Mosquera continues to play big for the Muhls

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Every basketball conversation for J’Daniel Mosquera is eventually steered toward his height. That’s what happens when a little man plays a big man’s game. If you ask him how tall he is, he’ll give you an answer that’s more honest than the program.

“I’m 5-6,” Mosquera said, “but they say I’m 5-8. So I’ll go with it.”

The number doesn’t matter when the ball’s in play. Muhlenburg’s junior operates one of the most high-powered offenses in the county and he slows down opponents who are scraping 6 feet.

Mosquera helped guide No. 4 Muhlenberg past fifth-seeded Fleetwood 70-48 in the Berks Conference quarterfinals at Laureldale Monday night.

Muhlenberg (18-5) will take on top-seeded Reading High in the semifinals at Santander Arena Wednesday at 8.

The Muhls are the only Berks team to defeat the Red Knights this season.

Coach Matt Flowers, who took over at Muhlenberg in June, figured Mosquera was going to settle into the point guard role.

Then Flowers got to know Mosquera better, got to watch him play more and the coach’s eyes widened.

“Once he stepped on the floor and started to work, it was like, ‘Whoa,’ ” Flowers said. “He’s an animal. He works so hard at what he does. He listens to what our coaches have been telling him.”

Mosquera excels because he has many skills that are impossible to measure. Instincts. Quickness. Intensity. He has no choice. He couldn’t get by without those things.

There were three consecutive possessions against Fleetwood in which Mosquera chased down a long rebound. There was another possession when one of the Tigers’ forwards had an easy layup and Mosquera swiped the ball away. These are small contributions that can change games.

“I use my strengths to my advantage,” Mosquera said. “I like to use my speed. I like to read defenders. I use my brain to outsmart people. I just play very hard and that obviously wins me the battle sometimes.”

For Mosquera to land a spot in Muhlenberg’s starting five, defense was the litmus test. He had to match up man-to-man. The coaches have worked with him on his stance, his hand movement and winning the point of attack.

Mosquera was anxious to learn. After playing some varsity minutes as a sophomore, he knew there was a path to more playing time.

“He’s intense,” Flowers said. “He’s small for the position he plays but his height doesn’t matter to him. It’s all about his heart. His heart is so huge. When he’s out there working, you don’t know that he’s that small. He works like he’s 6-6, 250. He puts his body on the line for his teammates. It’s beautiful to watch.”

Mosquera isn’t leading some ordinary offense. He gets to pass to Edwin Suarez, the 6-6 force of nature in the paint, Xzavion Robertson and the rest of the Muhls’ weapons. 

Fleetwood (16-6) had no answer for Suarez. Most teams don’t. The senior piled up 22 points and nine rebounds without playing in the fourth quarter. Robertson drilled a season-high five 3-pointers and scored 15 points.

Suarez had several ferocious blocks, including one where he pinned the ball against the backboard and raced to the other end of the floor for a layup. He made 11-of-14 shots. One had an alley-oop dunk on a feed from Robertson.

“He played very well tonight,” Flowers said. “When he’s playing with the movement he’s playing with right now, it makes it tough for defenses to guard him. It takes 2-3 guys at a time. He’s playing at a very high level. I’m proud that he’s staying consistent.”

Muhlenberg opened with a 7-0 run, led 17-4 after 6:20 and was never threatened. The Muhls extended their winning streak to seven games.

Mosquera is averaging 8.8 points, third-most for Muhlenberg, and leads the team with 29 3-pointers.

Flowers says the same pair of three-word sentences to Mosquera before every game. “I love you. Take the shot.” The coach is always encouraging Mosquera to fire away more often. The little big man had only four attempts against Fleetwood. He’s unselfish by nature.

“It’s a great moment when you pass the ball and the shot goes down,” Mosquera said. “It brings the team together. Everybody gets hyped. I love it. I love doing my job.”

Muhlenberg scores nearly 70 points per game. Only Reading scores more. That begins with the point guard.

“We stress to him, ‘You are the guy who kick-starts us,’” Flowers said. “You are the guy who gets us going. As long as you’re moving, we’re moving.”

How tall is Mosquera? Tall enough to run one of the best teams in the league.