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: 5/24/18
May 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.
1. Softball: Division 1 No. 8 Plymouth continued its impressive run through the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament with a 3-0 win over No. 5 Hartland in the final – Observer & Eccentric
2. Baseball: Unranked Plymouth also clinched the KLAA tournament title in this sport with a 2-1 upset of No. 4 Howell – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
3. Track & Field: Detroit Renaissance swept the Detroit Public School League girls and boys meets, the girls for the second straight year and the boys ending Cass Tech’s seven-year reign– Detroit News
4. Girls Soccer: Division 4 top-ranked North Muskegon gave up its first goal this season, but got five from Sophie Mueller in a 7-1 win over Whitehall in the West Michigan Conference championship game – Local Sports Journal
5. Boys Golf: Battle Creek Harper Creek won its first All-City championship since 2004, by 12 strokes over Lakeview – Battle Creek Enquirer
6. Track & Field: Traverse City Central dominated the Big North Conference meets, sweeping the girls and boys league championships; Central’s boys are ranked No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
7. Girls Soccer: A draw with Division 1 No. 19 Brownstown Woodhaven gave Division 2 No. 9 Trenton its fourth straight Downriver League title – Southgate News Herald
8. Softball: Undefeated and Division 2 No. 3 Spring Lake swept Whitehall to get coach Bill Core his 600th career win – Grand Haven Tribune
9. Softball: Division 2 honorable mention Three Rivers capped a championship season in the Wolverine Conference with a sweep of Paw Paw and 18-0 league record – Sturgis Journal
10. Baseball: Williamston scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to get past Division 4 No. 7 Portland St. Patrick 4-3 in the Capital Diamond Classic – Lansing State Journal
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: Detroit East English coach Juan Rickman has left that post to take the same position at Ferndale – Detroit Free Press