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: 10/12/20

October 13, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This weekend was bolstered by league and county cross country competition all over the Lower Peninsula – but the biggest headliners came from the pool as Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor-area powerhouses squared off.

1. Girls Swimming & Diving: Farmington Hills Mercy – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – edged LPD3 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood to claim the Oakland County Invitational title – Oakland Press

2. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer earned another impressive win, this time over No. 2 Saline – We Love Ann Arbor

3. Cross Country: The LPD2 No. 7 St. Johns, Alma, LPD3 No. 5 St. Louis and LPD4 No. 2 Webberville boys and Okemos, LPD2 No. 12 Lansing Catholic, LPD3 No. 3 Ithaca and LPD4 No. 1 Lansing Christian girls all won Greater Lansing Invitational championships – Lansing State Journal Girls/Boys

4. Cross Country: The LPD2 No. 2 Pinckney boys edged No. 5 Chelsea 23-34 – Livingston Daily

5. Volleyball: Kingsley sent coach Dave Hall over 1,000 career wins during the Suttons Bay quad – MI Sports Now

6. Cross Country: The LPD1 No. 3 Clarkston girls and No. 8 Milford boys were champions at the Oakland County Invitational – Oakland Press Girls/Boys

7. Cross Country: The Grand Blanc, LPD2 No. 4 Frankenmuth and New Lothrop girls and Davison, Lake Fenton and LPD3 No. 11 New Lothrop boys won Greater Flint championships – Flint Journal

8. Cross Country: Clinton continued its surge with a sweep of Lenawee County Athletic Association finals – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. Cross Country: Romeo’s LPD1 No. 8 girls and top-ranked boys swept championships at the Macomb County Invitational – Macomb Daily Girls/Boys

10. Cross Country: Sault Ste. Marie swept titles at its Elks Invitational; the boys team is No. 3 in UPD1 – Escanaba Daily Press