“Roberts Rankings”-Boys Basketball

Here we go again! Another high school hoops season is upon us. The 2022-23 campaign was one for the ages. Reading, Exeter, and Berks Catholic captured District 3 gold at the Giant Center in Hershey. Fleetwood and Antietam earned silver medals. The Red Knights and Eagles reached the state finals. Reading brought home its third state championship in the last seven years. The Berks Conference certainly had a lot to be proud of last season. Transition is the key word this winter, and I’m not talking about an up-tempo offense. Several programs were hit hard by graduation. We’ve also seen a number of coaching changes since the spring. The success rate from last year is going to be extremely difficult to duplicate. Opportunity is knocking across the county. Who will answer the call? Without further ado, here are my preseason rankings for the Berks Conference. Remember that no matter where your favorite team is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow!

To quote Ric Flair, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!” Reading has won three consecutive District 3 titles and two straight BCIAA championships. That’s the good news. The bad news is the Red Knights lost four starters including a trio of All-State selections. Plus, Rick Perez stepped down after a school record 281 victories over a dozen years. Perez is now an assistant to his good friend Matt Flowers at Muhlenberg. Meanwhile, former JV coach Francis Camara takes over at the castle on the hill. We’ll see which knights emerge to protect the fortress now that Ruben Rodriguez, Aris Rodriguez, Myles Grey, and Amier Burdine have moved on. Yadiel Cruz’s point production should increase. Nick Chapman and 6’5 Malik Osumanu will have bigger roles as seniors. Sophomore guard Weshly Rosario is a player to keep an eye on.

Jeff VanGorder replaced Matt Ashcroft at Exeter after Ashcroft was named the Class 5A Coach of the Year in Pennsylvania. He wanted to spend more time with his family. VanGorder brings twelve years of experience as a college coach to Reiffton. Don’t be surprised to see the Eagles out and running this season. Kevin Saenz has assumed the point guard duties from All-State pick Zyion Paschall. Anthony Caccese is playing football at Delaware. Exeter will miss the presence of the 6’6, 280-pound All-State center. The Eagles have multiple shooters including Saenz, Reece Garvin, and sophomore Aidan Dauble. St. Joseph’s baseball commit Alex Kelsey gives Exeter a physical guard. They’re searching for their first county title since 1974.

Snip Esterly has to find four new starters at Berks Catholic. Esterly enters his 35th season as a head coach with 792 wins. JayJay Jordan and Ryan Koch, both 1,000 point scorers, helped Esterly claim his 14th District 3 championship a season ago. The McKoy brothers, Josh and Kingston, will be the main attractions at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Parker Nein, a standout baseball player for the Saints, is much stronger and more athletic.

Wilson will also have four newcomers in the lineup this winter. Tommy McFadden was slated to be a starter, but the junior guard is dealing with an ankle injury. Madyx Gruber averaged nearly 9 points as a sophomore. Tommy Hunsicker, who threw touchdown passes to Gruber this fall, will get more minutes this year. The Bulldogs’ quarterback is also one of their top baseball players. Remember the names Kellen Green and Michael Glover for down the road. They’re both freshman.

All five of Muhlenberg’s starters graduated. The Muhls have a new guard in the mix. Jayden Kantner transferred from Brandywine Heights where he led the Bullets with 12.6 ppg. as a sophomore. Kyle Archie and Alex Collado return along with promising sophomore Michael Miller. It will be great to see Matt Flowers and Rick Perez working together again. Their coaching roles have been reversed from their days at Reading High.

Conrad Weiser is #6 in my poll which may surprise some after the Scouts managed just seven wins. The Scouts were impressive during the West Reading Summer League playoffs. They advanced to the championship before falling to Berks Catholic. Donovan Gingrich and Brady McKee give new head coach Mike Dooley a nice 1-2 punch. They combined for nearly 27 points a night as sophomores. Soccer star Gavin Rapp and Josh Plummer are also part of a talented junior class. They’re both 6’4 forwards.

Jake Karnish has moved on from Fleetwood to King’s College. He became the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer with 1,420 points. Karnish led Fleetwood to the state tournament for the first time since 1990. The Tigers will be relying on three multi-sport athletes with starting experience. Aiden Soumas, Nate Herb, and Hunter Svoboda (6’7, 270) are back. Svoboda is committed to William & Mary for football. Herb was instrumental to the success of Fleetwood’s soccer team which won Berks County and District 3 championships.

These are exciting times in Shillington. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday morning at the GMACC. There are four video boards inside the new gymnasium. There is also seating on the second level. The facility includes eight locker rooms, a weight room, a turf room, offices and a classroom to watch film. This is Brian Wrobel’s second year as the Mustangs’ head coach. The McNeil twins graduated, but Andrew Galantuomo and Cole Renninger return. Matt Koehler and Bryce Detwiler are part of a big junior class. You will hear a lot about them in the spring when baseball season arrives.

Wyomissing is one of the few squads in the county that has a great deal of varsity experience. Three starters are back, as well as sixth man Aiden Schippers. Alex Campbell averaged a team-high 9 points and connected 39 times from beyond the arc. The Spartans are hoping Drew Forrey (6’4, 210) has a speedy recovery from a leg injury that he suffered during football season. Former Gov. Mifflin and Alvernia standout guard Garrett Etzel takes over as head coach. He was an assistant under Ryan Ludwig last year.

“The Great 8”

1.Reading (32-1)

2.Exeter (27-7)

3.Berks Catholic (23-5)

4.Wilson (19-10)

5.Muhlenberg (18-11)

6.Conrad Weiser (7-15)

7.Fleetwood (22-5)

8.Gov. Mifflin (7-15)

Honorable Mention: Wyomissing (8-14)