Personal growth to be foundational for Reading High boys basketball team during 2022-23 season

Dec. 5—Heading into the new boys basketball season, Reading High coach Rick Perez has a clear goal for his Red Knights, and it has little to do with title aspirations.

"To become a better person and get better every day," Perez said on what would make a successful season.

Reading High is coming off a campaign in which it went 26-4, won the county championship and its second straight district title. A 68-43 win over Warwick in the District 3 Class 6A championship game gave the Red Knights back-to-back district titles for the first time since 1977, a record 23rd district crown and their fourth under Perez.

The Red Knights fell 64-58 to Archbishop Wood in the second round of the PIAA playoffs and are seeking their second state championship in three seasons. They beat Wood 58-57 in the 2021 final.

But make no mistake, regardless of the Red Knights' past or possible future success, Perez likes to keep his players focused on the here-and-now.

"You got to let every team stand on its own; we don't want to repeat anybody's success," Perez said. "We need to establish our own identity, and that's very important for this team. We don't like to make comparisons. They need to establish their own identity, their own milestones and their own journey. They've learned from some of the best, so hopefully they can take from what those people have died on a mountain for and continue to build.

"I think for us, we just have to find ways to get better every day. Grit is our superb talent; our toughness is our superb talent. So as long as we can make that commitment to doing the little things and understanding that the fundamentals will drive us into something bigger, then we'll be okay."

Reading High opens its season Tuesday against Central York at the Geigle on a night the program also will honor the late Pete Carril. Carril, who coached Reading High from the 1958-59 season through 1965-66, died in August at the age of 92.

This season's Red Knights surely do have title hopes in the county, where they are the favorite, and beyond. Reigning Berks Player of the Year Ruben Rodriguez averaged a league-high 19.8 points and 5.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.2 steals for Reading High last year. He enters the season with 1,291 career points.

Now a senior who will play Division I basketball at Rider next season, Rodriguez shares Perez's mindset as he said he believes toughness is Reading High's greatest asset.

"Our whole system is built on how tough we are and how we just don't care," Rodriguez said. "A lot of teams care about getting hurt or diving in for that loose ball; that's what we thrive off of. That's our goal, that's what we do. We're built off of toughness, and Coach P tries to bring it out of us every day."

Rodriguez is joined by a supporting cast that is filled with senior leadership in all-division selection Myles Grey, Amier Burdine and Aris Rodriguez. Grey made a team-high 57 3-pointers and averaged 10.4 points per game last season.

In addition to Grey, the Red Knights are bolstered by the height and defensive strength of Burdine (6-2) and Aris Rodriguez (6-5). Burdine averaged 3.0 points per last season and Aris Rodriguez 5.4. Ruben Rodriguez, Grey and Burdine all played in the state title game two seasons ago.

"Ruben is a very special person," Perez said. "He knows how to instill confidence in people and empower people around him to play above themselves. Myles has come up with Ruben and he's just a workhorse; he brings his lunch pail and his hard hat to the job every day. He doesn't get too caught up in highs and lows, he just continues to chop wood and carry water and that's how he continues to establish success.

"For Aris Rodriguez, this is a new level for him. Aris has always been very skilled, but now he's in a different place where athletically he's really reached an elite level. I think that he just has to believe in where he's at, you know, new level, new devil, and really embrace where he's at and what he can be. And Amier Burdine, he's a competitor, and that's his ultimate skill. He does all the little things; doesn't care about any accolades, doesn't care about who has the points, he just wants to win."

Grey echoed the sentiment that Reading High's season will not be measured by wins and losses.

"Of course we want to win, but I will say growing as a team throughout the season and individually, that's a bigger win than winning any championship," Grey said. "Coach P says all the time, the main goal of Reading High basketball bass is to become a better man. If we become a better person in the process and don't win any games, then we still succeeded.

"We like to work hard. That is the foundation of the program, just kind of coming in and working hard and trying to outwork your peers. You're trying to outwork your teammate, but at the same time, we're trying to outwork everybody else. The grit is a main thing too, a lot of us playing with a lot of grit."

Playing for the devoted community of Reading High fans and family members means everything to Grey.

"Shout out to the city, shout out the fans," Grey said. "We're going to put on for the city and we'd love to have everyone at each game."

The Red Knights defeated Berks Catholic 51-38 in last seasons' Berks Conference championship game to claim their first county title since 2019. Reading High has won the Berks I title the past two seasons and is joined in the division this year by Wilson, Muhlenberg and Gov. Mifflin.

Though playing for Reading High may come with its own inherent championship expectations, Ruben Rodriguez said he and his teammates do not feel pressured to meet anyone's goals but their own.

"I wouldn't take it as pressure," Ruben Rodriguez said on the Red Knights' winning tradition. "If we took it as pressure, I feel like it will be stressful. This is just where we come and have fun. This is the time we've been waiting for. This is what we want; there's no need to put stress on us. We just play game by game and make sure we have fun every day we're together."