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: 5/26/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 26, 2021

1. Baseball: Division 4 top-ranked Beal City clinched its 17th-straight league title by splitting with Evart in the Highland Conference – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

2. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 18 Muskegon Mona Shores downed Division 2 No. 18 Zeeland East 4-1 to lock up fourth-straight league tournament and overall championships, this time in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green – Local Sports Journal

3. Track & Field: Clare’s sweep of Jack Pine Conference championship meets gave the girls an outright league title and the boys a shared championship with Shepherd; both Clare teams are ranked No. 1 in Lower Peninsula Division 3, and Shepherd’s boys are No. 7 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

4. Softball: Division 1 No. 6 Farmington Hills Mercy and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett earned Detroit Catholic League championships – Detroit News

5. Softball: Division 2 No. 5 Gaylord’s sweep of Traverse City Central locked up a shared Big North Conference championship between the Blue Devils and Traverse City West, which swept Cadillac – Petoskey News-Review | Traverse City Record-Eagle

6. Softball: Essexville Garber came back to defeat Alma in extra innings and earn a share of the Tri-Valley Conference East championship – Bay City Times

7. Track & Field: New Lothrop clinched a sweep of Mid-Michigan Activities Conference titles with wins in the third league jamboree – Owosso Argus-Press

8. Track & Field: Centreville swept the Southwest 10 Conference championship meets to clinch both the girls and boys overall league titles – Three Rivers Commercial-News

9. Baseball: Hillman swept Posen to finish its North Star League Little Dipper championship run – Alpena News

10. Softball: Evart and McBain tied for the Highland Conference title with Evart’s sweep of Beal City – Big Rapids News

Also of note …

Baseball: Troy Athens clinched the Oakland Activities Association Blue title with a win over Auburn Hills Avondale – Oakland Press