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: 10/2/17

October 2, 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. Volleyball: Edwardsburg, after falling to Bronson in pool play, came back to upset the Class C top-ranked Vikings and win their invitational – Coldwater Daily Reporter

2. Girls Swimming & Diving: Battle Creek Harper Creek (LPD3 honorable mention) edged 14-time reigning champion Battle Creek Lakeview for its first All-City championship in this sport – Battle Creek Enquirer

3. Cross Country: The Rockford (LPD1 No. 2) and Hart (LPD3 No. 1) girls and Grand Haven (LPD1 honorable mention) and Fremont (LPD2 No. 10) boys won Allendale Invitational titles against loaded fields – Athletic.net

4. Cross Country: St. Joseph’s boys placed 15-19 individually to win the Berrien County Invitational by a point, while the girls team won for the eighth straight year as standout Anna Fischer earned her third straight individual title – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

5. Boys Tennis: Muskegon Mona Shores edged rival Whitehall by two points to take back the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association title – Local Sports Journal

6. Girls Golf: LPD4 No. 4 Harbor Springs added a Lake Michigan Conference title to a fine season so far, finishing 48 strokes ahead of the field at the league tournament – Petoskey News-Review

7. Girls Golf: Lake Odessa Lakewood won its fifth straight Greater Lansing Activities Conference title, claiming the league tournament by eight strokes and 11 in front of Stockbridge, which was tied for first entering the event – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

8. Boys Cross Country: Gaylord St. Mary’s Brendan Delaney won races two days in a row, running his team’s course record Saturday to finish first at the Boyne Falls Logger Invitational – Gaylord Times-Herald

9. Girls Swimming & Diving: Trenton (LPD3 honorable mention) repeated as Downriver Classic champion with a top-three finish in every event – Southgate News Herald

10. Cross Country: Negaunee swept Escanaba Invitational titles with Colton Yesney and Emily Paupore continuing to dominate; both Miners teams are No. 3 in UPD1 – Marquette Mining Journal