Linked Up: 12/19/11

December 19, 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: 5/23/25

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 23, 2025

1. BOYS GOLF Howell won its first overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship in this sport, carding a two-round 590 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. BASEBALL Division 2 No. 16 Dearborn Divine Child downed No. 10 Macomb Lutheran North 10-0 to clinch the Catholic High School League Cardinal championship – Macomb Daily

3. BASEBALL Division 3 No. 5 Ann Arbor Greenhills came back to claim a second-straight CHSL St. Anne title with a 3-2 win over Division 4 No. 9 Royal Oak Shrine Catholic – Ann Arbor News

4. BASEBALL Howell downed Division 1 No. 18 Novi 6-1 to clinch its first KLAA title in nine years, winning the West – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. BASEBALL Ann Arbor Skyline downed Division 1 No. 19 Saline 4-2 to clinch an outright championship in the Southeastern Conference Red – Ann Arbor News

6. SOFTBALL Division 4 No. 8 Plymouth Christian Academy finished a repeat run in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference with a shutout of Auburn Hills Oakland Christian – Hometown Life

7. TRACK & FIELD Negaunee swept girls and boys titles at the Mid-Peninsula Conference championship meets – Upper Michigan’s Source

8. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 12 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice repeated as CHSL Bishop champion with an 8-1 win over Toledo St. John’s – Oakland Press

9. BOYS GOLF Muskegon Mona Shores carded a 306 to win the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green Tournament – Local Sports Journal

10. BASEBALL Pinconning clinched the Jack Pine Conference 2 title with a sweep of Harrison – Bay City Times

Also of note …

BASEBALL Elk Rapids swept Charlevoix to clinch the Northern Shores Conference title – Traverse City Record-Eagle

BASEBALL Division 1 No. 9 Mattawan split with Kalamazoo Central to finish an outright Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference title – Kalamazoo Gazette

SOFTBALL Fruitport clinched a share of the O-K Conference Silver title with a split against Hopkins; Grandville Calvin Christian also shared – MuskegonSports.com

BOYS GOLF Battle Creek Harper Creek carded a school-record 291 to win the All-City championship – Battle Creek Enquirer