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, …
Read More »All-State Boys Basketball
If you had the opportunity to watch the PIAA basketball playoffs, you know that there is a tremendous amount of talent in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia area, District 12, produces several Division I players each year. Consequently, being recognized as an all-state player in our commonwealth is a great achievement. Three …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
A loss isn’t always a bad thing over the course of a long season. The Red Knights got tripped up at Muhlenberg 63-61 on February 8th. Ruben Rodriguez told me that they learned a valuable lesson that night. Reading has been laser-focused since coming up short in Laureldale. The (25-3) …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
We’ve all heard the saying that defense wins championships. Well, it can also win semifinals. The Red Knights forced 18 turnovers in a 46-39 victory over fifth-seeded Cedar Cliff in the District 3-6A semifinals. With 6’5 senior Daniel Alcantara out due to a broken left hand, Reading had no one …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
A 23-point win over rival Wilson is normally cause for a big celebration at the Geigle Complex. Not tonight. Several Reading players were in tears after the 68-45 victory in the District 3-6A quarterfinals. The mood changed drastically when 6’5 senior Daniel Alcantara went crashing to the court after a …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
As we know from the classic comedy Animal House, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Nobody needs to tell Ruben Rodriguez when to get going. The 6’1 junior was a prime time performer for Muhlenberg as a freshman and he has only gotten better over the past …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
How explosive are the Red Knights? Berks Catholic made twelve 3-pointers and still lost to Reading by 17 points. Saints’ coach Snip Esterly told me that they won’t face a tougher opponent all season. I don’t think anyone would argue with Esterly who has won 761 games over 33 years. …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
Ruben Rodriguez is a cool customer on the court, but the all-state guard admitted that he was “freaking out” right before tipoff at Santander Arena. Why? Because he couldn’t find his jersey. Just seconds before the game against Vertical Academy started, Ruben’s dad came to the rescue with his son’s …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
Ruben Rodriguez set the tone for the Red Knights with nine points including a dunk in the first quarter against Berks Catholic. Reading rolled to a 67-51 victory over the previously unbeaten Saints. Rodriguez finished with a season-high 24 points. The first team all-state guard jammed ten points into the …
Read More »Ruben Rodriguez-Reading
How good were the Red Knights in the first quarter at Wilson? Ruben Rodriguez said, “If we stay like that during every quarter, I feel like nobody can beat us.” The all-state guard had a game-high 15 points in a 64-36 rout at West Lawn. Reading had lost six of …
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