The thought of chaperoning 10 teenagers on a week-long trip to California didn’t stop me.
An offer from Ed Kuhn to participate in the West Reading-Sacramento Cultural Exchange, a Berks County basketball institution for more than 50 years, was too appealing.
The 13 of us on the trip earlier this month survived one visit to an urgent care medical center, one case of food poisoning, eight technical fouls committed by an opponent and two one-point losses in our seven games.
It was the experience of a lifetime, getting to know the 10 young men from six Berks high schools who made up the West Reading League All-Stars, visiting historic sites, seeing two Major League Baseball games and being warmly welcomed by folks in the Sacramento area.
Day 1
We left Berks Catholic High School shortly after 5 a.m. for a ride to the Philadelphia International Airport. Some of us (the three coaches) were bleary-eyed but awake; the others slept.
After we arrived in San Francisco, we got inside our two rental vehicles and stopped at Funston Beach and TPC Harding Park before driving down Lombard Street, the “Crookedest Street in the World,” before arriving at our hotel.
We then made our way to Oracle Park for a San Francisco Giants game. We climbed aboard a trolley and soon realized it was a mistake when it became packed with people.
We got off a few stops later and walked the last mile to the ballpark, which is a gorgeous venue.
We never saw a trolley car or a bus, so we wound up walking the 3.5 miles back to the hotel and quickly went to bed.
Day 2
We made the short walk along Fisherman’s Wharf to board a boat that would take us out on San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz, the former notorious federal prison known as “The Rock” that is now a museum.
A few of the guys had been there on the California trip in 2023, but most of them experienced Alcatraz for the first time. They capped the visit by meeting Bill Baker, one of the last two surviving prisoners who was signing a book on his time there and who spent 10 minutes chatting with them.
Then it was off to Sacramento, first crossing the famous Golden Gate Bridge and then heading northeast. Along the way, we passed San Quentin Prison, which once housed some infamous criminals, and arrived in Folsom, Calif., in time for our first two games. Folsom also is the home of another federal prison made known by Johnny Cash in the song, “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Less than a half into the first game, Zach Suski tightly guarded a player from Folsom High School and received an inadvertent elbow to his mouth, which drew blood.
Tony Balistrere, the West Reading head coach, took him to an urgent care center, where he received 10 stitches. Folsom, a very good team, beat us before we edged Franklin High School, our hosts.
We then headed to a sports bar/restaurant to have dinner with Franklin players and coaches. Ken Manfredi, Franklin’s head coach, played in the Exchange in the early 1990s and has been instrumental in keeping it going.
Day 3
It was time for rest and relaxation after two hectic days. We had no games, so we did some shopping in the morning before the guys spent the afternoon at the hotel pool.
We drove to the home of Eric Fong, a coach who was vital in maintaining the Exchange. He and wife were gracious and cooked us steaks before we went to West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, where the former Oakland Athletics are playing their home games until they move to Las Vegas in 2027.
We enjoyed the intimacy of watching a MLB game in a Triple-A park.
Day 4
We spent the morning in Old Sacramento, an area of refurbished buildings that house many shops, before we played our first two games in the Sheldon-Franklin Summer Jam.
We beat Whitney in our first game of pool play and then had a battle with Christian Brothers. It was an intense game that escalated when Donovan Gingrich drew a charging call. A parent came onto the floor to complain and was escorted out of the gym, and an assistant coach was ejected.
By the end of the game, Christian Brothers had been charged with eight technical fouls. We had a chance to win in regulation, but we missed several late free throws and lost in overtime.
Day 5
We had an early start and had our best performances of the week in wins over Benicia and Marin Catholic and finished pool play 3-1.
We continued to share the basketball and play strong defense, which doesn’t always happen with all-star teams. The camaraderie among the players was visible.
We finished the day by sharing lunch with Franklin players and coaches. Later, the guys requested that we eat dinner at a famous California fast food restaurant.
By now, assistant coach Jeff Ebner and I were getting used to the musical selections of Andrew Galantouomo, who was our vehicle’s DJ.
Day 6
We started the trip with a long day and finished it with another one.
We checked out of the hotel and headed to downtown Sacramento and a visit to the NBA’s Kings team store next to Golden 1 Center, their arena. We walked around a car show that lined the streets near the state Capitol building when one of the guys told us he wasn’t feeling well.
After describing his symptoms, we realized he was suffering from food poisoning. We had to stop at a drug store before we reached the site of our final game.
One of our referees introduced himself to us. His name is Brian Broadway and he played in the 1980 Cultural Exchange at West Reading. He told us how much he enjoyed the trip. He went on to play at Southern University in Louisiana.
We were down one man, but we played well against Rodriguez High School, a very talented team. We turned it over and lost on a late free throw.
We were done. We drove back to San Francisco to catch our redeye flight home. We arrived at Berks Catholic the following morning.
If the 10 players on the West Reading team didn’t know each other well before the trip, they do now after they formed lifetime bonds. Some of them have unique personalities, but none gave us a hint of trouble.
The vision that West Reading League founder Ed Kuhn had when he created the Exchange in 1972 became clearer on the trip, at least for me. Some of us renewed acquaintances and some of us met new friends.
It was a week that the 10 teenagers and three coaches will never forget.
Source: Berkshire mont