Here's a complete list of the boys basketball season preview stories.

From left to right, Daily Times Player of the Year Rondae Jefferson, Darius Robinson and Richard Granberry will be counted upon to help Chester bring home its ninth state championship. 

TIMES STAFF/ERIC HARTLINE

For two-time defending PIAA Class AAAA champion Chester, the road to a third straight title will be littered with teams hoping to knock the Clippers down a peg. 

In the Central League, Lower Merion is the prohibitive favorite, but Penncrest has a shot to contend for the league title.

A look at Archbishop Carroll's Ernest Aflakpui, a 6-10 Ghana native, leads off the look at the rest of the county schools.

Chester's Rondae Jefferson and Darius Robinson, The Haverford School's Shawn Alston, Archbishop Carroll's Yosef Yacob and Interboro's Christian Irons are just five of the bevy of talented players to watch for this year.

Chester High junior Rondae Jefferson was named PIAA Class AAAA Player of the Year, by vote of the state's sportswriters.

Three other players also were honored.

Jefferson, the Daily Times Player of the Year who averaged 12.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.7 blocked shots and 2.5 steals, helped Chester (32-0) last month win its second consecutive state crown and eighth overall.

I caught up with Jefferson as he heard the news.

"I'm so hyped right now. I'm about to pop," he said. "It means a lot. I don't even know what to say."

Chester's Larry Yarbray was named the Class AAAA Coach of the Year.

Chester's Darius Robinson, a junior, and Erikk Wright, a senior, made the all-state second team in Class AAAA, while Archbishop Carroll's Yosef Yacob, a junior, made the all-state second team in Class AAA.

Here's how the Class AAAA and AAA all-state teams look:

CLASS AAAA
FIRST TEAM
Rondae Jefferson, Chester, 6-7, jr, 12.1 ppg
B.J. Johnson, Lower Merion, 6-5, jr, 15.8 ppg
Haiishen McIntyre, Harrisburg, 6-2, sr, 24.2 ppg
Devin Thomas, Central Dauphin, 6-9, sr, 23.8 ppg
Geno Thorpe, Shaler, 6-3, jr, 21.4 ppg
Steve Vasturia, St. Joseph's Prep, jr, 21.8 ppg
SECOND TEAM
Nolan Cressler, Plum, 6-3, sr, 25.7 ppg
Shep Garner, Roman Catholic, 6-2, so, 15.9 ppg
Miles Overton, St. Joseph's Prep, 6-4, jr, 15.0 ppg
Jordan Reed, Wissahickon, 6-3, sr, 23.7 ppg
Darryl Reynolds, Lower Merion, 6-7, sr, 10.6 ppg
Darius Robinson, Chester, 6-1, jr, 11.8 ppg, pictured
Erikk Wright, Chester, 6-4, sr, 11.4 ppg
THIRD TEAM
Greg Bobal, Emmaus, 6-3, sr, 11.5 ppg
Quindell Brice, Pocono Mountain West, 6-4, sr, 16.2 ppg
Malik Draper, Scranton, 6-4, sr, 15.3 ppg
Nate Snodgrass, Butler, 6-0, sr, 21.3 ppg
Jahad Thomas, Williamsport, 6-2, jr, 14.5 ppg
Sheldon Zablotny, Erie Cathedral Prep, 5-11, jr, 17.4 ppg
Mike Zangari, Red Land, 6-10, sr, 21.4 ppg

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rondae Jefferson, Chester
COACH OF THE YEAR: Larry Yarbray, Chester


CLASS AAA
FIRST TEAM
John Davis, Neumann-Goretti, 6-4, jr, 12.9 ppg
Donovon Jack, Berks Catholic, 6-9, sr, 17.0 ppg
Brendan Kilpatrick, Malvern Prep, 6-5, sr, 15.8 ppg
Micah Mason, Highlands, 6-2, sr, 28.7 ppg
Ja'Quan Newton, Neumann-Goretti, 6-3, so, 15.8 ppg
Maurice Watson, Boys Latin Charter, 5-10, sr, 21.8 ppg
SECOND TEAM
Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Allentown Central Catholic, 6-4, so, 17.7 ppg
Andrew Andreychik, Danville, 6-0, sr, 23.0 ppg
Jaymon Mason, General McLane, 6-2, jr, 18.4 ppg
Jamal Nwaniemeka, Conwell-Egan, 6-2, sr, 21.8 ppg
Derrick Stewart, Neumann-Goretti, 6-5, sr, 8.7 ppg
Devin Wilson, Montour, 6-4, jr, 10.0 ppg
Yosef Yacob, Archbishop Carroll, 6-0, jr, 14.6 ppg
THIRD TEAM
Shawn Anderson, New Castle, 6-3, jr, 18.8 ppg
Dwight Andrews, Johnstown, 6-5, sr, 18.7 ppg
Charles Cooper, Octorara, 6-1, sr, 17.3 ppg
Ted Hinnenkamp, York Suburban, 6-6, sr, 21.0 ppg
Marquis Marshall, Berks Catholic, 6-4, sr, 15.4 ppg
J.C. Show, Abington Heights, 6-2, so, 17.1 ppg
Cornell Yarde, Schuylkill Valley, 6-2, sr, 21.2 ppg

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Maurice Watson, Boys Latin Charter
COACH OF THE YEAR: Adam Kaufman, Montour

(Times staff photos / ERIC HARTLINE)

STATE COLLEGE -- Chester mayor John Linder will be the first to tell you he hasn't seen each of Chester High's boys basketball games this season.

"The last one I saw was the Norristown game (in the second round of the PIAA tournament)," Linder told me the other day. "But basketball is in our DNA. ... I don't have to see them every game to know how well they play and how well they're doing."

A 1965 graduate of Chester High, Linder made the trek with members of Chester city council to attend Saturday night's PIAA Class AAAA championship game against Lower Merion, when the nationally ranked Clippers will go for an undefeated season and their second consecutive state title.

When I asked Linder for a game prediction, he was initially reticent ... but then offered up this:

“For the balance, this is one of the best teams I've ever seen," Linder said. "You've got Rondae Jefferson. You've got the legacy with the Robinson boys (Darius, a junior, and Kareem, a senior). And the rest, I don't think there's any selfishness. They can get carried away, but they can reel it in. I don't think they're going to run away against Lower Merion. They'll win by five or six and get the game into the 70s. That's my prediction."

My prediction (a 71-62 win for Chester) appeared in Saturday's Daily Times, in addition to a full preview of the game. Hopefully you picked up a copy before checking it out on PCN tonight, or making the trip to Happy Valley.

STATE COLLEGE --- This post comes courtesy Daily Times staffer Terry Toohey:

Of the 32 games Chester will have played after tonight's state final, 27 of them were against playoff teams. Also, the Clippers have played six schools that played in state finals. Below is a breakdown with where team finished in parentheses.

Regular Season
Chester 79, Coatesville 66 (4A Quarterfinalist)
Chester 70, Constitution 46 (1A Champ)
Chester 71, J.P. McCaskey 61 (PIAA Tournament qualifier)
Chester 64, Math Civics & Sciences 52 (A semifinalist)
Chester 69, Newark 41 (Lost in Delaware state final to 3x champ Sanford)
Chester 56, Imhotep Charter 36 (Class AA finalist)
Chester 60, Hodgson Vo-Tech 57 (Delaware semifinalist)
Chester 65, Christ The King (NY) 53 (NY CHSAA quarterfinalist)
Chester 66, Lansdown (Va.) 59 (Lost VHSL Region quarterfinals)
Chester 64, Academy Park 42
Chester 63, Interboro 32 (District One participant)
Chester 46, Aquinas Institute 43 (NY Class AA state runnerup)
Chester 66, Central Tech 40
Chester 69, Penn Wood 43 (District One participant)
Chester 66, Chichester 40
Chester 56, Gen Mills 45 (District One participant)
Chester 57, Academy Park 40
Chester 78, Interboro 40 (District One participant)
Chester 80, Penn Wood 57 (District One participant)
Chester 91, Chichester 53
Chester 74, Glen Mills 30 (District One participant)
Chester 74, Neptune 62 (NJ Group III state runnerup)
District One Tournament
Chester 65, Downingtown West 27
Chester 59, Methacton 31
Chester 81, Norristown 31
Chester 67, Wissahickon 52
Chester 61, Lower Merion 53
PIAA Tournament
Chester 86, J.P. McCaskey 43
Chester 72, Norristown 53
Chester 87, Coatesville 46
Chester 67, Central Dauphin 48
Chester vs. Lower Merion

****

The Daily Times staff is here in Happy Valley, and in full force.

Matt Smith, Jack McCaffery and I will be live-chatting throughout Chester's PIAA Class AAAA championship game against Lower Merion. Follow the live-chat here, beginning at 7:45 p.m. And Eric Hartline will be here chronicling the game in photo.

Here's our preview coverage of tonight's tilt:
Chester seeks perfection, back-to-back titles (Vito): Never has Chester finished the year unbeaten, nor have the Clippers won back-to-back titles. This is the Clippers' chance to do just that.
Chester hopes not to let history repeat itself (Toohey): Forty-five years ago, Chester had an undefeated team reach the state final ... and lose. Two from that 1967 team say how these Clippers can prevent that from happening this time around.

See you from the Bryce Jordan Center.

Wednesday night at Reading High's Geigle Complex, Chester defeated Central Dauphin, 67-48, to earn to the program's 17th state title-game appearance.

The Clippers will face Lower Merion Saturday at 8 p.m. in the PIAA Class AAAA championship at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Here's the Daily Times' coverage of Chester's semifinal win:


Chester's Rondae Jefferson dribbles through traffic.


Chester's Diamonte Reason rejects a shot on a third-quarter fastbreak.


Chester's Darius Robinson tries to snag a steal.


Jefferson puts up a shot.

GAME STORY: Confident Chester one win away from repeat (Vito)
COLUMN: Familiar foe is all that stands in Chester's way (Jack McCaffery)
SIDEBAR: Chester's weakness will be on the line (Anthony SanFilippo)
NEXT UP: Lower Merion rolls past Erie Cathedral Prep and into final
Missed our in-game live chat? Click here for the full recap.

Three more to go.

Chester needs to win three more games to successfully defend its PIAA Class AAAA crown. Next up on the docket: Coatesville.

The Clippers (29-0) will face the Raiders Saturday in a PIAA quarterfinal game tentatively slated for 3 p.m. at Norristown High School. (Those details are according to Chester High sources and are pending PIAA approval.)

Per Chester AD Randy Leggette, tickets to the game can be purchased at the high school athletic office Thursday and Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. either day.

Chester defeated visiting Coatesville, 79-66, Dec. 9 on the first night of the season. Darius Robinson scored 19 points, Shanier Cottman dropped 12, Erikk Wright had 11 and Richard Granberry totaled 10.

The Clippers last played the Raiders in the PIAA tournament in the semifinal round of the 2002-03 season. Chester won the game, 61-55, before falling to State College in overtime of the championship game.

The day after Chester's big win over Lower Merion, in the District One Class AAAA championship game, here's another glimpse of the action through the lens of Daily Times staff photographer Robert J. Gurecki:


Chester's Darius Robinson drives the lane for a second-quarter layup.


Chester's Rondae Jefferson draws a blocking foul against Lower Merion's Justin McFadden.


Lower Merion's Yohanny Dalembert goes up for a shot contested by Chester forwards Rondae Jefferson and Erikk Wright.


Chester's Shanier Cottman takes a bit of his district-championship medal.


Chester coach Larry Yarbray puts a district-title medal around the neck of Rondae Jefferson.


Chester's Erikk Wright puts on display the Clippers' district-championship trophy.

Losing Wednesday night in the Catholic League semifinals should have been the first and immediate thing on Shep Garner's mind. Instead, he was thinking states.

A sophomore at Roman Catholic, which lost to Neumann-Goretti, 73-56, Garner said he's looking forward to next month's PIAA Class AAAA tournament. Not for the chance to win a state title, but for the chance to see his hometown team -- Chester High.

"I'm real excited because I'm from Chester, so it's good to know we could run into them along the way," said Garner, who had 20 points in Wednesday's loss. "I'm friends with the whole team – Darius (Robinson), Rondae (Jefferson), Kareem (Robinson), Richard (Granberry), Tavaune (Griffin), everybody. I'm with them every weekend. It's good to think about playing against your childhood friends, guys you played in the Biddy League with."

Garner said he considered "staying home" and attending Chester High will all of his childhood friends, but in the end, he said "Roman was just the right fit for me."

"That's his home, so I expect him to be excited about that," Roman Catholic coach Chris McNesby said of Garner. "With these guys, I'll play against anybody. They're a good group of kids."

In related news, Chester senior Shanier Cottman was spied at the Palestra Wednesday for the Catholic League semifinal doubleheader. He said he was there to see Chester natives like Garner of Roman, as well as Archbishop Carroll's Yosef Yacob, Isaiah Warren and Francis Jackson.

Carroll lost to St. Joseph's Prep, 59-48, in the other semifinal. The Patriots will play Philadelphia Electrical next Wednesday in the District 12 Class AAA third-place game at Archbishop Ryan High School.

(Photo courtesy Scout.com)

The first one is in the books.

While we have to wait until Feb. 2 for the rematch, Chester's 69-43 dismantling of Penn Wood had a few wrinkles. Firstly, it wasn't nearly as bad as the final score would indicate. But there's much more to the game than just the final score. Have a look:

OBSERVATIONS
****Chester officials gave me a reason for why junior Rondae Jefferson (pictured, above) missed last Thursday night's game against Interboro. "He was dehydrated. He went to the hospital," I was told. Well, Jefferson didn't waste any more time. He's averaging 11 points in the three games since his return.
****Jefferson brought the crowd to its feet on three straight trips up the floor, with electric dunks. None was better than the one served up by Darius Robinson (pictured, left).
****Penn Wood's gym, always cramped, was especially tight with The Comcast Network's camera scaffolding - at midcourt and in the Southeast corner.
****Villanova coach Jay Wright, after noticing his likeness was on live television, winked into the camera. A rare night in which Jay was not livid.
****In case you didn't notice, Chester had new uniforms. I heard UnderArmour sent a shipment of the new gear - which included socks, shoes and everything they could slap their logo on - arrived just in time for Tuesday's game.
****After Tymier Butler swatted Penn Wood shots on successive possessions, a Chester fan exclaimed, "Not in our house. Wait, and not in your house either."
****How deep is Chester's varsity roster? At one point in the JV game that preceded the varsity tilt, a fan asked former Chester coach Fred Pickett why sophomore forward Diamonte Reason, who scored all 14 points in the JV Clips' 14-0 third-quarter swing, wasn't on varsity. Pickett's reply? "There's no room," he said.


QUOTABLES
"We know, to beat them, we have to take care of all our details. We gave up 21 offensive rebounds. … There’s no way for us to (win). We don’t score enough to counter that. We had 17 rebounds for the game. I saw my stats. You don’t rebound, you’re not going to beat them."
---Penn Wood coach Clyde Jones

“We’ve been coming out (slowly) the last couple games. That means we’ve got to get better. We’ve got some work."
---Chester senior Erikk Wright of his 14-0 team

“It feels real good to blow them out like that. They’re the only team people come to see when we play and all that."
---Chester senior Richard Granberry, pictured

“In our league you’ve got to beat Penn Wood and Glen Mills. … Any team can beat any team, but we don’t want to be that team."
---Chester coach Larry Yarbray

FACES IN THE CROWD
For a game that permitted only 400 into the building, the usual suspects were there. Chester All-Delcos Maurice Nelson and Lamon Church from the 2010-11 PIAA Class AAAA championship team, were in the building. Penn Wood's Dequan Pelzer, from the 2008-09 PIAA title team, was there, as well. Villanova's Jay Wright, and Seton Hall assistant coach Shaheen Holloway also made a showing.

(Times staff photos / ROBERT J. GURECKI)

Night after night, coaches call the Daily Times with box scores to report. And night after night, we're treated to a high-scoring individual display coming from a team in the Del Val League.

Long known as one of the top leagues in Pennsylvania for its team success, the Del Val League is home this season to some of Delaware County's finest individual talent. Of Delco's top-20 scorers, 10 are from the six-team Del Val -- including Penn Wood's Malcolm Richardson (pictured), who leads the county with 19.8 points per game.

"You know what everyone says about this league, that it's the best in the state," Academy Park coach Allen Brydges said this week. "Let's just say there's no particular game that's a picnic."

"It just seems like every team has that guy with a capability to take over a game," Interboro coach Jeff Webb said recently.

As of Monday, Richardson led Del Val's cast of Delco's leading scorers. The others were: Academy Park's Chuck Dorsey (18.0 ppg); Interboro's Christian Irons (17.6 ppg) and Shawn Frampton (13.2); Chichester's Robert Pittman (14.5); Penn Wood's Tyree Bynum (12.6); Glen Mills' George Walker (13.7); and Chester's Rondae Jefferson (11.8) and Darius Robinson (11.6).

A Del Val representative has played for the PIAA Class AAAA title in each of the last five seasons. Chester won it all in 2008 and 2011 and finished runnerup in 2007, while Penn Wood was crowned in 2009 and took second in 2010.

Those seasons, the Del Val did it with team-oriented success. This year, more than the previous four since I've covered basketball in Delco, the Del Val can do it with exceptional scorers. ... And, oh by the way ... five of the six teams will enter league play next week with winning records.

Only in the Del Val.

(Photo: Courtesy Maxpreps.com)

Prior to this season, Glen Mills coach Tony Bacon told me he thought he'd have only one player back from last year's squad. Hey, that's the way it is at The Mills. But through three games, Xavier Couthen had been that kind of player, averaging 15 points.

But it looks like Couthen's got company.

The Battlin' Bulls brought out a familiar face Saturday, in a nonleague loss to Ridley. Senior Raheem Harvey coupled 31 points with 18 rebounds in his 2011-12 debut.

You may remember Harvey, a 6-foot-7 center, from a story that appeared in the Daily Times a few days prior to the season. Harvey sustained serious brain injuries during a car accident more than two years ago. He missed most of what should have been his junior year at Glen Mills, recovered and played his senior year last winter and, as it turns out, is back for another go-around with the Bulls -- most likely because of all the class he missed two years ago.

"We were just waiting for him to get cleared (medically)," Bacon said Saturday, following the Bulls' 66-56 loss to Ridley, in which Harvey had some company. Shawn Church, one of Delaware County's top scorers, had 27 points for the Green Raiders.

##

Two other things from Saturday worth keeping an eye on:

***Chester took down Math, Civics and Sciences in a pairing of PIAA champions from last season. The Clippers, the Class AAAA winners, got seven points and 15 rebounds from Rondae Jefferson, 11 points and 13 boards from Erikk Wright and 13 points from Darius Robinson. They effectively shut down the Elephants, the Class A titlists, and elite scorer Jeremiah Worthem. The junior combo guard/forward, who has offers from Drexel, Rice, Saint Joseph's and La Salle, dropped in a game-best 14 points.

***Charles Dorsey could be a handful in the Del Val League. For now, he's scoring the heck out of the ball for Academy Park in nonleague play. The senior boosted his per-game average to 22.4 points with a 29-point showing Saturday in a 64-55 win over Strath Haven. Keep an eye on Dorsey this season.

On the first play of the game, D.J. Irving planted himself on Maalik Wayns' hip. On the second play of the game, Irving knocked down a 3-pointer. Not a bad start, huh? Irving's talents were on display at Wells Fargo Center, where BU lost to Villanova, 68-43, Tuesday.

A two-time All-Delco at Archbishop Carroll, Irving was in town for the second of three trips this season. (The Terriers lost at Saint Joseph's University last month and visit La Salle at the end of this month.) Still, his family and friends were in South Philly to see the Chester native play.

(Check out my column on Irving proving his critics wrong, in Wednesday's Daily Times)

Even Archbishop Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk brought eight players to the game, a ritual he has with his upperclassmen, to see Irving in action. Among the eight? Juniors Yosef Yacob and Isaiah Warren, who like Irving are Chester natives.

Irving finished with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting, with three rebounds and three steals. He elicited some positive feedback from coaches on both sides:

Said Joe Jones, BU's coach: “D.J. has had a great year. With this team and these players, he's got to score. Got to. He's also got to defend and be our first line of defense. We need him to be an all-around player, not just a guy that sets it up. He's got to score it, he's got to defend it. He's got a lot of responsibility.”

Said Villanova's Jay Wright: “I think D.J. Irving is a great player. I think he's going to have a great career.”

Here's what Irving had to say, including who he'd pick if he was fielding a Delco all-star team:

Q: Were you surprised to see this game played at Wells Fargo Center?
A: “Pretty much, because Wells Fargo is usually for the big teams that come in and they need a lot of people to see the game. The atmosphere, I thought there would be a lot more people. But I thought it was a good game. I just wish we could have kept it a little closer, you know?”

Q: How much of a shock was it to go from a three-point halftime lead to a 25-point loss?
A: “I honestly don't even know what happened. It just went to them real fast. It's something we've got to work on.”

Q: Was it your idea to go out and cover Maalik at the start?
A: “I figured Coach Jones was going to put me on him anyway, so I was all for it. I've seen him a lot of times from summer leagues and all that.”

Q: How has your new role (from true point guard to scoring point guard) with Boston University made you a better player?
A: “It's made me more aggressive, and made me focus more on my shot.”

Q: With Juan'ya (Green, the 2011 Daily Times Player of the Year from Archbishop Carroll) playing so well at Niagara, have you reached out to him at all?
A: “When they played Missouri on ESPN3, that was the only game I got to watch. But I look at all of his box scores and I text him after most every game.”

Q: Was there an older player who taught you about that, keeping tabs on guys?
A: “Not really. I think I learned that from my mom (Jacqueline) and my dad (Desmond). Being in touch with people and staying humble was what they taught me.”

Q: You like what you see in Delco basketball this year? If you had to put together a team, who would you take?
A: Of course the Chester guys – Rondae (Jefferson) and Darius Robinson. He's up and coming. I was telling people that all summer that he's going to be great. I'd take Malcolm Richardson, from Penn Wood. I know him real well and he's great. And, of course, I'll go with my Carroll guys – Yosef (Yacob) and Isaiah (Warren). That's a pretty good team, don't you think?”

(Photos courtesy Boston University athletics)

Chester and Upper Darby are league champs.

The Clippers dismantled host Academy Park, 86-44, to clinch their first outright league championship under coach Larry Yarbray. Chester got 17 points from DeQuann Walker, 15 from Lamon Church and 14 apiece from Maurice Nelson and Darius Robinson.

More on Chester: There's a (really) good chance the state's top-ranked team in Class AAAA will be District One's No. 1 seed come Sunday, when the bracket is unveiled. If the Clippers are seeded anywhere else but No. 1, I'll be flat-out shocked ... but stranger things have happened.

The Royals held off a furious surge by host Ridley, clinching the Central League championship with a 48-47 victory. Daron Harris and Brandon Hashim had 14 points apiece to pace Upper Darby, which held its breath as Ridley - with the last possession - couldn't manage a final shot before time expired.

That locked up UD coach Bob Miller's first title since 2006-07.

More on Upper Darby: Despite playing to a perfect 21-0, 16-0 record (assuming they handle Glen Mills Saturday in a nonleague tilt), the Royals still would be lucky to manage a No. 3 seed. They're likely the No. 4, by virtue of a nonleague slate that wasn't loaded with any huge tests. But that doesn't mean UD isn't deserving.

Check out Friday's Daily Times for a rundown on both teams' title clinchers.

Two titles in one night. How 'bout those apples?

Chester alumnus Nasir Robinson milled about Widener's Schwartz Gymnasium last Thursday, looking around as he heard his name pouring down from the grandstands.

Admittedly, Robinson hadn't attended a high school basketball game since he last played in one - in March 2008, when Chester won the PIAA Class AAAA championship.

"This is my first time back," said Robinson, a junior at Pittsburgh, where he's averaging 7.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. "It feels good to be home."

Robinson was on hand for the Clippers' loss to Sanford (Del.), part of the Jameer Nelson/Pete Nelson Classic. His younger brothers, Kareem Robinson and Darius Robinson, are members of the team.

"I talk to them a lot," the elder Robinson said. "I try to give them some advice when I can. They like to talk about the team.

"From what I hear," Robinson added, "they have some good players, some guys who can help them get over the hump."

The hump, to which Robinson was referring, is the PIAA playoffs ... where the Clippers have won only one game in the last two seasons. In other words, it's been very un-Chester-like in Chester.

"They're going to have a good team," Robinson said, pontificating. "At least I hope they do."