Ruben Rodriguez has scaled Reading’s Mount Rushmore of basketball greats
By Tony Zonca — MikeDragoSports.com senior contributor
Players such as Ruben Rodriguez and Lonnie Walker IV usually emerge about once a generation. If this were meant to be a review of the last seven basketball seasons in Berks County, Wilson’s Stevie Mitchell would certainly be included.
In that Holy Grail of a 2017 season Walker set the bar higher than any Red Knight before him. Some saw the current Los Angeles Laker as a once-in-a-lifetime gift to the city.
| Reading High scoring leaders | |
| Lonnie Walker IV | 1,828 |
| Ruben Rodriguez | 1,720* |
| Donyell Marshall | 1,581 |
| Dick Nyquist | 1,576 |
| Stu Jackson | 1,563 |
| Jordan Burdine | 1,435 |
| Bill Jankans | 1,423 |
| Jermaine Jackson | 1,400 |
| Brian D’Amico | 1,359 |
| Wesley Butler | 1,315 |
Lo and behold, six years later, Rodriguez cleared that bar with room to spare. His body of works exceeds his rather slight 6-2 frame.
His impressive resume includes two county championships, four (the first with Muhlenberg) District 3 championships, two Berks Player of the Year awards, a soon-to-be third selection as a first-team All-Stater and those two state championships.
Did I miss anything? Probably. Oh, yeah, how could I forget? He finished as the seventh highest all-time leading scorer in the county with 2,008 points, just seven points from finishing fifth. Had Coach Rick Perez wanted to exploit the situation, Rodriguez likely would be sitting in the third spot, behind West Reading’s Ron Krick (3,174) and Tulpehocken’s Charlie Copp (2,440).
Many times he sat out long minutes of blowouts. For example, last season when he put up a school-record 50 against Daniel Boone he had 41 at halftime.
This year’s title-driven team finished 32-1, tying the 1982-83 team (32-2) for the most victories in school history. In three seasons at Reading High, Rodriguez’s teams went a jaw-dropping 84-7 overall (.923 winning percentage) and 32-1 in county play. Only John Wick has shot down more foes.
As gaudy as those numbers read, Rodriguez’s game exceeds much more than points scored or an impressive collection of gold medals. With the Rider recruit, team comes first. He has that rare ability to make those around him better.
| Tony Zonca’s All-Time Reading teams | |
| First Team | Senior year |
| Dick Graul | 1961-62 |
| Bill Jankans | 1965-66 |
| Stu Jackson | 1972-73 |
| Donyell Marshall | 1990-91 |
| Ruben Rodriguez | 2022-23 |
| Lonnie Walker IV | 2016-17 |
| Second team | |
| Brian D’Amico | 1985-86 |
| Neil Christel | 1977-78 |
| Joe Natale | 1960-61 |
| Willie Pegram | 1956-57 |
| Steve Rossignoli | 1976-77 |
| Third team | |
| Trenity Burdine | 2009-10 |
| Wesley Butler | 2018-19 |
| Eric Key | 1979-80 |
| Pat Tulley | 1982-83 |
| Gary Walters | 1962-63 |
He guards, he rebounds, he handles the ball in tight situations, and he could find a job in assisted giving. Heck, there were games where Rodriguez came through just when his teammates needed the Heimlich maneuver.
Flash back to the state final against perennial powerhouse Roman Catholic. Roman’s game plan was to double-team Rodriguez whenever he handled the ball. It limited him to seven shots and eight points. But his remarkable basketball IQ took over; he contributed team highs of nine rebounds and seven assists, and somehow he collected an offensive rebound while lying on the floor on his back. In the tightest of situations he manages to come up with fresh reservoirs of imagination, intelligence and energy.
During feature presentations Rodriguez always is in charge of the remote.
Having written all that, we arrive at the essence of the piece. During the 2021 season I wrote a well-received book on RHS hoops entitled “60 Years of Reading High Basketball: Carril to Perez.” One of the features of the book was choosing the best players during those six decades. With the help of contributing coaches, along with myself and Mike Drago, we came up with five teams and a group of honorable mentions, totaling 50 players.
The first team was a no-brainer: Bill Jankans, Dick Graul, Stu Jackson, Donyell Marshall and Walker.
No arguments there.
Putting Rodriguez’s name with that first group is a given. So who do we demote? Nobody. Who would you demote in a different scenario, the late Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Lebron James? Do I make my point? This isn’t a cop-out; we’re not taking the easy way out. It’s a decision based on fairness and objectivity.
Without consulting anybody else, I also have decided to put Myles Grey on the six-man fourth team and add Aris Rodriguez to the honorable mentions.
Nobody loses a spot; nobody deserves a demotion. And isn’t it a nice problem to have, Reading High fans?
