Snip Esterly has been on Josiah Jordan’s case for much of Berks Catholic’s basketball season.
Esterly, the veteran Saints coach, wants Jordan to be more patient when he drives to the basket, not to penetrate the lane too deeply, and to show his pull-up jumper more often.
Why? Because Esterly sees the potential for greatness in the Saints’ junior point guard.
“He’s about the only player who doesn’t roll his eyes at me when I yell at him,” Esterly said, “and I yell at him a lot. He’s very coachable. He’s a super kid.”
Jordan, who prefers to be called Jay Jay, leads Berks Catholic into the Berks Conference playoffs as the No. 2 seed and one of the challengers to top-seeded Reading High.
The Saints (18-3) take on No. 7 seed Antietam (19-3) Monday night at 7 at Wolf Gymnasium, one of four Berks quarterfinals around the county.
Berks Catholic returns to the county playoffs after missing last year for the first time in the school’s existence with a 6-11 record. Its chances of winning its first title since 2018 depend greatly on Jordan, who fuels the offense and the defense.
“Last year was kind of a test run after everyone left (graduated),” Jordan said. “I was the only guy we had left on varsity. Everyone came up and we tested the waters a little bit. I expected greatness this year. We’re looking to win.”
The Saints are on a roll going into the playoffs, winning 10-of-11 since a three-point loss to Wilson last month. Their only defeat in that stretch came at home to Reading 87-70.
The 5-8 Jordan is distributing to 3-point shooters Ryan Koch, Aidan Sands and Jack Miller, who are chiefly responsible for Berks Catholic tying Muhlenberg for the league lead with 148 treys.
“Getting my teammates involved is something I like to do,” Jordan said. “I’m having fun becoming a better point guard this year, driving and kicking the ball. Seeing the shots from our shooters go in really pleases me.”
Not known for having high-scoring offenses, the Saints rank third in the league in scoring behind Reading and Muhlenberg. Jordan (16.2), Koch (14.2) and Sands (11.9) are averaging in double figures ahead of Miller (7.6).
They have beaten Trinity, Muhlenberg, York Catholic, Gov. Mifflin, Exeter and Wilson in the last four weeks with Jordan becoming more patient.
“Right now we’re as happy as can be with him,” Esterly said. “There are moments you just shake your head because he’s going to do his thing. You gotta let him do his thing. It frustrates our kids a little bit, but they understand, too.
“You can see how we’re getting more 3s and we’re playing much better as a team. We’re moving the ball better. It’s just a better flow offensively.”
Jordan also is an outstanding football player who helped Berks Catholic reach the District 3 Class 4A semifinals last fall. He was named to the All-State 4A second team and to the All-Berks team as a defensive back after making four interceptions, forcing one fumble and recovering two fumbles.
As a running back, he rushed for 800 yards, caught 12 passes for 305 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.
“I can see him playing small Division I in football,” Esterly said. “He’s very talented in football. He’s a very talented young man and a neat kid.”
Jordan has received football interest from a few schools, but he won’t decide which sport he wants to play in college for a while.
His defense in basketball is becoming on par with his defense in football; Esterly calls it “absolutely phenomenal.” He sets the tone at both ends of the court for the Saints.
“I consider myself a go-getter,” Jordan said. “Whatever Coach needs me to do, I’m there to do it to get us the win. He knows a lot of stuff. I’m just here to do it for the team.”
He has started since he was a freshman and has developed into one of the top players in the conference. After missing the postseason last year, he carries great anticipation for the Berks and District 3 Class 4A playoffs, where the Saints are the No. 1 seeds.
“We have a lot of confidence,” Jordan said. “We’ve been talking about this since we stepped into the gym. It’s something we’ve been looking forward to.
“We have to keep playing the way we’ve been playing. We’ve been taking huge steps forward. We’re moving the ball on offense and making great plays on defense. We just gotta keep it going.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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