5 Teams to Watch next season in the Berks Conference
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
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Daniel Boone, Gov. Mifflin, Conrad Weiser and Twin Valley all figure to be better next season, some of them good enough to make a push for a spot in the District 3 Tournament.
Will they be improved enough to catch Wilson, the reigning Berks Conference champ?
Not likely.
It’s not often a team comes off a league championship with the potential of being even stronger the next season but that’s the case with the Bulldogs, whose best players were all underclassmen this year.
(Tim Macrina photo)
The Blazers, with all-division pick Brendan Gaines and each of their top five scorers returning, figure to step up and challenge for the Berks II title – especially now that Berks Catholic is headed back to Berks I.
Conrad Weiser and Twin Valley are in the same situation: Each return their entire starting lineups.
The Scouts will have all-division pick Donovan Gingrich and 3-point sniper Brady McKee to build around. The Raiders return all-division pick Matt Knight and their leading scorer, Carter Schmidt.
Weiser, of course, will have a new coach; Mike Dooley resigned shortly after the season ended.
Gov. Mifflin, which will also have a new coach, returns its top five scorers, including all-division pick Matt Koehler and point guard Andrew Galantuomo. Still, the Mustangs will be hard-pressed to move up much in Berks I where the competition is always fierce.
Antietam won’t have the kind of lineup that can challenge the Berks I powers but the Mounts should be improved; they lose just one senior and will be favored to repeat as Berks IV champs. They return a strong core with all-division picks AJ Scheifly and Julious Williams, and Shawn Raffety.
Expect Schuylkill Valley and Wyomissing to battle for the Berks III title, what with two-time defending champ Fleetwood graduating its entire starting lineup.
Lots will change between now and December, when the ball goes up for next season: Top players will emerge in the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
For now, here are five teams to watch for the 2024-25 season:
1. Wilson
(PhilMarPhoto)
The Bulldogs put together a tremendous week in mid-February, knocking off three state tournament teams – Exeter, Berks Catholic and Reading High – in the span of five days to win their third Berks Conference title in five years.
They went through some rough patches on the way there, losing five times during the regular season by six points or less. Some of that can be attributed to rarely having more than one senior on the floor at a time. Tommy Hunsicker was the only senior starter.
The Bulldogs have a lot of upside, with the return of All-Berks guard Madyx Gruber, all-division guard Correll Akings and center Luke Levan, one of the most improved players in the league during his junior season.
Two other players who started at times this season, Tom McFadden and Jon Etim, also return. So do key bench components Cam Zullinger and Christo Hunsicker.
Bulldogs coach Matt Coldren is expecting big things from current freshman Michael Glover and Kellen Green, as well. He’ll be able to go nine-deep without losing much. No other team will be able to come close to that.
2. Reading High
(PhilMarPhoto)
The Red Knights are taking the biggest graduation hit of any team in the league, what with five seniors in their rotation this season, including Berks scoring champ Yadiel Cruz, All-Berks guard Nick Chapman and all-division center Malik Osumanu.
They were playoff-chiseled veterans and key reasons Reading made its way back to the state semifinals one year after graduating three All-Berks picks.
The Red Knights will be one of the youngest teams in the league next year – their rotation should include all-division pick Jeremiah Camara, who will be a sophomore, current freshman Jamier Jacob, and maybe a couple of freshmen.
But hey, they’re the Red Knights and they don’t rebuild, they reload. The strong KTB feeder program and the culture instilled by former head coach Rick Perez keeps the humming.
Camara will emerge as one of the top scoring guards in the league and all-division pick Weshly Rosario, who will be a junior, could be the best point guard around. Expect Xavier Beatty, a key bench piece this season and a top all-around athlete, to make a bigger impact as a senior.
3. Muhlenberg
(PhilMarPhoto)
The culture built at Reading has spilled over into the neighboring Muhlenberg district, first with former Red Knights assistant Matt Flowers taking over Muhls head coaching job and now with Rick Perez joining him as an assistant coach.
The Muhls are coming off an uneven 16-12 season but even with an inexperienced team and a rugged schedule they won three postseason games and found their way back to the PIAA Tournament.
They should do as much or more next season.
All-Berks pick Shermar Killen returns and point guard Jayden Kantner should be even better now that his transition to the program is complete.
Two freshmen, Justin Armstrong and Eli Hemming, came up big in the postseason and should help the Muhls against extend their season into March.
4. Berks Catholic
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No one loses the scoring punch that the Saints will, what with the exit of seniors Josh McKoy and Parker Nein; they combined for better than 33 points per game last season after earning All-Berks and all-division honors, respectively.
Sophomore Kingston McKoy is months away from returning to the court after breaking his leg in January but if he makes a full return the Saints will be right back in the thick of things.
The Saints graduate four starters, true, but there are talented players returning in sophomores Brady Altimar and Zach Suski and freshman Johnny Giesa.
Altimar started most of the season and Suski was often the first player off the bench for Snip Esterly during a 23-win season.
Kingston McKoy, an All-Berks pick, has the ability to integrate his teammates into the flow of the game and make them better. If he’s able to do that the Saints can once again challenge for a district title.
5. Exeter
(Tim Macrina photo)
It’ll be a big transition year for the Eagles as they graduate All-Berks pick Kevin Saenz and all-division picks Alex Kelsey and Reece Garvin – they were each stalwarts in the run to the PIAA championship last year and the return to the state tournament this season.
The cupboard is far from bare.
Aidan Dauble, whose game took a big step forward this season as a sophomore, will be back to lead the way.
Brady Murray returns after leading the team with 50 3-pointers.
Jayden Ware will step into the starting lineup after a strong showing off the bench in the postseason.
Several players will provide help from a strong JV team that finished 16-4: Sophomores Mason Goodhart, Dylan Donate and Michael Fisher. Sophomore Bryce Cuesta is expected to return, as well.
