Xavier Davis-Reading

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.