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: 12/4/19

December 4, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Girls basketball season has begun across the state, and we also included a big-time hockey rivalry game in today’s first “Today” of the winter season.

1. Girls Basketball: Jenison picked up an impressive 59-52 win over Hamilton, a Division 2 semifinalist last season – Holland Sentinel

2. Girls Basketball: Two-time reigning Class D/Division 4 champion Adrian Lenawee Christian opened with a 59-48 win over Michigan Center – JTV

3. Girls Basketball: Flint Carman-Ainsworth outlasted Kearsley 57-51 in a rematch of last season’s Division 1 District Final – Flint Journal

4. Girls Basketball: Escanaba earned its first win over Marquette since 2012, 55-46 – Escanaba Daily Press

5. Girls Basketball: Midland Dow downed Freeland 42-26, as the Falcons began their season without recently-deceased coach Tom Zolinski – Midland Daily News

6. Girls Basketball: Traverse City West came back from a 15-point deficit to get past Benzie Central 50-46 in overtime – Traverse City Record-Eagle

7. Girls Basketball: Kent City trailed by 15 early but came all the way back for a 51-48 win over Comstock Park – FOX 17

8. Hockey: Division 2 No. 5 Marquette took a 6-1 win from Escanaba in the Redmen’s home opener – Escanaba Daily Press

9. Girls Basketball: Port Huron Northern outscored St. Clair 16-4 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 46-32 win – Port Huron Times-Herald

10. Girls Basketball: East Jordan’s Jayden Weber scored 32 points to lead her team past Mancelona 52-27 – Petoskey News-Review

Also of note ...

Unified Sports: From Saturday, Hugh Bernreuter explained some of the success story behind the growing Unified Sports effort as flag football games were played at Ford Field for the second-straight year – Saginaw News