Shooting star David Bednarczyk scores on the court, the track, and in the classroom
David Bednarczyk began running cross country in junior high mostly to get in shape for basketball, his first love and a sport he’s played since he was old enough to hold that orange pumpkin.
He found a certain peace in running that fits his unassuming nature. Alone on a remote path, headed toward a distant goal, pushing himself to be the best.
It was a totally different atmosphere than the basketball courts he grew up around, which feature in-your-face competition, physical play, emotional outbursts. There’s trash talk and demonstrative play and instant gratification when you score a bucket or block a shot.
“On the basketball court,” said Bednarczyk, a Tulpehocken senior, “it’s pretty much business.”
Bednarczyk has been able to excel in both worlds.
He’s shy and unpretentious, not the typical M.O. of a basketball player, yet he’s thrived on the court. He helped lead the Trojans to their first state tournament appearance in 15 years last season and is now on the cusp of scoring 1,000 points.
| Tulpehocken scoring leaders | Senior season | Career points |
| Charlie Copp | 1999-2000 | 2,440 |
| Mike Herb | 1990-1991 | 1,348 |
| Ben Delewski | 1995-1996 | 1,230 |
| Bryan Byler | 1993-1994 | 1,145 |
| Brady Haughney | 2006-2007 | 1,103 |
| Bryce Mellen | 2021-2022 | 1,066 |
| Robert Ekvall | 2014-2015 | 1,004 |
He needs just 12 points Monday at Hamburg before the balloons are brought out.
He scored 17 points in his first varsity start, in the Trojans’ season-opener his sophomore season; he hasn’t stopped scoring since.
He had 30 points in his fifth game that season and ended it with a career-high 36 in the regular season finale against Hamburg, then scored 34 in a first-round disrict loss to Camp Hill. He topped his career-best with 38 points last season against Hamburg.
Bednarczyk averaged a team-leading 17.6 points per game as a sophomore, then a team-best 16.5 last year, when the Trojans went 19-7 and won in districts for the first time since 2006-07 — before he ever touched a basketball.
He was the top shooter in Division IV of the Berks Conference last season when he knocked down 45 3-pointers in 26 games, including a career-best six at Antietam.
“He’s like a microwave,” said former Tulpehocken assistant coach Nelson Leon. “When he’s hot, he’s hot. Give him the ball and get out of his way.”
Bednarczyk has had his sights set on scoring 1,000 points since his junior high phys ed teacher, Kevin Avery, told him he was as good or better a shooter than many of the guys on the Trojans’ career scoring leaders list.
He saw teammate Bryce Mellen hit the milestone last season and has been waiting for his moment. It seemed like a layup coming into the season — he needed just 141 points. Then came the season-opener and a freak play on the court.
He was on defense and went up to contest a pass. His opponent whipped the ball upcourt, his follow through slamming against Bednarczyk’s outstretched right hand. It left him with two fractured bones and not knowing when, or if, he’d be able to return to the court — or how well he’d be able to play once he did.
“He was devastated,” said Trojans coach Nate Miller. “(He and his family) didn’t know what to expect.”
Bednarczyk, a 4.0 student who could end up treating such injuries some day, Googled it and found the fracture could cost him 4-to-6 weeks. There was no guarantee his shooting hand would be the same when he returned.
“I did everything I possibly could to get back on the court,” he said.
He returned a month after the injury — his hand strength not quite 100 percent, his handle not yet there, the middle finger on his shooting hand still not perfectly straight — and scored 12 points in his first game. Less than a week later he had 26 against Pequea Valley. Friday he managed 25 against a defensive-minded Schuylkill Valley squad. He’s averaging a team-leading 18.4 points in seven games.
His right hand might not be all the way back but he’s determined not to let that deter him.
“He’s a big-time competitor,” said Miller. “He’s got the killer instinct. That’s one thing I’m trying to put through our program. I just need guys to go out and compete. You can see a difference when he’s playing on the court and when he’s not. He puts everyone on his back and everyone else runs with him.”
Bednarczyk is that way on the track and in cross country. He may not be the fastest or most gifted but he’s determined to be the best.
He placed fourth in the District 3 Class 1A cross country championships last fall and led the Trojans to a second-place finish.
He earned all-division honors in track and field last spring in the 1,600 and figures to be one of the county’s better 800 and 1,600 competitors this season.
“Running, it’s really painful,” Bednarczyk said. “It’s not the most enjoyable thing to do. At the end of the day, it feels good for your own personal achievement. I just want to be the best. Why not want to be the best?”
That carries over to the classroom, where he shines brightest. The only “B” he’s seen in high school has been the one that begins his last name.
He recently aced the ACT college admissions test, scoring a 35. A perfect score is 36. He finished in the 99th percentile nationally.
He would love to play college basketball but is smart enough to know his future achievements lie elsewhere. He’ll likely choose a college based on academics and study data science, math or statistics. He could end up a doctor or lawyer or invent something that saves mankind.
“He’s a pretty special kid,” said Leon, who first coached Bednarczyk on his AAU team, Overlooked. “He’s always been one of the smartest players on the floor, always been able to shoot it very well. And he’s competitive, he wants to win. That’s something you can’t teach kids. He wants to win all the time.”
