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: 5/12/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 12, 2021

1. Baseball: Blissfield coach Larry Tuttle became the state’s winningest all-time at 1,317 victories with the Division 3 No. 5 Royals’  sweep of Hillsdale – Adrian Daily Telegram

2. Track & Field: The Marion girls and Manistee Catholic Central boys clinched West Michigan D League championships – Cadillac News (Girls) | Manistee News Advocate (Boys)

3. Girls Tennis: Utica outpaced the rest of the Macomb Area Conference Blue to claim the league tournament championship – Macomb Daily

4. Girls Soccer: Top-ranked Troy Athens downed No. 3 Rochester 5-1 in a matchup of statewide contenders in Division 1 – Oakland Press

5. Track & Field: Escanaba swept Gladstone and Iron Mountain in girls and boys meets, with Ethan Milam breaking the boys school high jump record set in 1994 – Escanaba Daily Press

6. Baseball: Division 4 No. 16 Muskegon Catholic Central earned coach Steve Schuitema his 300th career win with a 6-2 victory over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian – Muskegon Chronicle

7. Girls Soccer: Division 2 top-ranked DeWitt remained undefeated with a 5-0 win over Division 3 No. 8 Lansing Catholic – Lansing State Journal

8. Baseball: Division 1 No. 20 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice edged Division 3 No. 3 Detroit Edison 9-8 – Detroit News

9. Baseball: Division 2 No. 14 Essexville Garber downed Saginaw Swan Valley 3-0 as future University of Michigan pitchers faced off – WJRT

10. Girls Soccer: Division 3 No. 9 Boyne City held on to a share of first in the Lake Michigan Conference with a shutout of former co-leader and Division 4 No. 18 Charlevoix – MI Sports Now

Also of note …

Officials: Longtime northern Michigan official Terry Wakeley, an MHSAA Norris Award honoree in 2007, died Sunday at the age of 77 – Up North Live

Boys Golf: Longtime coach Chris Fedewa plans to retire at the end of this spring after 39 years of teaching and coaching a variety of teams at Clare – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun