‘Big Three’ have propelled Saints to the top of the Berks basketball pack
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Berks Catholic has a couple things the other top contenders in the Berks Conference don’t have:
It has the only unbeaten record in District 3, at 11-0.
It has the winningest coach in Berks history, Snip Esterly, who is at 803 victories — and counting.
Most importantly, it has the Big Three: Kingston McKoy, Parker Nein and Josh McKoy.
“They can score,” Esterly said after that trio produced 46 and then 52 points on back-to-back nights last week in key league wins over Exeter and Muhlenberg.
That threesome is averaging a combined 49.9 points per game, more than any other trio in the league. In fact, that’s more than six other Berks teams are scoring per game.
The productive threesome provide the Saints with consistent scoring each night – inside and out. Combine that with BC’s strong overall defense and you can see why the Saints are in first place in Berks II, ranked No. 1 in the District 3 Class 4A power ratings and now the favorite to win league and district titles.
Josh McKoy, a 6-4 senior, is a proven scorer. He averaged 15.4 points per game as a sophomore, second on the team at Antietam. His scoring production went down last season because the Saints had so many other scoring options but this year he’s back to 15.5 per game.
It was pretty much a given that Kingston McKoy would score this season. He was more of a defensive specialist last season as a freshman but it was evident he would emerge as one of the league’s top players, and now has taken control of the Saints offense. He’s breaking down defenses with his penetration of the lane and either kicking out to wing shooters or taking it to the rim; he’s averaging 17.0 points.
The wildcard – and key to the Saints having no dropoff after graduating four starters and 43 points per game – has been senior Parker Nein. He showed offensive potential last season as a bench player when he hit 13 3-pointers, fourth on the team.
Nein has transformed his game this season and has become an offensive force. He’s averaging a team-best 17.8 points, third in the league, and has knocked down 27 3’s in 11 games.
The Saints don’t need much more offense than that, but they’ve got solid auxiliary options in 3-point threat Brady Altimar, senior guard Armanni Dominguez and junior Zach Suski off the bench.
“With Brady and Armanni, we’re quick as heck,” Esterly said. “And they give us a little more offensively.”
At this point Nein and the McKoy brothers are in line to become the highest-scoring trio in Berks Catholic history. Only twice before have the Saints finished a season with three players each averaging 10 points or more. In 2012-13 Nana Foulland, Chris Warren and Connor Jack combined to average 36.7 points per game. In 2021-22, Josiah Jordan, Ryan Koch and Aidan Sands combined for 41.5 points per game.
At 11-0 Berks Catholic is off to the third-best start in program history.
BC won the first 14 games it played in its inaugural season, 2011-12, and went on to finish 28-3 with Berks and District 3 championships. That team included Donovan Jack, Marquis Marshall, Warren, and Mike Miller.
The Saints won their first 12 games last season, en route to a 23-5 finish and their fifth district championship. Gone from that team are its top two scorers, Josiah Jordan and Ryan Koch, as well as 3-point sniper Jack Miller.
Berks Catholic’s next big league challenge comes Thursday at Wilson. The Bulldogs are 11-4 and alone in first place in Berks I. The Saints get Reading at home the following week, then a Berks II rematch at Exeter Feb. 1. The league looked like a tight five-way race at the outset but halfway through the league schedule the Saints are pulling away and the team to beat.
