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: 4/30/18

April 30, 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: Brighton's Chloe Haskins struck out 23 hitters in a 10-inning no-hit 1-0 win over Division 4 No. 9 Onaway – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Boys Lacrosse: Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central downed Division 1 No. 6 Birmingham Brother Rice 12-5 – WOOD TV

3. Boys Lacrosse: Division 2 No. 7 Battle Creek Lakeview claimed its All-City championship with a 13-2 win over Harper Creek – Battle Creek Enquirer

4. Boys Golf: East Grand Rapids won Division 2 and the overall championship at the Traverse City Tee-Off with a two-day score of 631; Big Rapids’ Pierce Morrissey was the individual medalist with a two-day 145 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Track & Field: Livonia Churchill’s girls repeated as Livonia Public Schools Invitational champions by a mere four points, while the boys repeated by a slightly larger margin – Observer & Eccentric Girls | Boys

6. Track & Field: Host Gibraltar Carlson’s boys won their seventh straight Marauder Invitational while Grosse Ile’s girls also repeated as champions – Southgate News Herald Girls | Boys

7. Track & Field: Pewamo-Westphalia’s girls and boys dominated in claiming Chesaning Invitational championships – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

8. Softball: Division 3 honorable mention Boyne City won its home invitational outscoring its opponents by a combined 35-1 – Petoskey News-Review

9. Baseball: Hillman won its inaugural Tiger Invitational with wins over Brimley and Ogemaw Heights – Alpena News

10. Softball: Division 2 No. 3 Escanaba remained undefeated with a sweep of Bay City Western – Escanaba Daily Press

Also of note …

Conferences: Houghton Lake and Roscommon will be leaving the Jack Pine Conference after 2018-19 for the Highland Conference, while Marion will leave the Highland this summer for the West Michigan D League – MI Sports Now