Reading’s golden boy, Ruben Rodriguez, has a basketball resume like no other
Lonnie Walker IV had a great basketball career at Reading High. He left in 2017 with a program-record 1,828 points and after leading the Red Knights to their first PIAA championship. He went on to play at Miami and is now playing in the NBA.
Donyell Marshall had a great career at Reading. He graduated in 1991 as the program’s all-time leading scorer, went on to play at the University of Connecticut and then for 15 seasons in the NBA.
Stu Jackson had a great career with the Red Knights. He was a two-time All-State pick, scored 1,563 points and led his team to within seconds of a state championship in 1973. He went on to play in the PAC-8 and was a head coach and top administrator in the NBA.
Bill Jankans, Dick “Tiger” Graul, Willie Pegram, Steve Rossignoli, Neil Christel, Trenity Burdine, Wesley Butler . . . all-time greats at the Castle.
None have done what Ruben Rodriguez has.
Neither did Ron Krick, Charlie Copp, Keith Bricker, Stevie Mitchell or Donovon Jack, among the greatest ever to grace the courts of Berks County.
The sinewy 6-2 Rodriguez has a resume that’s unmatched in Berks basketball.
He added another line to it last week when he and the Red Knights beat Cumberland Valley 54-53 in overtime to claim the District 3 Class 6A championship.
It was the third straight title for Reading.
For Rodriguez, who played at Muhlenberg as a freshman, it was the fourth.
For all of his many accomplishments on the court that feat stands alone. It will never be topped: 4-for-4.
“It’s crazy,” said Rodriguez after completing his unrivaled collection of district gold.
Walker, whose talent was breathtaking and mesmerizing, won one district title with Reading. He should’ve won more, but that’s another story.
Jackson won two districts titles, as a junior and senior.
Pegram won a couple, too, as part of the last Reading team to threepeat; he was a top scorer on the 1956 and 1957 championship teams, the last two of that run.
Jankans and Graul each won one district title; maybe it was tougher back in the day, what with only three classifications. You could make an argument.
Marshall made it to a pair of championship games at the old Hersheypark Arena but came away with silver each time.
None of them won three district golds with the Red Knights, as Rodriguez has done.
He hasn’t just been collecting medals — he’s been winning them. As a freshman he was the starting point guard, was second on the team in scoring and hit a couple of clutch shots during the Muhls’ playoff run: He hit a 15-footer with two seconds left to beat Northern the district semifinals and scored on a clear-out with 2.5 seconds left to send a second-round PIAA Tournament game against Shippensburg to overtime. Once there, he scored seven points to lead the Muhls to the win.
He was the leading scorer on Reading’s PIAA championship team as a sophomore, led the league in scoring as a junior and is leading it again this season. Next month he’ll be named All-State for the third time.
Rodriguez has scored 1,912 points but that’s not his most impressive number.
“He doesn’t care if he has the most points, the most rebounds, steals, assists,” said his father, Ruben Sr., an assistant coach at Reading. “Whatever he has to do to win the game he’s going to do. He’s not about the stats. Winning, that’s No. 1 for him.”
His days with the Red Knights aren’t over yet; they open the state tournament Saturday at 3 at the Geigle against Haverford.
To date he has a 79-7 record with Reading; over four seasons his teams have gone 102-13. That’s an average of better than 25 wins a season, and an .887 winning clip.
When Rodriguez smells the playoffs he takes his game to an even higher level. That was evident when he dropped 42 points against Chambersburg in a district opener. He’s 21-2 in playoff games with the Red Knights and 27-3 overall. That’s a .900 winning percentage in the postseason.
In District 3 play he’s unbeaten: 13-0.
Rodriguez didn’t have his best game in last week’s district final; he made just 4-of-13 shots. He helped his team in other ways. He made clever plays on defense to force turnovers, pushed the ball up the court, got into the hands of his shooters and had five assists.
With the game on the line, his team down one in the final seconds of overtime, Red Knights coach Rick Perez knew the ball had to be in Rodriguez’s hands. There was never a doubt.
“He wants the ball at the end,” said Ruben Sr. “He’s just so confident in the way he plays. He’s always had that killer instinct.”
Rodriguez drove the lane, saw Yadiel Cruz open under the basket and slipped the ball to him. Cruz was fouled, made two free throws, and Rodriguez was golden again.
