“Roberts Rankings”-Boys Basketball

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season! Thanks to some outstanding showcase events, I was able to cover 19 boys basketball games before Christmas. I’ve seen all of the top teams in Berks County in person on more than one occasion. I’ve also been fortunate to watch some of the elite squads in the entire state. The high school hoops season is a marathon and not a sprint. Some teams are just getting warmed up. You will notice several slight changes from my preseason poll. Keep in mind, the margin of difference is VERY slim. The race for the Berks County championship appears to be wide open this year. Here are my rankings for the Berks Conference. Remember that no matter where your favorite school is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow!

Berks Catholic is playing the best basketball of any team in the county right now. The unbeaten Saints opened their campaign with impressive performances against Cedar Crest and Allentown Central Catholic. Berks Catholic won those matchups by 33 points combined! Sophomore Kingston McKoy is as advertised and Parker Nein has improved tremendously. Wilson is also off to a fast start including a thrilling overtime victory against Muhlenberg in West Lawn. When Tommy McFadden gets back to 100%, the Bulldogs will be even tougher.

Don’t be fooled by Reading’s record. As usual, the Red Knights have played an extremely tough non-league schedule. Central York is the early favorite in District 3 and Imhotep Charter is a defending state champ with UConn commit Ahmad Nowell leading the way. Yadiel Cruz has emerged as Reading’s top scoring option. After losing all five starters to graduation, Muhlenberg is gelling quickly. Alex Collado and Shermar Killens have stepped up in Laureldale. You can’t relax for a minute against the Muhls.

Exeter has won three straight. The Eagles will get better with time. They lost two All-State selections and went through a coaching change. Jeff VanGorder has brought an up-tempo offense to Reiffton. Exeter is averaging 83 points over its last three contests. Fleetwood was challenged by Boyertown, Oley Valley, and Schuylkill Valley. The Tigers keep finding ways to remain unblemished. They have an interesting mix of multi-sport standouts.

The GMACC has received a lot of attention in Shillington. The Gov. Mifflin players love the new facility. Matt Koehler can knock down shots from long range. He’s one of ten juniors on the Mustangs’ roster. Schuylkill Valley isn’t flashy, but the Panthers have wins over Conrad Weiser and Wyomissing. The Scouts and Spartans could enter my poll as the season marches on.

“The Great 8”

1.Berks Catholic (5-0)

2.Wilson (7-1)

3.Reading (3-3)

4.Muhlenberg (6-3)

5.Exeter (3-2)

6.Fleetwood (7-0)

7.Gov. Mifflin (4-4)

8.Schuylkill Valley (6-3)