In that championship season of 1961, Ron Krick led the West
Reading High Cowboys to a third consecutive state basketball
title and ended his high school career with 3,174 points - at
the time, more than any other high school player in Pennsylvania
history.
Replacing NBA great Wilt Chamberlain as the state's all-time
scorer, Krick was crowned as basketball royalty and eventually
inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Krick, 68, who died Monday in his Spring Township home, is
remembered as much for his good-natured personality as for his
on-court prowess.
"He was a great player, but I knew the great man," said Dan
DeCarlo, a West Reading teammate. "That's why his passing hurts
so much."
DeCarlo, a guard, said Krick, a 6-9 center, had a deadly
turn-around jump shot from around the foul line.
"I made some of my best passes to him," said DeCarlo, 68, owner
of DeCarlo's Tavern in Reading. "That's one reason why we won so
many games."
Krick, whose 32-point per game average twice earned him
All-American honors, went on to play at the University of
Cincinnati and with the Cincinnati Royals in the NBA.
His professional career was cut short, however, by persistent
shoulder injuries.
Reid Krick said his father was proud of his sports ability, but
shunned recognition and media attention.
"When asked for an interview, he'd always say, 'Give the press
to a young, up-and-coming player,'" said Reid, 36, a
Wernersville sales representative. "I think he felt that he had
had his time, but underneath I knew he was proud of his
accomplishments in sports."
Reid, who is 6-7, followed in his father's basketball footsteps
as a center for Reading High in the early 1990s. His dad, Reid
said, had the makings of a great NBA player had injuries not cut
his career short.
"My father was one of the best high school basketball players
ever and had the tools for a brilliant NBA career," Reid said.
"Even more impressive, though, was his devotion to me and my
sister, Shaan."
Dr. Richard P. Flannery, president of the Berks Chapter of the
Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, was a student-teacher at West
Reading when Ron Krick was setting scoring records in 1961.
"He was like a gentle giant," said Flannery. "He was tough on
court, but quiet off court."
Flannery, who was aware of Krick's battle with cancer, last
talked to him about two weeks ago.
"He told me, 'Dick, I'm going to keep on fighting,' " said
Flannery, a former Reading High principal. "I said, 'Ron, you've
always been a fighter.' "
Krick battled cancer for about a year and was hospitalized at
St. Joseph's Medical Center and Hershey Medical Center.
"He put up a courageous battle," Reid said. "He did everything
he could to fight the disease."
Edward J. Kuhn, who played on West Reading's 1959 state
championship team, recalls Krick's first league game.
Against powerhouse Wyomissing, young Krick scored nine points -
the only single-digit game in his high school career - as the
Cowboys lost to Wyomissing. Four weeks later, Krick scored 40
points as West Reading beat Wyomissing in overtime.
"He put on an absolute show as a freshman," recalls Kuhn, 70, a
West Reading funeral director. "That was his coming out party,
and everyone knew he was destined to become an outstanding
player."
Krick energized West Reading, Kuhn recalled. Fans would show up
hours before the game to get a seat in West Reading's gym.
"He was the greatest basketball player of his era," said Kuhn,
who is handling funeral arrangements. "He was a good guy and a
humble person, and I am proud to call him my friend."
Contact Ron Devlin: 610-371-5030 or rdevlin@readingeagle.com.