Player of the Week Yadiel Cruz has scoring knack ‘you can’t coach and you can’t teach’

By Mike Drago Last updated Feb 26, 2024

Reading High's Yadiel Cruz. (Tim Macrina photo)

After losing nearly 50 points per game and more than 150 3-pointers with the graduation of All-Berks picks Ruben Rodriguez, Aris Rodriguez and Myles Grey, Reading High entered this season without a proven go-to guy.

It didn’t take long for Yadiel Cruz to establish himself in that role. A consistent scorer off the bench last season, the 6-2 senior proved he could be the Red Knights’ lead dog right away, dropping 20 or more points four times in their first six games.

He has continued to be the key cog in the District 3 Tournament with 17 points in an opening-round win over Penn Manor and 25 Friday in a tight quarterfinal win at Carlisle Friday. He earned Weeber/Langdon Team of Merrill Lynch Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Consistency has been Cruz’s hallmark: He has reached double figures 26 times in 27 games, including the last 24. He has scored 20 or more points 18 times. He’s able to score in the set offense, off the boards and in transition where he moves down the court gracefully and finishes with aplomb.

“The kid just has a knack for finding the basketball and a knack putting the ball in the basket,” said Reading coach Francis Camara. “If we run plays for him, he’s gonna score; if we don’t run plays for him, he’s gonna score because he’ll rebound it and put it back up; he’ll get timely stops defensively, and then transition that into offensive backets.”

Cruz, named Berks Player of the Year by the league’s coaches, is averaging 22.3 points per game. That’s nearly 3 ½ points more than any other player in the league and more than Ruben Rodriguez averaged in leading the league in each of the past two seasons.

In fact, it’s a higher scoring average than all but three players in Reading High history. Donyell Marshall set the standard in 1990-91, averaging 24.8. Bill Jankans averaged 23.7 in 1964-67. Stu Jackson averaged 22.6 as a junior in 1972-73 and 22.2 the following season.

Those are Mount Rushmore names at Reading High.

Cruz’s 603 points are the fifth-most ever scored by a Red Knights senior, behind only Marshall, Ruben Rodriguez, Jackson, and Lonnie Walker IV.

Cruz scored a career-high 40 points against Harrisburg. Only four other Reading players have scored more in a game: Ruben Rodriguez, 50 and 42; Buck Friedman, 48; Marshall, 43; and Brian D’Amico, 42.

One reason Cruz scores so often, and so consistently, is because he gets good shots around the basket, and because he’s constantly moving. He and point guard Weshly Rosario have developed a connection, and he often scores on cuts to the basket.

“Yadiel’s hard to stop because he just keeps coming at you,” Camara said.

Cruz can also score on his own, through his defense and through his perimeter shooting. He’s made 46 3-point shots, tops on the team and fifth-most in the league. He’s good at creating contact around the basket and at converting at the line, where’s he shooting 72.0 percent.

“He doesn’t need anyone to run anything for him to put the ball in the basket,” Camara said, “and that’s something that you can’t coach and you can’t teach.”

Player of the Week candidates are nominated by their coach or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.

This is Cruz’s second selection this season, and the third for the Red Knights; Nick Chapman was selected earlier this month.

Also considered for Player of the Week: