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: 2/23/18
February 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.
Today's Top 10
1. Girls Basketball: Wayne Memorial won a matchup of top Class A teams statewide, downing Howell 50-46 to claim the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall championship – Observer & Eccentric
2. Girls Basketball: Traverse City St. Francis clinched a share of its eighth straight Lake Michigan Conference title with a 56-47 win over Charlevoix, which entered tied for first – Traverse City Record-Eagle
3. Girls Basketball: Petoskey finished an outright Big North Conference championship with a 40-32 win over Cadillac – Petoskey News-Review
4. Boys Skiing: Reigning Division 2 champion Petoskey finished another perfect run through the Big North Conference – Petoskey News-Review
5. Girls Basketball: Clarkston and Birmingham Groves clinched shares of Oakland Activities Association Red and White titles, respectively – Oakland Press
6. Girls Basketball: Royal Oak earned the other share of the OAA White championship with a win over West Bloomfield – Oakland Press
7. Girls Basketball: Bear Lake downed Walkerville to claim a share of the West Michigan D League championship – Manistee News Advocate
8. Boys Basketball: Detroit Henry Ford Academy standout Trevion Williams went over 1,000 career points with 12 in a 51-48 win over Ecorse – Detroit Free Press
9. Girls Basketball: Morenci’s Daelyn Merillat joined teammate Mady Schmitz as the only players in program history to score 1,000 points with 25 in a win over Britton Deerfield – Adrian Daily Telegram
10. Hockey: Division 2 No. 7 Marquette closed the regular season with a 3-2 comeback win over Division 3 No. 2 Calumet – Marquette Mining Journal