Exeter’s Kevin Saenz has given himself a shot to excel

As a freshman in the Wilson program Kevin Saenz watched every move Steve Mitchell would make.

Saenz observed how Mitchell, the Bulldogs’ all-time scoring leader, went about things in practices and games. He saw the tireless work ethic and dedication that led Mitchell to Marquette, where he’s now a starting guard on one of the top teams in the nation.

Saenz wanted to get to that level and started putting in the work required to make it. The Exeter junior said he put up 500 to 1,000 shots during offseason workouts.

“Every single day,” he said. “I put in so much work over the offseason I came in (to this season) like a new man.”

He’s looked like a different guy. The 6-2 forward is one of the most improved players in the Berks Conference and a key reason the third-seeded Eagles find themselves playing for a spot in the District 3 Class 5A championship game. They’ll face seventh-seeded Hershey (18-6) Monday at 7 at Reiffton; the winner heads to Giant Center for a Thursday 4:15 final.

Saenz, an Exeter reserve last year in his first season after transferring from Wilson, has emerged as the Eagles’ second-leading scorer and a top-defender. He often draws the assignment against the opposing team’s top scorer. His length and tenaciousness have made him a top defender.

That and a healthy dose of confidence. He lacked that last season.

“That (improved) confidence leads into his defense, and how impressive he’s been on the glass,” said Exeter coach Matt Ashcroft. “He’s been unbelievable for us.”

Saenz may have played his best all-around game Thursday when he scored 17 points in an 80-58 win over Milton Hershey. He hit 7-of-10 shots from the field, including  3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also had four rebounds and five assists, most of them to 6-6 Anthony Caccese.

Saenz has developed great touch getting the ball to the “Big Cheese” in favorable positions on the low post. That makes Exeter’s offense work. When teams have to double down on Caccese or sag their zone in an effort to blanket him that gives the 3-point snipers, Saenz, Teddy Snyder and Reece Garvin, working room.

Garvin, who has missed the last 2 ½ games with a sprained ankle, was leading the team with 39 3’s. Snyder hit five in the last game and now has 41. Saenz has 36, and at 43.1 percent was the most accurate starter from beyond the arc during the regular season.

Saenz is averaging 11.3 points as part of a remarkably balanced lineup: Caccese averages 12.9 points, Garvin 11.0, All-Berks guard Zyion Paschall 10.0 and Snyder 8.4.

Saenz struggled with consistency during his sophomore season but the hours spent in the gym and putting up shots during the offseason made him feel he can play with the top players in the league.

“Skill-wise, I would put him up there with Ruben and Aris Rodriguez (of Reading High),” said Alex Bernhard, the director of New Age Hoops, who worked with Saenz throughout the summer and fall.  

“I really think he’s on their level,” Bernhard said, “I just think they have a different mentality. They’re always in a killer mindset. The only thing that’s holding ‘Kev’ back from being (at that level) is that mentality.”

Saenz did skill work with Bernhard two to four times per week in the summer and fall.

“I worked on my shot so much, and it improved tremendously,” Saenz said. “They definitely pushed my game to the next level. That work is paying off, and it feels great.”

The next step, Bernhard said, is for Saenz to get stronger and more explosive. A little more muscle on his lean frame could make him one of the top players in the county next season and capable of playing at the college level.

“I see so much potential in his game,” Bernhard said. “He wants to be a Division I basketball player, and he’s laser-focused on that.”

Saenz has been a vital part of Exeter’s drive to its first division title since 1984 and first 20-win season since that same year. It’s no coincidence that when he fouled out of the Berks Conference championship game Reading High scored 18 unanswered points and went on to win, 70-63. The Eagles were up 10 with 4 ½ minutes to go with Saenz on the floor.

A victory Monday will send Exeter to a district final for just the fourth time in program history, and first time since 1983. The points won’t be easy to come by. Hershey is a strong defensive team: It held No. 10 Susquehannock to 30 in the opening-round and No. 2 Lampeter-Strasburg to a season-low 26 in the quarterfinals, including none in the fourth quarter.

Hershey held eight of its opponents below 40 points this season. It finished second in the Mid-Penn Keystone behind Milton Hershey, which allowed Exeter to score a season-high 80 points. Hershey lost to Milton Hershey 62-59 in December and beat the Spartans 58-46 a month later.

Hershey is coached by Paul Blackburn, who played on Carlisle’s 1986 PIAA championship team, along with Billy Owens. Exeter coach Matt Ashcroft won a PIAA championship in 2007 with Central Catholic.

Even without Garvin the Eagles’ confidence is sky high. They have won their first two district games by a 25 and 22 points. Their only loss in the last five weeks came to Reading High, which is 25-1.

“We just blew out a team that was great in the Mid-Penn,” Saenz said after the win over Milton Hershey, “so I’m feeling good about Monday.”