Muhlenberg boys basketball is ready to stand out during 2023-2024 season
Nov. 28—The Muhlenberg boys basketball team is ready to take its shot.
With many teams in Division I of the Berks Conference undergoing significant changes, Muhls coach Matthew Flowers said he believes his team has paved the way to be a top contender.
"It's about wanting to make a name for yourself," Flowers said. "The big guys have left. When you're (used to) scouting for Ruben Rodriguez and Myles Grey (who graduated from Reading High) and some of these great Wilson teams, some of those teams have taken a step back; they're all new guys.
"Reading has a whole new core group coming back, Wilson has a whole new core group coming back, we have a whole new core group coming back. No disrespect to all the other teams, but someone has to make a statement this year (saying) that you're the best.
"So it's about wanting to make that name for yourself and we have to take advantage of the opportunity that has been given to us. The harder we work, the better we are going to be and we can make a name that Muhlenburg is a great place; and every day we have gotten better so far."
Last season, the Muhls advanced to each stage of the postseason, but failed to bring home a title at the county, district or state level. Muhlenberg finished fifth in District 3 Class 5A before falling to eventual state champion Imhotep Charter in the second round of the PIAA Tournament.
Behind a philosophy of achieving success known as P.A.V.E (Perseverance, Achievement, Vibrant, Energy), the Muhls are committed to reaching a championship caliber.
"This is a county where right now somebody has to make a statement that you're the best," Flowers said. "Reading dominated for so long, but now the playing field is even; everyone can win. Everyone has a great team out there. But it's about which teams are more mature, and which teams are able to take it to the next level every day and get 1% better every day.
"When you talk about Muhlenberg as a basketball program, it's time to persevere to the top. It's time to achieve what we haven't achieved in a while. It's time to have a lot of energy, and it's time that we uplift our community. Our community has been waiting, and it's our job as a vessel to uplift our community back to championship level."
Looking to lead Muhlenberg back to that level are three seniors: Drew LeClair, Alex Collado and Kyle Archie. Last season, LeClair averaged 2.1 points per game in eight games, Archie averaged 3.6 points in 29 games and Collado averaged 5.3 points in 27 games.
All three should see their scoring numbers increase as their minutes rise.
"We can go 12 deep," Flowers said. "When we have leaders like Kyle, Alex and Drew we're in a great place because we're team first. When it's always a team-first mentality you're always going to be successful. We have a beautiful opportunity here. As long as we continue to get better every day we'll be in the race."
In addition, former Reading High coach Rick Perez, who led the Red Knights to a PIAA Class 6A title last season, has joined the program as an assistant coach. He has added to his longtime friends' philosophy of relentless determination.
"They really push us to our limits and we really don't have any limits," LeClair said. "The sky's the limit and they really help us through our practices and just everyday stuff."
"He's kind of crazy; real energetic but that's kind of how (Matt) Flowers is too," Archie said. "It's like having the same person twice with the same energy. Obviously, he knows what it's like to win and what it is to be at the biggest stage so it's definitely good to learn (from him)."
The Muhls graduated their leading scorers from last season in Dan Mosquera (13 points per game) and Xzavion Robertson (12.7). However, a rigorous offseason that included early morning conditioning drills as well as consistent practices on the court will hopefully yield similar production for Muhlenberg's new center pieces.
"We're working hard every single day, everyone's going hard and iron sharpens iron," Collado said. "We're sharpening each other so when we get into the game it's easier; we're ready for this."
"We've been doing that (5 a.m. conditioning workouts) since April," Archie said. "Conditioning, working out, getting shots up, but then later on, we'd go have a summer league game."
With new leaders, maturity and growth are two vital components to what will make a successful season, according to the Muhls. If Muhlenberg can band together as a group and rise to the toughness that is asked in a competitive division, Flowers said he believes his team has a strong chance at moving the program forward.
"Maturity and toughness," Flowers said on his team's keys to improvement. "We have to become more mature. We have to be tougher. You get tougher at practice. The tougher we get, the better off we're going to be, but if we don't get that toughness inside, we're not gonna make the strides that we believe we can make."
"Leadership, coming together and pushing each other," LeClair said on the keys to success. "We have three leaders on the team, but really we can have everyone else as leaders on the team. We all push each other."
Regardless of who is at the helm, the goal remains the same for the Muhls as it is for most others: Keep the season going as long as possible.
"We look towards the end goal," Collado said. "We want to play in late March, so we just want to make it till the end and be the last team standing."
