Here are the 5 (or so) most improved players in the Berks Conference this season
Aidan Melograna wasn’t happy with his role or the way he performed it as a junior. He was determined to get physically stronger and improve his game, and he went at it hard.
The transformation has been remarkable, almost unprecedented.
He went from bench player to the leading scorer on a Wilson team headed for the Berks Conference and District 3 playoffs. He’ll be in the discussion for a spot on the All-Berks team when coaches meet to pick that 10 days from now.
(PhilMarPhoto)
“He really wanted to get better, and he did,” said Jeff Ebner, a freshman coach at Wilson who worked closely with Melograna last spring and summer.
Ebner devised a strength and conditioning program for Melograna and worked with him almost every day. He helped him with skill work and talked about the mental side of competing.
It paid off, and quickly: Melograna was named the Most Improved Player in the West Reading Summer League and a finalist for MVP. Earlier this season he accepted an offer to play at Arcadia University.
Melograna is the captain on the Berks’ Most Improved Players list, a squad that includes Mark Rajnath of Schuylkill Valley, Aris Rodriguez of Reading High, Xzavion Robertson of Muhlenberg and Zyion Paschall and Kevin Saenz of Exeter.
Each has taken huge strides since last season, when most were either bench or role players; this season they’ve led their respective team into the county and district playoffs.
(PhilMarPhoto)
Rajnath, a 6-2 senior, is a tenacious defender who has developed his 3-point shot and doubled his scoring average, from 7.6 to a team-leading 14.0. He sets the tone for the Panthers’ attacking defense, handles the ball and is the guy when they need a big shot.
Schuylkill Valley, which has gone 17-5, may be the most overachieving team in the league and Rajnath’s the No. 1 reason why. He leads the team in assists, steals and deflections and is second in rebounds.
People around Reading’s program have been waiting awhile for Rodriguez to break out. He did this past offseason, sprouting an inch or so to 6-5. His confidence grew as he enjoyed a big fall tournament season.
That carried into the regular season as he knocked down four 3-pointers in the opening quarter of the Red Knights’ season-opening win over Central York; he finished with 30 points.
“He’s always had an abundance of potential,” Reading coach Rick Perez said of Rodriguez. “Things are really lining up for (him).”
Rodriguez, a senior who has started every game for the 21-1 Red Knights, has nearly tripled his scoring output, to 14.4, and is one of the league’s top 3-point shooters with 37.
Robertson, a 5-11 senior guard, showed flashes of his ability last season, when he averaged 8.6 points. He has emerged one of the league’s most explosive and dangerous offensive players.
When he’s on his game, as he was in the season-opener when he dropped 26 against Central Dauphin, he’s nearly impossible to stop. He has a quick release on his 3 and gets to the rack with ease.
(Tim Macrina photo)
Robertson is averaging 14.6 points, nearly double last season’s total, and is among league leaders with 44 3-pointers.
We’ll consider Paschall and Saenz a combined entry here because their emergence and impact have been equally critical to Exeter’s ascendance. The Eagles don’t win the Berks II title or come close to 17 wins without both of them taking it up a notch.
Paschall was a solid point guard and strong defender as a junior but didn’t score – because he didn’t shoot. He lacked the skills and confidence.
He worked hard on that part of his game in the offseason and is now a capable shooter and scorer, at 9.2 points per game. Opponents can no longer lay off him as they did when he was a junior. He’s second on the team in two-point field goal attempts and has gotten to the foul line more than anyone else.
Paschall averages 7.0 assists and 2.6 steals, both tops on the team, is good at the foul line (74.1%) and capable from the 3-point line (31.0%).
The 6-3 Saenz showed flashes early last season but was inconsistent in his play off the bench. He’s stepped up his overall game in every facet after moving into the starting lineup. He’s become a lock-down defender for one of the league’s best defensive clubs.
(Tim Macrina photo)
Saenz, the only junior on this list, is third on the team in scoring, at 11.1 per game, second with 31 3’s and first in 3-point percentage, at 43.1%.
Melograna led Wilson in 3-pointers a year ago, with 30 – a big number considering his minutes. That’s pretty much all he did, and a prime reason he didn’t see more time. He’s 6-3 with nice length but didn’t have enough bulk and found himself getting pushed around near the basket.
His time in the weight room following last season paid huge dividends, both physically and mentally.
“I could see the results as we went through the spring and the summer, and throughout the fall,” Ebner said.
Melograna entered this season a totally different player: More confident, stronger mentally and able to come through despite now becoming the main focus of opposing defenses. He’s averaging a team-best 11.5 points per game with 52 3-pointers, fourth-most in the league.
“It’s good to see that if you put your mind to something you can make a big change,” he said.
“Arcadia is going to get a diamond in the rough,” Ebner said. “Kids need to understand (success) doesn’t come overnight. It takes years to be successful. That’s what Aidan really has grasped.”
10 others who have stepped up their game
Ben DeBalko, sophomore, Oley Valley
Donovan Gingrich, sophomore, Conrad Weiser
Dominic Giuffre, junior, Schuylkill Valley
Cooper Hohenadel, sophomore, Schuylkill Valley
Jovan Hollis, senior, Antietam
Jayden Kantner, sophomore, Brandywine
Jaden Kelly, senior, Oley Valley
Brady McKee, sophomore, Conrad Weiser
Keith Neal, senior, Oley Valley
Aiden Soumas, junior, Fleetwood
