Xavier Davis-Reading

Paul Roberts — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 20:15:00 +0000

The winningest high school basketball program in Pennsylvania can be found on North 13th Street in Reading. The Red Knights have amassed 2,214 victories. If you’re looking for trophies, Reading has plenty of those as well. The Red Knights have captured 20 Central Penn League championships and 24 Berks Conference titles. They brought home District III gold 23 times. Plus, state championships in 2017 and 2021. When you’re part of a distinguished program like the one that calls the Geigle Complex home, it’s not easy to get playing time as a freshman. Yet, Xavier Davis did just that. It wasn’t because he possessed a sweet jump shot or tremendous leaping ability. If you were only focused on the highlight videos, you probably didn’t see much of Davis. However, head coach Rick Perez and his staff saw something far more valuable in the undersized 6’2 forward. They saw a leader. Davis has elite communication skills. He’s the glue that holds a team together. He’s steady and reliable. Someone you can always count on to do the things that don’t show up in the box score. That’s why Davis was a four-year varsity player for the Red Knights. He put the Reading jersey on for the 81st and final time on Sunday afternoon at Easton Middle School. The Red Knights fell to Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Wood 64-58 in the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs. Reading trailed 40-15 early in the third quarter, but refused to quit. The Red Knights used a 16-0 run in the third period and a 13-0 spurt in the fourth quarter to pull within two points twice. The Vikings’ cushion had dwindled to 57-55 after a layup by Joey Chapman with 37 seconds remaining. Davis told me that they played much more carefree in the second half. He praised the fans for being a great support system. Davis said, “We love them just like they love us.” We discussed the team’s mindset knowing that they were without all-county forward Daniel Alcantara. The 6’5 senior broke his left hand against Wilson in the District III quarterfinals on February 25th. Alcantara was averaging 16 points per game for the highest-scoring team in Berks County. We talked about the senior class which produced 92 wins over the past four years. Davis believes that they’ll stay connected as they go their separate ways. He’ll be studying business at the University of Tampa. Davis averaged seven points this season. The all-division pick reached double digits on eight occasions including a career-high 15 points in an 87-70 victory at Berks Catholic on January 31st. Davis finished his career with 360 points. The numbers don’t come close to telling the true story of his value to one of the premier programs in Pennsylvania. The man known simply as “X” will be missed by many at the Castle on the Hill.

Xavier Davis-Reading

Paul Roberts — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 22:22:00 +0000

Berks Catholic came into Monday riding a seven-game winning streak. Reading had won five in a row. Both teams are #1 in the District 3 power rankings in their respective classes. Something had to give at a sold out Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. The Saints committed eleven turnovers in the first quarter. The Red Knights took advantage and went up by ten in the second quarter. Ryan Koch brought Berks Catholic back with eight straight points including two treys. The 6’3 junior finished with a team-high 22 points and five 3-pointers. Koch leads the Saints with 44 on the season. Christian Cacchione came off the bench to knock down a triple and Berks Catholic went in front 35-32 with one minute remaining in the first half. It was 36-all at the break as the Saints put up 24 points in the second period. Xavier Davis told me the Red Knights were lazy in the first half and needed to pick up their energy level. The 6’2 senior forward jammed nine points into the third quarter and ended up with a career-high 15. Davis converted a three-point play to give Reading a 51-47 edge with 4:45 left in the third period. I asked him about playing with all-state guard and 1,000-point scorer Ruben Rodriguez. Davis replied, “He can score at will and we all know that.” That’s precisely what Rodriguez did in the second half. The 6’1 junior had 15 points in the third quarter and ten more in the fourth. His 35 points guided Reading over Berks Catholic 87-70. Rodriguez is averaging 20 points a night. Davis stressed that Rodriguez loves the game and works very hard at practice. We joked about what would happen if Davis had to guard Rodriguez. Davis believes that he’s the best defender on the team because he can guard multiple positions. Speaking of defense, the (17-2, 9-0) Red Knights forced 25 turnovers. Davis thinks their defense is the key to their offense. They exploded for 51 points in the last 16 minutes. The (15-3, 7-3) Saints had been allowing 50 points per game. 6’5 senior Daniel Alcantara provided 24 points including nine in the fourth quarter. The all-state forward made four of Reading’s five shots from behind the arc. Berks Catholic splashed twelve 3-pointers. Junior point guard JayJay Jordan had 20 points and Aidan Sands chipped in with 14. Jordan went to the bench midway through the first quarter after picking up his second foul. The Saints were 8-17 from the free throw line, while the Red Knights went 8-10. Davis and I talked about Reading’s ball movement, as well as the crowd. We also discussed his love of sneakers and fashion. He would like to own his own business in the future.

Xavier – Berks Sports Report

Xavier Davis-Reading

Xavier Davis-Reading