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: 12/12/17
December 12, 2017
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: Harbor Springs downed Alanson 42-25, but Alanson’s Brooke Nguyen did score her 1,000th career point – Petoskey News-Review
2. Girls Basketball: Rivals Ishpeming and Westwood traded leads late before the Hematites came out on top with two free throws at the end, 42-40 – Marquette Mining Journal
3. Boys Basketball: Class C Beaverton moved to 3-0 with a 56-43 win over Class A Midland Dow in the Chargers’ season opener – Midland Daily News
4. Boys Basketball: Boyne City continued to bounce back from its early loss to McBain by handing Cedarville its first defeat, 63-39 – Petoskey News-Review
5. Girls Basketball: Canton held on for its first win and to hand Novi its first loss despite 37 points by Ellie Mackay – Observer & Eccentric
6. Boys Basketball: Jake Witt continued to star as undefeated Ewen-Trout Creek got past Calumet 67-55 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
7. Football: A group of 13 Upper Peninsula schools with 8-player teams announced the formation of a football-only conference to begin play in 2018 – Escanaba Daily Press
8. Coaches: Marine City Cardinal Mooney boys basketball coach Mike McAndrews writes a guest commentary on the ways he’s been blessed by his two decades on the sideline – Port Huron Times Herald
9. Wrestling: Warren Lincoln hosted its first Tom Costello Invitational on Saturday, renaming the annual event in honor of a 1991 MHSAA champion who died in a crash in August – Macomb Daily
10. Hockey: Plymouth turned its two-game trip to Grand Rapids at the start of this month into a “Father-Son Weekend” filled with activities in addition to games against Forest Hills Northern/Eastern and Grandville – Observer & Eccentric