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: 11/10/15

November 10, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This is a transition week for many schools in Michigan, as some winter sports either started practice or started their second week, while volleyball teams and divers are prepping for MHSAA Regionals. Check out some of the headlines we uncovered during our daily drive around statewide media sites.

Cross Country

Farmington’s Maddy Trevisan and Rockford’s Isaac Harding were named Miss Cross Country and Mr. Cross Country, respectively, by the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association – MITCA.org

Girls Swimming and Diving

Bay City John Glenn continued its reign in the Independent Swim Conference over the weekend as four seniors finished their league careers with four championships – Bay City Times

Volleyball

The last two seasons, Holland Christian has won District titles after beating teams that had beaten them twice earlier those seasons – and will follow setter Kenedy Schoonveld into its Regional Semifinal against another team it lost to earlier this fall – Holland Sentinel

The coaches at Utica and Utica Eisenhower high schools are rivals by virtue of the programs they lead. They’re also married to each other, which obviously makes the fall interesting at the LaPratt home – Macomb Daily

Girls Basketball

Practice started Monday – and here’s the first story we’ve run across. Port Huron Northern is starting out with a little less experience after graduating three key seniors from a year ago – Port Huron Times-Herald