Player of the Week Madyx Gruber hasn’t come up short for Wilson

By Mike Drago Last updated Feb 19, 2024

Wilson's Madyx Gruber. (Tim Macrina photo)

Madyx Gruber got shorted in the gene pool lottery.

His dad Jarrad was 6-6 when he was a freshman at Hamburg; he stretched to 6-8 by his senior season.

Madyx? He’s generously listed at 5-11 on the Wilson basketball roster.

“I blame it on my mom,” jokes the junior guard.

Those lost inches haven’t held Madyx back. He’s been a driving force for the Bulldogs in two sports. He was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer in football, with nine touchdown receptions, and played a huge role in helping the basketball team capture the Berks Conference championship last week.

He scored a career-high 31 points in a semifinal win over top-seeded Berks Catholic and made the game-saving defensive play in the final seconds Friday to preserve a 54-53 win over Reading High in the championship game. That adds up to his second Weeber/Langdon Team of Merrill Lynch Player of the Week award this season.

“When he is on his A-game, he’s all-county,” Wilson coach Matt Coldren said.

And now, like his dad, Madyx has a win over Reading to add to his resume.

Jarrad scored a couple of wins over the Red Knights during his extraordinary career with the Hawks from 1996-2000. He had a stunning 32-point performance in a 58-47 victory as a freshman; he bookended that by again dropping 32 on the Red Knights in a 65-48 victory his senior season.

That was part of one of the greatest careers in Berks basketball history, one that saw Jarrad become just the fourth 2,000-pointer scorer in league history. He might be the only freshman ever named Berks Player of the Year. He’s one of the few four-time All-Berks picks.

He led Hamburg to three division titles and 71 wins over his four seasons. The Hawks went 23-7 his senior year and cracked the PIAA Tournament. The Hawks haven’t won a playoff game in the 24 years since.

Madyx is well aware of those accomplishments.

“He likes to pull out some out tapes,” he said of his father. “He’ll brag about it.”

Madyx says he and his dad talk about basketball all the time but other than that he hasn’t had a chance to get on the court and work with him. Jarrad moved away from his family when Madyx was quite young. He had to pick up the intricacies of sports through older brother Syre and other mentors.

“Madyx is his own player,” says his mom, Jaime. “Everything that Madyx has earned, Madyx has earned himself.”

His basketball development was helped by the coaches at St. Peters, Danny Dominguez and Freddie Diaz, and by playing there with current Berks Catholic players such as Armanni Dominguez, Javen Diaz, Elijah Komoro and Devin Garcia.

Later he played in Reading’s KTB program for R.J. Dixon, who’s now Reading High’s JV coach. He played on KTB teams with Nick Chapman, Malik Osumanu and Nico Sosa. Ironically, he stopped Chapman from scoring the winning basket in the championship game when he knocked away a pass.

Just what you’d expect from an all-league defensive back.

“Athletically, he does have his dad to thank,” Jaime said. “(When it comes to) competitiveness, (he takes) that more from me.”

Madyx is never going to put up points like his dad did – few players ever have – but he’s got a penchant for putting the ball in the basket. He runs the floor well, can score at all three levels, and is fearless when taking the ball the basket against bigger guys.

Oh, and he can shoot it. He’s got as much range on his 3-pointer as anyone in the league.

He made an impact off the bench late in his freshman season and had some big games in the postseason as a sophomore: He scored 26 points, with six 3-pointers, in a one-point win at Fleetwood in the Berks quarterfinals and 23 against York High to help the Bulldogs qualify for the PIAA Tournament.

He has 34 3-pointers this season.

“When he’s feeling it, he has the green light,” Coldren said. “We’re not gonna tell him not to shoot.”

As for being one of the smaller players on the court, Madyx long ago got past that.

“Syre always told him: ‘Heart over height,’ ” Jaime Gruber said. “Madyx just fights. He doesn’t care (about being small) anymore.”

Also considered for Player of the Week:

Josh McKoy, Berks Catholic
Parker Nein, Berks Catholic
Shermar Killen, Muhlenberg
Nick Chapman, Reading High
Yadiel Cruz, Reading High
Correll Akings, Wilson
Luke Levan, Wilson

Players selected earlier this season:

Dec. 11: Alex Collado, Muhlenberg
Dec. 18: Madyx Gruber, Wilson
Dec. 25: Nate Herb, Fleetwood
Jan. 1: Yadiel Cruz, Reading High
Jan. 8: Kevin Saenz, Exeter
Jan. 15: Kingston McKoy, Berks Catholic
Jan. 22: Shermar Killen, Muhlenberg
Jan. 29: Josh McKoy, Berks Catholic
Feb. 5: Aiden Soumas, Fleetwood
Feb. 12: Nick Chapman, Reading High

Players selected last season:

Dec. 12: Jake Karnish, Fleetwood
Dec. 19: Mark Rajnath, Schuylkill Valley
Dec. 26: Ryan Koch, Berks Catholic
Jan. 2: Myles Grey, Reading High
Jan 9: Jake Karnish, Fleetwood
Jan. 16: Yadiel Cruz, Reading High
Jan. 23: Ruben Rodriguez, Reading High
Jan. 30: Aiden Soumas, Fleetwood
Feb. 6: Anthony Caccese, Exeter
Feb. 13: Cooper Hohenadel, Schuylkill Valley
Feb. 20: Ruben Rodriguez, Reading High
Feb. 27: Ruben Rodriguez, Reading High
March 6: Anthony Caccese, Exeter
March 13: Myles Grey, Reading High
March 20: Kevin Saenz, Exeter
March 27: Nick Chapman, Reading High

Players selected in 2021-22 season:

Dec. 20: Matt Harley, Gov. Mifflin
Dec. 27: Colin Payne, Exeter
Jan. 3: Jake Karnish, Fleetwood
Jan. 10: Myles Grey, Reading High
Jan. 17: Danny Turchi, Oley Valley
Jan. 24: Ruben Rodriguez, Reading High
Jan. 31: Julian O’Brien, Wyomissing
Feb. 7: Xavier Goodman, Kutztown
Feb. 14: Danny Turchi, Oley Valley
Feb. 21: Ruben Rodriguez, Reading High
Feb. 28: Hector Tiburcio, Antietam
March 7: Joey Chapman, Reading High