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: 5/20/22

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 20, 2022

1. GIRLS TENNIS No. 7 Elk Rapids won its first Regional championship in the sport, finishing atop its Lower Peninsula Division 4 field with No. 9 Traverse City St. Francis second – Traverse City Record-Eagle

2. BOYS LACROSSE Division 2 No. 4 East Grand Rapids defeated Division 1 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 12-11 in overtime – Twitter

3. GIRLS SOCCER For the second-straight season, Audrey Archambault scored on a penalty kick to give Division 2 No. 7 Haslett the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup championship, this time with a 2-1 win over Division 3 top-ranked Williamston – Lansing State Journal

4. SOFTBALL Hartland won its first Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament championship with a 2-0 victory over Division 1 No. 10 Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. BASEBALL Division 2 No. 5 Goodrich moved to 29-0 and clinched the overall Flint Metro League title with a 3-0 win over Flushing – Flint Journal

6. GIRLS SOCCER Division 3 No. 7 Essexville Garber locked up its third-straight Tri-Valley Conference division title with a 4-1 win over No. 8 Freeland – Bay City Times

7. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 3 Northville clinched the KLAA Tournament title with a 7-3 win over No. 6  Howell – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. BOYS GOLF Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice won the Oakland County Division 1 championship with a 288, one stroke better than LPD1 No. 7 Novi and three lower than Detroit Catholic Central – Oakland Press

9. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Gladwin swept Pinconning to clinch the Jack Pine Conference championship – Midland Daily News

10. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 5 Muskegon Mona Shores earned a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title with a 4-1 win over Holland – MuskegonSports.com