Berks basketball preview: Who will be Reading High’s biggest challenger?
The big question that looms over Berks basketball, with the season about to tip this Friday: Which team will make it to the Berks Conference championship game to face Reading High?
Berks Catholic, Muhlenberg, Wilson and Exeter each have the makings of playoff-caliber teams and are hoping to get to Santander Arena for the title game. Once there, they know who they’ll be playing.
The Red Knights enter the season as one of the most overwhelming favorites in Berks history: They return six of the top eight players from a team coming off a PIAA Class 6A championship.
Yes, they must replace All-Berks center Moro Osumanu — the heart and soul of that team — but they’ve got a pair of All-State players, in Ruben Rodriguez and Daniel Alcantara, to build around. Plus, Rick Perez seems to be drawing from a bottomless well of talent. Myles Grey and Amier Burdine each made a big impact last season as sophomores, and there are more on the way behind them.
The Berks Conference championship is just the first of several titles the Red Knights have their eye on.
“They should be the preseason No. 1 team in the state,” says rival coach Matt Coldren of Wilson. “They’re gonna run through most of the league without issues.”
“They would be a top two or three team in the entire state at any classification,” said Exeter coach Matt Ashcroft. “They’ve got something special going on over there.”
The battle to see who lines up to challenge Reading High should be fascinating.
Berks Catholic is poised for a big bounce-back season after going 6-11 — the program’s first losing season.
Exeter won just three games a year ago but also has a talented cast returning.
No one’s going to replace Stevie Mitchell in West Lawn but the Bulldogs have a capable guy to fill some of that void in junior guard Cameron Jones.
Muhlenberg again will be the kingpin in Berks II, and by a large margin. There have been plenty of changes in Laureldale, with former Reading High assistant Matt Flowers taking over the program that Tyrone Nesby turned into a championship contender in recent seasons.
Wyomissing looks like the team to beat in Berks III, despite a big graduation hit. Fleetwood is expected to challenge the Spartans for that title.
Antietam and Oley Valley waged a spirited battle for the Berks IV title a year ago and they’re lined up to do it again this season.
Look for in-depth previews on all four divisions and a breakdown of Berks’ top players in the days to come on MikeDragoSports.com.