Unbeaten Saints out in front of the pack as Berks Conference play set to open
2023 Berks basketball coverage presented by
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Berks Catholic has served notice in the opening weeks of the basketball season that it’s as good as ever and a top contender for its first Berks Conference championship in six years.
The Saints are 3-0 with wins over three 2022-23 playoff qualifiers, the most impressive by 33 points Tuesday at Octorara, which had been 5-0.
“I like what I see so far,” said Saints coach Snip Esterly. “We’ve had some lapses, but overall I’m really pleased.”
Berks Catholic came into the season as one of five teams with a legitimate shot to win a league title and little has changed heading into the opening night of league play Thursday.
Wilson (3-1) and Muhlenberg (3-2) are off to solid starts despite inexperienced lineups. Reading High (2-2) and Exeter (1-2) each have new head coaches and are going through a transition period, as expected, but should be right there with the other three by playoff time.
Fleetwood (3-0) is the only other unbeaten in the league. The Tigers have won the Berks III title each of the past two seasons and are positioned for a Three-Peat, though Schuylkill Valley (3-1) and Wyomissing will have a lot to say about that.
Berks Catholic hosts Twin Valley Thursday in one of six league openers. Schuylkill Valley and Wyomissing open Friday. The rest of the teams will open Tuesday, when there are eight league games scheduled.
Esterly’s teams, at Berks Catholic and Central Catholic, and the bigger schools in Berks I teams have dominated the basketball landscape for the past two decades. Reading High has won 12 of the last 20 Berks Conference title games. Wilson has won four. Esterly’s teams have won four.
The only other programs to reach the title game over the past 20 years are Exeter (last season), Gov. Mifflin (in 2020) and Schuylkill Valley (in 2012).
Expect form to hold again in the 2023-24 season. No other program has shown signs that it’s ready to move into that well-established top tier.
The Red Knights, despite an all-new starting lineup, are still a top contender for a county title but for the first time since Stevie Mitchell left Wilson a couple years ago they are not the slam-dunk favorite.
Actually, there is no single favorite at this point.
“It’s wide open,” said Muhlenberg coach Matt Flowers, repeating what he had to say a month ago as he and the other Berks coach were still sorting all of this out.
“The team that’s most consistent, the team that’s most mature, the team that can continue to grow every day (will rise to the top),” Flowers said.
Berks Catholic has a mostly new starting lineup; only senior center Josh McKoy was a fulltime starter a year ago, when the Saints went 23-5 and won their second straight District 3 Class 4A championship.
Kingston McKoy played starter’s minutes last season as a freshman and has emerged as one of the league’s top players this season. He scored 21 points in the BC’s season-opening win over Cedar Crest and has established himself as a leader of this group.
“It all starts with Kingston,” Esterly said. “He’s got these guys believing in playing tough, sound defense. He’s just a tremendous leader. These kids have bought into it, they love to play defense. They know how important it is.”
Even after graduating their all-time scoring leader, Josiah Jordan, and their top shooters, Ryan Koch and Jack Miller, the Saints still have plenty of scoring options. Parker Nein scored a career-high 21 points Tuesday in an 80-47 win at Octorara and is averaging 15.3 points.
For a change Esterly has some depth on the bench and might utilize it more often.
“We’ve got guys stepping up,” he said. “(Sophomore) Brady (Altimar) and (senior) Armanni (Dominguez) give us really quick defensive guards, and (junior) Zach (Suski) gives us another 3-point shooter.”
Suski scored 14 second-quarter points Tuesday at Octorara; Altimar had nine points in a 61-51 win over Allentown Central Catholic.
The Saints open their Berks II schedule Thursday at home against Twin Valley (2-3).
The most intriguing league tip-off is Muhlenberg’s visit to Gov. Mifflin in a Berks I matchup. Senior Alex Collado has emerged as the Muhls’ go-to guy; he’s averaging 16.8 points and has scored 20 or more points three times. Mifflin junior Andrew Galantuomo is one of the league’s top point guards and coming off a 16-point effort in a win over Manheim Township.
“We haven’t played our best basketball yet, and still we’re 3-1,” said Mifflin coach Brian Wrobel. “Hopefully we can find that next gear for Thursday.”
Each of the five Berks IV teams open league play Thursday. As a group they have struggled, combining for a 3-12 record. All five teams have losing records. Oley Valley, the preseason favorite, is 1-3.
The first game in Berks III is a big one, with contenders Wyomissing and Schuylkill Valley (3-1) playing Friday at Leesport. It’s an intriguing match-up for several reasons, including the fact that it’s the season-opener for Wyomissing, which delayed its start due to its long football playoff run, which ended Dec. 1 – the same night basketball season opened.
The game marks the debut for Wyomissing head coach Garrett Etzel. He’ll be without center Drew Forrey, who was injured in football. Schuylkill Valley could see top 3-point shooter Cooper Hohenadel return to the court; he was cleared this week to resume practice after suffering a fractured elbow late in the football season.