Rick Perez’s basketball journey has taken him, Red Knights, to the top

By Tony Zonca — MikeDragoSports.com senior contributor

In the classic feel-good movie “Field of Dreams,” Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, has an epiphany.  He is distracted by a voice in his head that repeats: Build it and he will come.

A confused Kinsella startles those around him when he decides to tear up much of his corn crop to build a modern-day ballfield, lights and all.

People in the community believe he has lost his mind.  But Ray has a vision shared by no one.  When old, departed ballplayers begin to show up for pickup games Ray knows he is on to something.

Long story short, Ray makes his way to Boston and a game at Fenway Park where he is startled by the words “Go the Distance” written on the outfield message board.

In the meantime, he befriends a former famous writer, Terrance Mann, played by James Earl Jones, who ultimately shares the younger man’s vision.  Mann protects Ray and encourages him.

Back home Ray begins to waver.  People are ganging up on him.  His confidence is being tested, not to mention his commitment to the process. Mann steps in.  He delivers a stirring speech that touches Ray to the core:  Build it and they will come, Ray.

Finally, even his critics see the light, and that’s the way the movie ends, with a string of headlights winding up a rural road to share the vision.

Ray Kinsella meet Rick Perez.

Coach Perez also had a vision, though he already had an arena in which to play.  When he took the Reading High job he was still a young man. 

He had a vision too, but people largely disregarded him.  They didn’t want to hear about building blocks and visions.  Wins, they knew about.  And the young Perez wasn’t delivering.

After the first three seasons the program was stagnant.  The record was a so-so 50-33 and no new hardware was delivered.

Like Ray, Rick began questioning his approach.

“Those first couple of years were scary,” Perez said a day after the Red Knights added a 23rd District 3 title to their resume.  “I was ‘attacked’ by fans.  I doubted my work and felt a lack of support.  I felt like everybody was awaiting my first big mistake so they could cancel me.”

Rick says he will forever be indebted to the support he received from former RHS superintendent Dr. James Goodhart and his wife, Carol Ann.

“Dr. G and Mrs. G took a lot of hits for me,” he said.  “They kept me in the game.  They saw something in me that I no longer could see.  They have been with me since Day One.”

Goodhart was Rick’s Terrance Mann.

There were other supporters in the early days while Rick was trying to find his way as an assistant on Richie Reyes’ staff.  Assistants Brian Ellison and Zeke Golden, both gone, also liked what they saw in the young coach.

“They were his basketball father and uncle,” said Matt Flowers, Rick’s best friend and longtime assistant, who left to take the Muhlenberg job last year.  “They are the reasons for who Rick has become.  Rick loved those guys because they never gave up on him.  Rick has grown so much as a coach.  He puts his faith in God, and remembers that love, loyalty and commitment are what carries the program.”

Rick will never forget Golden’s role in his ascension.

“All I could hear over and over was Coach Golden telling me I would be the next head coach,” Rick said.  “He emphasized to me that when you’re the Reading coach you can’t sit on a throne in the high school.  You must be amongst your people.  I knew I had the pulse of the community, but I also knew how important winning was at Reading High.  The Geigle is one place that brings people from the city and county together.  I wanted to keep that going.”

Maybe that’s when he began to hear the voices.  He was an assistant for two years with Coach Tim Redding.

“I knew I wasn’t ready to be the head coach,” he said.  “But I also knew I needed to step up.  Although the program had been winning, I also knew the foundation needed a lot of work.  I knew I had the kids’ attention and they would play for me regardless of the outcome.  I was terrified about how to deal with the fan base because I knew we were walking into tough times.  But I had no choices; I was being called upon.”

Talk about epiphanies.  Some players will run through a wall for their coaches.  At Reading High the players first build the wall, THEN they run through it.

“In year four (2015) we had yet to win a county championship,” Perez recalled.  “Prior to that season I submitted my letter of resignation.  I said if we didn’t win that season I would resign.  We won.”

Reading 52, Berks Catholic 43.  Record: 24-6.

It was time to rip out the corn.

“It was then that the tide began to turn,” he said.  “The emergence of Lonnie (Walker IV) was more than just basketball.  He brought me peace; he showed me poise.  He was so graceful in his approach.  He balanced school, stardom, fanfare and adversity while taking the high road every time.”

And today he is lacing them up in the NBA.

Rick does not discuss Reading basketball without extolling Flowers, his sidekick.

“He was with me step by step,” he said.  “Nobody will ever understand the process more than him.  We took those early hits together; we saw what the others did not.  This past decade plus also belongs to him.  He was the foundation.  I’ve never met a person so loyal and willing to put his ego aside for the greater good.”

Rick does not get consumed by gaudy numbers.

In his 11th year, he owns five county and four district championships.  And, oh yeah, two state titles.
The Big Two of Reading High basketball coaches, Pete Carril and Jim Gano, now have to include Rick Perez as the Big Three.

He is three wins shy of tying Gano (251-51) for most wins at the helm.

“I idolize Coach Gano and all the coaches in our fraternity,” he said.  “I know firsthand what it takes to coach and succeed here.  Each of us has sacrificed so much that only those who have sat in that seat understand.  I’ve lost a bit of myself in this journey, but, dammit, I’ve gained a whole lot more.”

And then he paid homage to his family, who, like Ray, supported him when others flailed at him.

“They’ve endured social media bashing, people accosting me at the games, and they stood their ground with pride and humility, and here we stand today,” he said, as the crowds swell.

And then he talks about the voices.

“I love Reading High basketball with all my heart,” he said.  “It is my sanctuary.  When I need peace I come to the gym alone and meditate.  If you listen closely the gym will talk to you  — the sound of the crowd, squeaking sneakers, bodies diving on the floor, the balls bouncing.  

“Unless you walked this journey you will never understand.  But it takes over you.”

Almost mystically.

Build it and they will come.  He has . . . and they have.