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: 1/26/18
January 26, 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. Wrestling: Division 1 No. 3 Brighton clinched the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship with a 38-25 win over No. 2 Westland John Glenn – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
2. Boys Skiing: Reigning Division 1 runner-up Traverse City Central and Division 2 seven-time reigning champion Petoskey dominated the Big North Conference opener, with Petoskey winning by half a point – Petoskey News-Review
3. Girls Basketball: A big fourth quarter pushed Detroit Mumford past Detroit Renaissance in a matchup for first place in the Detroit Public School League West Division 1 – Detroit News
4. Girls Basketball: Manton downed McBain Northern Michigan Christian in a matchup of teams that entered tied for first in the Highland Conference – Cadillac News
5. Boys Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 1 top-ranked Holland Christian got past No. 7 Grand Rapids Christian 114-63 to claim the Legacy Trophy, named in honor of the late Riley Hoeksema – Holland Sentinel
6. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 honorable mention Grand Haven relied on superior depth to edge Hudsonville 158-156 – Grand Haven Tribune
7. Boys Basketball: Saginaw Swan Valley hung on for a 60-54 win over Ovid-Elsie in a Tri-Valley Conference crossover featuring the first-place teams in the Central and West, respectively – Saginaw News
8. Boys Basketball: Clarkston got past West Bloomfield 61-48 in a matchup of Oakland Activities Association Red powers that also met in the Class A Semifinals last season – Oakland Press
9. Boys Basketball: Scottville Mason County Central, third in the West Michigan Conference, connected on three free throws to force overtime, but second-place Whitehall emerged with a 54-47 victory – Local State Journal
10. Project Unified: The Kensington Lakes Activities Association has partnered with Michigan Special Olympics to form a Project Unified basketball schedule this season, and member school Hartland is featured in this report; the MHSAA provides support and promotes Unified Sports, with teams frequently playing games as part of the March Magic Hoopfest also supported by the Greater Lansing Sports Authority – WHMI
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: From Tuesday, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley downed Macomb L’Anse Creuse North to give coach Kevin Voss his 500th win – Macomb Daily