Edwin – Berks Sports Report

Rodriguez/Suarez-FIBA Tournament

Paul Roberts — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 10:20:00 +0000

Ruben Rodriguez and Edwin Suarez were the top two scorers in the Berks Conference last season. Their basketball skills have taken them to Mexico this week. Rodriguez and Suarez are competing in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship. The tournament got underway on Monday and continues until Sunday, June 12th. Rodriguez, who will enter his senior season at Reading High with 1,291 career points, helped Puerto Rico blow out Ecuador 85-64 in its opener. The 6’1 guard finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in 17 minutes. He shot 4-7 from the field. Rodriguez is a two-time, first team all-state selection. He averaged 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds for the Red Knights this year. He led Reading to county and District 3-6A titles.

Suarez is playing for the Dominican Republic this week. They had to face a tough United States squad on Monday. The USA cruised to a 116-48 victory. Suarez ended up with 6 points and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes. He went 3-10 from the field. The 6’6 forward poured in nearly 19 points per game for Muhlenberg this past season. The all-county pick guided the Muhls to 18 wins. Suarez hasn’t yet committed to a college.

Edwin Suarez-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 07:12:00 +0000

Fans were standing in the corners of Muhlenberg’s gymnasium Tuesday night. Tickets for the Muhls’ crossover matchup with the Red Knights were sold out by Monday morning. Division 2 champion Muhlenberg was riding a five-game winning streak, while Division 1 champ Reading had won seven in a row. Longtime Red Knights’ assistant Matt Flowers was coaching against his good friend Rick Perez. Plus, it was Senior Night in Laureldale. This one definitely lived up to the hype! The seniors for Muhlenberg came through down the stretch for a heart-pounding 63-61 victory. It didn’t look good for the Muhls early in the fourth quarter when they trailed the defending Class 6A state champs by ten points. Edwin Suarez told his teammates that they were playing too fast and just needed to relax. The 6’6 senior finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds. His putback gave Muhlenberg a 58-56 advantage with 90 seconds remaining. It was their first lead since it was 2-0. Suarez and classmate Alex Tomlinson each scored eight points in the final period. Tomlinson, who averages 3.5 points, sank two free throws to make it 60-58 with one minute to go. Following a layup by Joey Chapman, Tomlinson’s putback put the Muhls on top 62-60 with thirty seconds to play. Ruben Rodriguez, the leading scorer in Berks County at 20 points per game, then missed a pair of foul shots. After a Muhlenberg turnover, Chapman connected on one of his two free throws to get Reading within 62-61. Tashiro Alexis was fouled with six seconds on the clock. The senior guard was scoreless up until that moment. He went 1-2 from the FT line and the Muhls led 63-61. Rodriguez was unable to get off a clean look in the closing seconds. The Muhls’ student section stormed the court when the buzzer sounded. Muhlenberg outscored Reading 25-16 in the fourth quarter. Suarez, Tomlinson, and fellow senior Jarrett Jackson combined for twenty of those points. Jackson has two big baskets in the final period. Junior point guard “Dan Dan” Mosquera provided twelve points including ten in the first half. The (17-5, 9-2) Muhls trailed 18-17 after the opening quarter and 30-27 at the break. They scored just one point in the first four and a-half minutes of the second quarter. Rodriguez, an all-state pick last season as a sophomore, splashed a triple from NBA range at the end of the third quarter. The 6’1 guard nailed another trey from the top of the key one minute into the final period. The (18-3, 10-1) Red Knights were up 50-40. They struggled mightily at the FT line going 10-23. Muhlenberg was 6-13. Each team only made three 3-pointers. Rodriguez had a team-high 17 points, but was 3-10 from the stripe. 6’2 forward Xavier Davis chipped in with eleven points and sharpshooter Myles Grey added nine. Daniel Alcantara picked up two fouls in the first quarter. The 6’5 senior was limited to seven points, nine below his season average. Suarez described what Flowers has meant to him. The first-year head coach is a 2001 Muhlenberg graduate. He spent twelve years as an assistant at Reading. Suarez acknowledged the fans for giving them energy. He told me that the Muhls can go far in the Berks County playoffs which begin on Monday.

Edwin Suarez-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 20:53:00 +0000

Edwin Suarez was determined not to let his team down again. The 6’6 senior fouled out in Saturday’s 82-76 loss to Nativity. He had a season-low five points. Suarez bounced back in a big way on Monday evening in Laureldale. He erupted for a career-high 32 points in a 76-53 victory over Exeter. Suarez put on a show in the second half. He had ten points in the third quarter and eleven in the fourth. His three-point play put the Muhls up 46-32 with 4:25 left in the third period. Fifty seconds later, Suarez converted another three-point play for a 16-point advantage. His crossover and thunderous dunk midway through the final quarter sent the crowd into a frenzy! Suarez told me that the fans give him energy. He stressed that he’s putting a lot of practice time into his dribbling and shooting skills. He went 12-13 from the free throw line against the Eagles. Suarez has scored twenty or more points eight times this season. The 200-pound forward is averaging 19 per game, but he knows head coach Matt Flowers is concerned about defense first and foremost. The (11-3, 5-1) Muhls held Exeter to 24 points in the first half. Suarez was surprised at how lopsided the crossover matchup was with the (9-5, 4-3) Eagles. Exeter had won four of its previous five games. Colin Payne, Berks County’s leading scorer, picked up his third foul with 2:35 left in the first quarter. He got his fourth foul with 2:35 left in the first half. Payne entered the night averaging 21 points. He had a team-high 15 vs. Muhlenberg. 6’6 junior Anthony Caccese chipped in with 13 points, two shy of his career-best. Teddy Snyder knocked down four 3-pointers before fouling out with 2:44 remaining. The Muhls were 24-31 from the foul line, while the Eagles went 9-13. Junior guard Luis Valentin came off Muhlenberg’s bench and provided 14 points. Xzavion Robertson was inserted into the starting lineup. The junior guard had eleven points, all in the first half. The Muhls led 37-24 at halftime and 53-40 after the third quarter. Muhlenberg outscored Exeter 21-10 in the second quarter. The Muhls are on top of Division 2.

Edwin Suarez-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 13:48:00 +0000

Edwin Suarez has an impressive skill set. He can run the floor, handle the ball, shoot from beyond the arc, and dominate the boards. Did I mention that he’s 6’6? The Muhlenberg senior is putting up nearly 16 points and ten rebounds per game. He has worked tirelessly on his 3-point shooting since this summer. The all-county selection only made one shot from 3-point range last season. He already has connected on four 3’s this year. Suarez poured in a season-high 23 points against Red Lion two weeks ago. Head coach Matt Flowers told me that college coaches are missing out if they’re not recruiting Suarez. Flowers likes his work ethic and motor. The (4-0, 1-0) Muhls are leading Berks County in scoring at 72 points a night. They dropped 80 on Daniel Boone in their last game. Suarez is happy with how the team is playing, but said they’re not close to reaching their potential. He would like to see them improve their chemistry which is understandable considering Muhlenberg lost three of its top four scorers to graduation. Junior guard Xzavion Robertson is providing a big lift off the bench. The 5’10 lefty is averaging 12.5 points. Suarez talked about his ability to create off the dribble and get everyone involved. The Muhls went (15-4, 9-2) last season and won the Division 2 championship in the Berks Conference. Their season ended at the hands of the Red Knights. Reading defeated Muhlenberg 75-55 in the District 3-6A semifinals. Suarez has watched the Red Knights this year and he believes that they’re even better than the state championship team of 2020-‘21. I asked Suarez what’s the one gift that he would like for Christmas. He mentioned a vacation to the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. Thanks to Muhlenberg assistant coach Jeremiah Giddens for translating during our interview.