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: 3/2/18
March 2, 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.
Today's Top 10
1. Girls Basketball: Fowlerville won its first District title in girls basketball since 2002 with a 48-33 win over Williamston – Lansing State Journal
2. Hockey: Unranked Lake Orion scored three goals during the first period in upsetting No. 6 Utica Eisenhower 3-2 in a Division 1 Pre-Regional – Macomb Daily
3. Boys Basketball: Clarkston finished an outright Oakland Activities Association Red title with a 48-38 win over Hazel Park despite not having injured star guard Foster Loyer – Oakland Press
4. Hockey: Traverse City West scored with 7.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and then added the game winner in a 5-4 Division 1 Pre-Regional win over the Traverse City Bay Reps co-op – MI Sports Now
5. Hockey: No. 5 Trenton got past No. 6 Saline 4-0 in a Division 2 Pre-Regional game – Southgate News Herald
6. Hockey: No. 8 Grand Rapids Catholic Central got past East Grand Rapids 4-2 in a Division 3 Pre-Regional – FOX 17
7. Boys Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake, Buckley and Frankfort all won to finish a three-way share of the Northwest Conference title – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. Boys Basketball: Bear Lake claimed a share of the West Michigan D League title with a 93-51 win over Walkerville – Manistee News Advocate
9. Boys Basketball: Calumet downed Hancock 67-42 to guarantee a shared Western Peninsula Athletic Conference title with Iron River West Iron County – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
10. Boys Basketball: Class A contender Holland West Ottawa downed Class B contender Grand Rapids Catholic Central 59-49 – Holland Sentinel
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: Ishpeming’s Hart Holmgren became his school’s al-time leading scorer, breaking a record that had stood since 1965 in a 66-60 win over Escanaba – Marquette Mining Journal
Boys Basketball: Norway edged Rapid River 58-56 as the Knights’ Connor Ortman scored his 1,000th career point – Iron Mountain Daily News
Boys Basketball: West Michigan Conference champion North Muskegon downed Lakes 8 Conference title winner Ludington 55-43 – Local Sports Journal