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: 3/2/17
March 2, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Class A girls basketball bracket was shaken up significantly Wednesday and a Class C favorite exited as well as teams played District Semifinals all over the state.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Girls Basketball
Midland Dow downed Saginaw Valley League rival Saginaw Heritage 37-30 in a matchup of Class A championship contenders – Midland Daily News
Ishpeming handed Munising its first and only loss this season, 79-62 in Class C – Marquette Mining Journal
Macomb Dakota upset another expected Class A contender, downing Port Huron Northern 58-53 – Clinton Township Voice
Springport downed Galesburg-Augusta 60-39 in Class C to set a team record with 18 wins this season – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Schoolcraft ended Centreville’s 19-game winning streak with a 45-31 win in Class C – Kalamazoo Gazette
Veronica Kastelic made two free throws with two seconds to play to get Muskegon Mona Shores past Muskegon High 50-49 in Class A – Muskegon Chronicle
Saginaw Swan Valley earned a shot at its first District title in 11 years with a 48-23 win over Tri-Valley Conference East champion Frankenmuth in Class B – Saginaw News
Hockey
Division 3 No. 6 Allen Park got past Wyandotte Roosevelt in a Regional Semifinal – Southgate News Herald
In Division 1, No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood advanced with an 8-2 Regional Semifinal win over No. 10 Troy – Oakland Press
Good Reads
Hartland’s Joey Livingston had to take off last wrestling season to serve as caretaker for his father, who died Jan. 30. He did return to the mat this winter and used those emotions to fuel a run to this weekend’s MHSAA Individual Finals – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
At the 2015 Lower Peninsula Division 2 Swimming & Diving Finals in Holland, a Wyandotte Roosevelt diver had to be revived with CPR and an AED – and then one of the coaches performing CPR had a massive heart attack. This is their updated story, two years later – Detroit Free Press