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: 1/19/18

January 19, 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 2 No. 5 Gaylord claimed its 11th straight Big North Conference championship with wins over Alpena and Petoskey – Gaylord Herald Times

2. Boys Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 3 top-ranked Holland Christian got past No. 6 Otsego 108-75 in the high school debut of standout Ian Miskelley – Holland Sentinel

3. Boys Basketball: The Northwest Conference title race opened back up Thursday as Maple City Glen Lake handed Frankfort its first loss of the season to create a three-way tie atop the standings – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Girls Basketball: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central asserted itself in first place in the Huron League with a 52-47 overtime win over New Boston Huron – Monroe Evening News

5. Bowling: The Bay City Western girls won an overtime match over Midland for first place in the Saginaw Valley League, while the Chemics’ boys also remained undefeated in league competition – Midland Daily News

6. Hockey: Petoskey ended an 18-game, eight-year losing streak against Traverse City Central with a 6-1 win over the Trojans – Petoskey News-Review

7. Boys Swimming & Diving: Rockford earned a 167-148 win over Grand Haven in a matchup of LPD1 honorable mentions – Grand Haven Tribune

8. Boys Basketball: Baldwin’s Blake Dockery scored his 1,000th career point in his team’s 77-62 win over Walkerville – Big Rapids News

9. Boys Basketball: Ewen-Trout Creek star Jake Witt grabbed 24 rebounds to go with 24 points and seven blocks in his team’s 63-42 win over Chassell – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

10. Football: Traverse City West coach Tim Wooer has resigned to return as coach at Kingsley; West was 9-2 last season in Wooer’s 10th at the helm, and Kingsley was 1-8 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Also of note …

Cheer: The Battle Creek Enquirer explained one of the most impressive skills in competitive cheer, the back tuck, and why it’s the slam dunk or home run of that sport – Battle Creek Enquirer