some local athletic directors – and how much more goes into the job than many may know – Lansing State Journal
Softball: Sterling Heights Stevenson grad Alyssa Huntley, the statewide 2013 Miss Softball Pitcher, was named coach at Midland Dow – Midland Daily News