Red Knights hoping to rise to challenge presented by Vertical, Mikey Williams
Mikey Williams and his Vertical Academy basketball team will provide Reading basketball fans with a glimpse of what could be a new era of elite high school sports in America.
Williams is the hottest thing going right now in high school basketball. He’s a self-made social media sensation who scored 41 points in his varsity debut as a freshman and later that season had 77 in a game. He’s drawing comparisons to a high school-aged LeBron James because of his impact on the game, on and off the court.
Late last year Williams signed a multi-year endorsement deal with German footwear manufacturer Puma; he is believed to be the first Ameican high school player to land such a deal.
The 17-year-old has over five million followers on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and a net worth in the millions.
Friday he’ll play at Santander Arena against Reading High, the defending PIAA Class 6A champion. It figures to be an event. Tickets are $18 and $22. The event has been organized by Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics.
“Mikey’s relevance around his peers in the basketball community is off the charts,” Matt Davis, vice president of excelsports management, told ESPN after Williams signed with his agency in July. “He’s one of the most relevant personalities in the basketball community.”
Vertical Academy, in Huntersville, N.C., was founded by Williams’ father Mahlon last year. It is unaffiliated with any sanctioned high school athletic association, has a 12-man roster that includes players from California, Texas, Georgia and Kentucky, and plays no home games.
Its schedule includes 25 games in 19 states. When Babe Ruth and Sachel Paige did this they called it barnstorming.
The storm passes through Reading Friday night as part of a doubleheader. Muhlenberg, coached by former Red Knights assistant Matt Flowers, plays Executive Education Academy Charter in the first game at 6:15. Reading High vs. Vertical follows.
“We look forward to having Vertical Academy here in our home town,” Red Knights coach Rick Perez said this week on the Mike Drago Sports Podcast. “Mikey Williams is a thrill to watch. The kids love him. His work ethic matches his play; I like that.
“He’s truly tough, he’s not just tough for the camera. He is very skilled, plays at a high level. If his work ethic can match ours I look forward to seeing what that’s going to look like in the ring Friday.”
The Red Knights have top talent of their own. Junior Ruben Rodriguez and senior Daniel Alcantara each have Division I offers. On paper, Reading’s roster pales in comparison to Vertical’s, which includes two players listed at 6-9 and four 6-7 or taller.
Alcantara, at 6-5, is Reading’s tallest player. Its center, senior Xavier Davis, is 6-2.
“No, we don’t have anybody signing Puma deals, or anybody with a plethora of Division I offers,” Perez said, “but (our players’) work ethic speaks volumes. That’s how we got here.
“I don’t care who’s got a Puma deal, who doesn’t have a Puma deal, we’ve gotta play ball and I know the guys are going to embrace that opportunity.”
Listen to the full interview with Reading High coach Rick Perez on the Mike Drago Sports Podcast.
The Red Knights might have appeared out-matched on paper last March for the PIAA Class 6A championship game against a team that featured four Division I recruits. Reading beat Archbishop Wood 58-57 in that one.
“There’s chemistry, there’s family, there’s pride, there’s purpose,” Perez said, listing reasons why his public school team, with a roster of players who have played and traveled together since their youth league days, can compete against top teams.
“We’re not playing for marketing deals or for show or for social media likes,” Perez said, “we play basketball because that’s what we love to do. We’re going to do the dirty things that may not get promoted. We do the things that don’t make ESPN. And that’s what pushes us over the top.
“Purpose will always prevail. I’m a firm believer in that. And that’s what gives us a shot every single time.”
The Red Knights will be playing on a court they’re familiar with and surrounded by thousands of fans — event organizers are hoping for a crowd of 4,000 or more — but they won’t be the featured attraction. That will be Williams.
He’s ranked No. 11 among juniors nationally by ESPN but he seems to be more than that. He’s part of a generation in which fame is more valued than talent, and he’s taking advantage of that. In fact, he could be carving the path for future generations.
“His talent on the court and his ability to connect with young athletes and fans alike will help drive hoops culture forward and inspire the next generation of athletes,” Adam Petrick of Puma said in a statement after Williams’ signing.
Vertical Academy, according to its website, was created “by a group of community business leaders that wanted to offer gifted high school student-athletes a diverse environment in a safe community that fosters understanding, compassion and empathy.
“We recruit families that have made a commitment towards excelling in sports and seek an environment that will challenge, support, and guide them on a journey to college athletics and beyond.”
Williams is at his third school in three years. He averaged 29.9 points as a freshman at San Diego’s San Ysidro High School in 2019-20. Last season he played at Lake Norman Christian in Huntersville, N.C.
He currently has offers from Kansas, Memphis and USC.
“No other team in the country is doing this,” Williams told The Springfield Student after Vertical beat Westtown School, an independent private-school powerhouse located in West Chester, last week. “It almost reminds me of LeBron when he was in high school, so this is a dope experience – it’s history, really.”
Perez is excited for the challenge, and the visibility it brings his program.
“Any time you have a program like that, a young man like that, you’ve gotta come out and enjoy it,” he said. “We had the luxury of being with Lonnie (Walker IV), and we know how that made others feel.”
Walker led the Red Knights to their first state title, in 2017. Now, after winning a second in five years, Reading’s program has been elevated to the point where it has a chance to play against a national opponent such as Vertical.
“We continue to move up, and the platforms that we play on continue to get bigger and bigger,” Perez said. “It’s an honor to be in this space.”
Listen to the full interview with Reading High coach Rick Perez on the Mike Drago Sports Podcast.
