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: 1/8/17
January 8, 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 3 top-ranked Dundee scored 348 points to set a record at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Invitational, breaking its previous record by nearly 50; Division 2 No. 4 New Boston Huron finished runner-up – Monroe Evening News
2. Hockey: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s scored three unanswered goals to upend host Hancock 3-2; OLSM is No. 3 in Division 1, and Hancock is the top-ranked team in Division 3 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
3. Hockey: Brownstown Woodhaven downed Riverview Gabriel Richard 4-2 to win its New Year Tournament and give coach Bryan Sullivan his 400th career win – Southgate News Herald
4. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 3 Gaylord finished 5-0 to win the Grand Ledge Invitational, with a win by tie-breaker criteria over No. 5 Eaton Rapids – Gaylord Herald Times
5. Cheer: Reigning Division 3 runner-up Richmond kicked off this season by winning the Division 1 portion of its home invitational – Port Huron Times Herald
6. Girls Basketball: Lexi Niepoth set a Bellaire record with 27 rebounds to go with 24 points in a 54-21 win over Johannesburg-Lewiston – Traverse City Record-Eagle
7. Wrestling: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central won its annual invitational topping a field that included No. 7 Oxford – Oakland Press
8. Wrestling: Adrian improved to 15-1 this season with a championship at its dual invitational – Adrian Daily Telegram
9. Boys Swimming & Diving – LP Division 1 No. 5 Northville moved to 7-0 this winter with wins over honorable mentions South Lyon Unified and Canton, and Plymouth – Observer & Eccentric
10. Cheer: Adrian Madison won its invitational by nearly 30 points to top a field of 10 varsity teams – Adrian Daily Telegram
Also of note …
Girls Basketball: Kingsford and Iron Mountain filled the gym for the Flivvers’ 72-56 win, a show of support less than a week after two Kingsford classmates died in a car crash – Iron Mountain Daily News