Matt Steinmetz

Reading High point guard Alan Tyson was “my guy.” He was the player who meant everything to me. It was all or bust … Alan Tyson or nothing. When I say “my guy,” I don’t mean we were friends or I admired him or we were tight or anything like that.

I just had to beat him. Just had to or nothing else really meant anything … basketball-wise. Alan Tyson was so tough, so strong, so quick. He was chiseled, could hound on defense and was able to knock down mid-range and/or get by you.

Alan Tyson did something to me that we didn’t have a description for at the time. At least as far as I can remember. Alan Tyson “big-boyed” me. The problem I had with Alan was that he didn’t need to get to the basket to beat me. He could “stop and gather” with me on his side and it then was over. He was just too strong.

I hung tough with Alan, I really did, but when it all mattered most, and it was the biggest game of our lives up until that point … Alan Tyson SHUT ME DOWN. Can remember the details like it was yesterday: Full-house at Governor Mifflin Intermediate; Reading High 55, Holy Name 40. Steinmetz: 2-for-11 from the field.

It was the Berks County semifinal, but everyone knew it was really the Final. I love you, Ted Snyder, at Kutztown, but the winner of our game was beating you guys and you know it! Kutztown had beaten Brandywine or Fleetwood, I can’t even remember, but they were in the other division.

RHS had so many terrific point guards and Alan was one of them. Tony Bonnano, Pete Wawrzonek, Cliff Durham, Tony Jankans, Rick Binder to name some. My senior year we went into Geigle Complex (for my west coast friends … one of the greatest high school gyms in the country) and beat Reading. Alan had a stretch where he took over, though, and Terry Bickhart of the Reading Eagle wrote:

“Tyson went on a drive that would have made Mario Andretti envious.” And I remember the drive like it was yesterday because I was there, looking at the back of Tyson’s jersey. It’s now 40 years later and I still think the same thing today as I thought after my senior season: Alan Tyson should have been Player of the Year in Berks County in 1981-82. He was the best player on the best team. Case closed.

Here’s to Alan Tyson … a truly respected rival.

No clue why Bobby Hollinger has been the impetus for me writing about my love of basketball. But here we are. Bobby is older than me, which is perfect. It means that what I remember of Bobby — and all things basketball when I was a kid — might not be wholly accurate.

But who cares? My memories are my memories … and Bobby Hollinger is on my “All-Time Influencer’s List!” By the way, Bobby ain’t dead. In fact, he’s very much alive, living in PA, and he’s probably shaking his head right now, wondering: What the fuck is Matty Steinmetz doing?”

Well, I’m not exactly sure, Bobby. I just know that I’m having a blast turning back the clock and acknowledging the players, coaches and people I’ll never forget. By the way, just because “Holls” impacted me doesn’t mean he was a perfect player. In fact, I can’t wait to eventually catch up and talk about his “shot selection.

I couldn’t stand Bobby when I was 10-12 years old because those Wyomissing teams would toy with my brother’s Muhlenberg teams. Yeah, there was this one game I remember, where the Muhls roared back from double-digits in the third quarter at that old Wyomissing gym (with the balcony!) but Crider and Wertz and Miller and Holls brought it home. Of course.

I can absolutely be fact-checked here. Whatever.

Bobby was ridiculously athletic and loved the deep, baseline corner jumper. Would have been a 3-pointer nowadays but back then, you miss that shot and it was the bane of Dick Sherry’s existence. But if you ever over-committed on Hollinger’s baseline jumper, he’d head-fake, take one dribble and dunk on your big man’s ass. You think I’m lying? Check out the all-time high jump records at Wyo!

Here’s to Bobby Hollinger!

I’m imagining myself back at 3rd and Spruce – or Kaley’s Korner (Is it still there?) – ten years from now. That’s Reading, PA, for all who should know but don’t. I bump into all my old friends, basketball players from back in the day. And we, of course, immediately talk hoops.

The subject of point guards comes up, and I find myself with so many of Berks/Reading’s dynamite players. Roz is there, Neil Christel, Stu Jackson, Perry Wentzel, Pete Mullenberg, Bobby Wolfe (Kutztown), Mike Reedy, Dennis Westley. Bobby Hollinger, too, of course. We’re re-living the old days. The Deke’s, Tony Cassamassa (did I spell it right?), Wendell Scott and the Kautter brothers at Governor Mifflin.

We talk Keith Bricker and Kevin Becker at Conrad Weiser. We talk Crider and Wertz at Wyomissing. We’ll never omit Tony Bonanno, Tony Jankans, Alan Tyson, Sam Marella, Bobby Ford (was he a point or two-guard?) … and even Exeter’s Matt Acker!

I say confidently … “Kathy Folk was as good as any point guard who ever played around here.”

Folk guided one of the best teams I ever watched. It was late-ish 1970s and Muhlenberg’s team had action. Big action. Chris Smith, Kevin Smith and I went to almost all the games. They were “our team.” We were captivated by a squad I can still remember to this day: Kathy Folk, Gretchen Bybel, Jill Messner, Michelle Smith and Anita Unger.

Folk made it all happen. Her mission every game was to get her teammates involved … and she did that frequently. But there are times in a basketball game when a point guard must, in essence, forsake teammates in an effort to keep a team in a game or to win a game. It’s a fine line every point guard must walk at some point.

No point guard understood that fine line like Folk. She could score when she needed to, she could spoon-feed teammates when that’s what was called for, and she could wreak havoc on defense if “we needed a stop.”

Her decision-making was impeccable, though there’s an easy one-liner to be made about her choice of Terry Bickhart! Just kidding, Terry. Love you, buddy!

By the way, don’t you ever foul Folk late in a game. She was automatic, and never met a clutch free throw she didn’t get over on. When I think of all the point guards who influenced me … you’re damn right Kathy Folk was one of them.

Here’s to Kathy Folk. She could freakin’ play!