Sparrow to Present MHSAA Hoops Finals
March 15, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Sparrow Health System of Lansing, a provider of medical expertise and information to Michigan High School Athletic Association schools, their athletes, parents and staff, will serve as the presenting sponsor of this season’s Girls & Boys Basketball Finals to be played over the next two weeks.
Sparrow, a member of the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network, is mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization with more than 10,000 caregivers. Sparrow’s Sports Medicine division offers programs for athletes at all levels and includes primary care physicians, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and athletic and performance trainers.
The MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals will begin with Semifinals this Thursday (March 17) and Friday, with all four Finals on Saturday. The Boys Basketball Semifinals and Finals will be played next week, March 24-26. All games will be played at the Breslin Student Events Center at Michigan State University.
Sparrow lends its expertise through the MHSAA Website and on-site at various MHSAA tournament events. Resources from Sparrow staff, including information on current health and safety topics and trends, are accessible online through the Health & Safety page of the MHSAA Website, where an “Ask the Expert” feature connects users with sports health-related questions to Sparrow Caregivers.
“Sparrow Health System’s contributions have allowed us to bolster our ability to provide assistance on health and wellness topics to our athletes, parents, coaches and administrators,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. “We are pleased to have Sparrow involved with two of our most attended events and the opportunities they provide to make contact with many of our constituents.”
The Girls and Boys Basketball Finals weekends drew a combined 62,654 fans in 2015.
In addition to its presence at MHSAA Tournament events, Sparrow also provides speakers at MHSAA functions and events throughout the state, offering guidance on health issues for student-athletes. Sparrow physicians have spoken during MHSAA staff training sessions, Student Advisory Council meetings and athletic director orientations.
“Sparrow is proud to be the official health system of the MHSAA,” said Michael Shingles, D.O., Sparrow Sports Medicine medical director and team orthopedic surgeon for Michigan State University. “We provide some of the most advanced care in the mid-Michigan region and world. We are particularly excited to have a new Sports Medicine practice specifically for athletes like those participating in the high school basketball playoffs at the Breslin Center.”
Sparrow is mid-Michigan’s premier health care organization and includes hospitals in Lansing, St. Johns, Ionia and Carson City as well as Physicians Health Plan, Sparrow Physicians Health Network, the Sparrow Medical Group and the Michigan Athletic Club. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of 10,000 caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and patient experience.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
MHSAA Spring Sports Lineup Welcomes Boys Volleyball, Revamped LP Girls Tennis Finals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 14, 2026
The inaugural season of boys volleyball as a Michigan High School Athletic Association-sponsored tournament sport has begun, headlining changes this spring as 12 sports are underway for an estimated 110,000 athletes competing for member high schools.
The MHSAA sponsors postseason competition each spring in baseball, girls and boys lacrosse, girls soccer, softball, girls and boys track & field, boys golf (Lower and Upper Peninsula) and girls golf (UP), and girls (LP) and boys (UP) tennis – and for the first time this year, boys volleyball, with 117 schools scheduled to participate in the first MHSAA Tournament in that sport.
Varsity teams have been classified into Divisions 1 and 2 and will compete across 16 Regionals – eight per division – with winners advancing to Quarterfinals on June 2 and then Semifinals and Finals to be played June 5 and 6, respectively, at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena, which also serves as home to the MHSAA Girls Volleyball Semifinals and Finals.
Another notable championship change will come in Lower Peninsula girls tennis, which like LP boys tennis this past fall, will begin a pilot program showcasing Finals for all four divisions at the same location – Midland Tennis Center – over a two-week period. Division 4 will begin play with its two-day event May 27-28, followed by Division 1 on May 29-30, Division 2 on June 3-4 and Division 3 played June 5-6.
Additionally, a few on-field rules changes may be especially noticeable this spring.
In girls lacrosse, a change this spring requires, when a goal circle foul is committed, the offending player to move four meters away (instead of behind) from the player taking the free position.
In boys lacrosse, a change was made so that no defensive player other than a properly-equipped goalkeeper can enter the team’s own crease with the perceived intent of blocking a shot or acting as a goalkeeper. A defensive player doing so receives a personal foul for illegal equipment.
Two more changes in boys lacrosse enhance safety. The definition for a holding penalty has been expanded to include hooking, lifting or pinning an opponent’s body with the crosse. Also, a player losing a helmet will receive a technical foul for illegal procedure to encourage players to properly wear helmets and chin straps to ensure they stay on during play.
Also, as with boys soccer this past fall, a pair of changes in girls soccer address sportsmanship. The first allows game officials to take action against a team’s head coach in addition to any cautions or ejections issues to players and personnel in that team’s bench area – making the head coach more accountable for behavior on the sideline.
The second change allows for only the team captain to speak with an official during the breaks between periods (halftime and during overtime), unless another coach, player, etc., is summoned by the official – with the penalty a yellow card to the offending individual.
The 2025-26 Spring campaign culminates with postseason tournaments, as the championship schedule begins with the Upper Peninsula Girls & Boys Golf and Boys Tennis Finals on May 27 and wraps up with Girls Soccer, Baseball and Softball Finals on June 13. Here is a complete list of spring tournament dates:
Baseball
Districts – May 26-30
Regional Semifinals – June 3
Regional Finals, Quarterfinals – June 6
Semifinals – June 11-12
Finals – June 13
Golf
LP Boys Regionals – May 26-30
UP Girls & Boys Finals – May 27
LP Boys Finals – June 5-6
Boys Lacrosse
Regionals – May 8-27
Quarterfinals – May 29-30
Semifinals – June 2-3
Finals – June 6
Girls Lacrosse
Regionals – May 14-30
Semifinals – June 2-3
Finals – June 5
Girls Soccer
Districts – May 20-22, 26-30
Regionals – June 2-6
Semifinals – June 9-10
Finals – June 12-13
Softball
Districts – May 26-30
Regionals – June 6
Quarterfinals – June 9
Semifinals – June 11-12
Finals – June 13
Tennis
LP Girls Regionals – May 13-16
UP Boys Finals – May 27
LP Girls Finals – May 27-30, June 3-6
Track & Field
Regionals – May 14-16
Finals – May 30
Boys Volleyball
Regionals – May 26-30
Quarterfinals – June 2
Semifinals – June 5
Finals – June 6