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Eight to be inducted into the Berks County Basketball Hall of Fame

brian smith, reading eagle, pa.
·5 min read

Feb. 13—Eight people will be inducted into the 16th class of the Berks County Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday at halftime of the Berks Girls Basketball League final at Santander Arena. The girls final starts at 6 p.m.

Selected in girls basketball by the 3 Point Goal Organization were Nancy Keene-Schweigert, Vicki Quimby-Nigrini and Beckie Yoder-Lamborn.

Selected in boys basketball by the Reading Berks Basketball Association were Sam Preston and Arlan Burkert in the old-timers division (1972 and prior), Dave Kapaona and Jared Mills in the modern day division (after 1972), and Bob Harbach in the coach/official/contributor category.

Nancy Keene-Schweigert: The 1985 Wilson grad was the first basketball player, boy or girl, in school history to reach 1,000 career points; she finished with 1,364. She was an All-Berks pick as a junior and a senior and an all-district and All-State honorable mention selection as a senior. She helped the Bulldogs reach county and District 3 finals and the PIAA quarterfinals. She attended Elizabethtown College, where she led the Blue Jays to an NCAA Division III title, was named the Final Four MVP and was a Kodak All-American. She is a member of the Wilson and Elizabethtown athletic halls of fame.

Vicki Quimby-Nigrini: The 1998 Wilson grad was a four-time letter winner who finished with 1,550 points. She helped the Bulldogs win District 3 Class 4A titles as a junior and a senior. In college at Bucknell, she was a four-time All-Patriot League selection, twice on the first team, and was the team captain as a senior on the program's first NCAA Tournament team. She finished with 1,570 points (second in school history at the time, now fourth) and as the school's all-time leading rebounder with 902. She also ranks fourth in steals (231) and fifth in scoring average (13.5). Last year, she was voted to the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team. She is a member of the Wilson and Bucknell athletic halls of fame.

Beckie Yoder-Lamborn: The 1979 Exeter grad was a two-time All-Berks pick who led the Eagles to Berks and District 3 titles as a senior and finished with 985 career points. She went to Albright, where she was a four-year starter and finished with 1,173 points, 844 rebounds, 246 assists and 207 steals. She was a four-time selection to the All-Middle Atlantic Conference first team. She also played field hockey and tennis for the Lions and was Albright's Most Outstanding Senior Women's Athlete in 1983. She is a member of the Exeter and Albright sports halls of fame.

Sam Preston: The 1957 Reading High grad was a three-year point guard for the Red Knights. The late Preston was a four-year starter at Albright and also a standout player in the Reading Rec Leagues for many years. He scored 58 points while playing for the California Sports Shop in 1965.

Arlan Burkert: The 1957 Fleetwood grad finished his high school career with 1,116 points and remains the Tigers' all-time leader in rebounds. The late Burkert helped Fleetwood win the Class C state title as a senior. He was a second-team All-Berks and All-State selection. In college at Kutztown, he was a four-year starter and a two-time team MVP (1959, 1961). During his 35 years at Pottsgrove High School, he was the JV boys basketball coach for six years, the varsity boys coach for five years and the girls varsity coach for six years. He was inducted into the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and is a member of the Fleetwood Sports Hall of Fame.

Dave Kapaona: The 1990 Muhlenberg grad, who also attended Gov. Mifflin, finished his high school career with 1,756 points and as a two-time All-Berks pick. He led the Muhls to District 3 title games as a junior and a senior, and to the PIAA quarterfinals as a senior. He was named a Nike All-American in 1989 and a second-team All-State pick as a senior. He received the Dr. Richard Kleppinger Award and he was co-recipient of the Jack Flowers Award. He began his college career at Division I Mount St. Mary's. Following an injury as a sophomore, he transferred to Kutztown before finishing his college career at Alvernia.

Jared Mills: The 1999 Central Catholic grad was a three-year starter for the Cardinals who finished with 1,407 points and more than 1,000 rebounds. He was an All-Berks selection as a junior and a senior. He helped Central win county titles as a freshman and a junior. He received the Dr. Richard Kleppinger Award and Jack Flowers Award. In college at Randolph-Macon, he had 1,560 points and 751 rebounds. As a senior in 2003, he was named to the coaches All-America first team and was selected the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year and the ODAC Tournament MVP. He was named the ODAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman and to the all-conference first team the next three seasons. He played professionally in Germany, Chile, Denmark, as well as with the Reading Railers. He is a member of the Berks Catholic Sports Hall of Fame and will be inducted into the Randolph-Macon Athletic Hall of Fame later this year.

Bob Harbach: The 1941 Reading High grad was a PIAA basketball official for 45 years and refereed more than 5,000 games. He officiated two national tournaments, 10 Berks championship games, 45 District 3 playoff games and a Pennsylvania Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association state final. The late Harbach played for the Red Knights and in the Reading Rec Leagues. He was the leading scorer and named the outstanding player for Farmer's Fairfield Dairy. He later played on the championship Croll & Keck teams. He is a member of the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.