Aidan Melograna’s basketball growth hasn’t been hard to miss
Aidan Melograna proved last season that he can miss a free throw, when needed.
Now the rising Wilson senior is showing he can do a lot of other things well on a basketball court.
He put those skills on display Thursday evening, first with a strong all-around performance playing for Marrella Financial in the Ron Krick Memorial League championship game, then with a ridiculous shooting display in the All-Star Game that followed.
Melograna knocked down four 3-pointers in the All-Star Game, several from inside the logo at center court.
“I was feeling it for a little bit,” he joked.
Melograna has always had a good stroke; he was determined after a somewhat disappointing junior season to work on the other parts of his game, and people have noticed.
He received the Woozy Smith Award as the Most Improved Player in the West Reading Summer League. He was also one of four finalists for the Terry Brennan Most Valuable Player Award. He’s the only player who was a finalist for more than one award.
“This (award) actually means a ton to me,” Melogranna said, “because I told myself at the end of the season that I was going to be a much better player. I was a little frustrated on how last season went for me and my team.”
Melograna came off the bench for the Bulldogs and knocked down a team-best 30 3-pointers, but his game was limited.
“I felt like I got pushed around a lot last year,” he said. “I was just sitting there waiting for somebody to throw me the ball in the corner.
“I can’t be doing that, just (looking for the 3) anymore, I’ve got to be getting to the basket, find my teammates, play better defense.”
He’s worked at all of those skills in the offseason. He’s also worked on his body, tacking on 15 pounds.
He credits Jeff Ebner, a volunteer coach in the Wilson program, for helping him get stronger. They have worked together at Colonial Fitness.
“He makes me so much better,” Melograna said.
The part of the game he’s happiest with is his defense. He knows he needs to be better on that end of the floor if he wants to get key minutes.
“Coach (Matt) Coldren always harps on defense,” he said. “That’s what it’s gonna come down to. I need to be better defensively if I want to be on the floor at the end of games.
“If I’m playing a 4 or a 5 (forward or center) at some points, I’m gonna have to be in there, get rebounds; I still need to get better at that.”
Melograna has sprouted two inches, to 6-4, since the beginning of last season. That has helped his game, too.
“My self-confidence has skyrocket this year,” he said. “I had some rough times last year and its gotten a lot better just from working hard. It’s nice to see that. I had a few shining moments (last season), but I would’ve liked to have been a more well-rounded player.”
Melograna came up big in a District 3 playoff win over Waynesboro, hitting four 3-pointers in the first half. His biggest moment, though, came on that aforementioned missed free throw. He ignited one of the wildest finishes in program history.
The Bulldogs trailed Methacton by four points when Melograna was fouled with 1.6 seconds left. The only way for them to avoid defeat was for him to hit the first foul shot, intentionally miss the second, then for the Bulldogs to grab the rebound and hit a tying 3-pointer.
Much to the disbelief of Melograna and just about everyone else watching, that’s excactly what happened.
He missed the second shot perfectly, the ball caroming to Foday Sillah, who snared it and in one motion rifled it to Cam Jones on the wing. Jones hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime where Wilson prevailed 60-56.
“I can’t believe that actually happened,” Melograna said afterward. “I’ve seen it on TV a million times. It’s never worked.”
Despite Thursday’s 46-45 overtime loss to Berks Catholic Melograna is excited about his team’s prospects for the upcoming season.
“We’ve got some guys,” he said. “Our front five, all of us can score. We’re gonna be a real good team come the winter if we keep working and playing hard.
“I want to win a county championship. I want to win a district championship. I want to do whatever I can to get there. This (most improved trophy) doesn’t mean anything compared to that trophy.”
| Woozy Smith Most Improved Player | Finalists | ||
| Aidan Melograna, Wilson | Noah Archambault | Antietam | |
| Ben DeBalko | Oley Valley | ||
| Jaxon Geddio | Berks Catholic |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Finalists | ||
| Jovan Hollis, Antietam | Cam Jones | Wilson | |
| Drew Eisenhower | Wyomissing |
| West Reading Drug Store Sportsmanship Award | Finalists | ||
| Eli Houser, Schuylkill Valley | Ben Zechman | Wyomissing | |
| Cleveland Harding Jr. | Wilson |
| Terry Brennan Most Valuable Player | Finalists | ||
| Josiah Jordan, Berks Catholic | Dylan Kohl | Ephrata | |
| Mark Rajnath | Schuylkill Valley | ||
| Aidan Melograna | Wilson |
