Tonight is the opener for the 2011-12 boys basketball season.

24 Delco teams begin their campaigns.
Fewer than half of those will make their respective postseason tournaments.
Only 9 in District One Class AAAA will advance to states.
Only 1 can win the state crown.

It's interesting how so many teams get pared down so quickly... well, in a span of three months. But either way you look at it, it all begins tonight.

Which game are you headed to? Do you have an opening night routine? Share here, in the comments section.

The season is here. Well, at least the season preview is.

Thursday's edition of the Daily Times holds the boys basketball season preview for the 2011-12 campaign, which officially begins Friday. If you didn't pick up a copy, here's a CliffsNotes version:

DEL VAL: At Chester, focus is on a sweet repeat ... Never in the storied history of Chester basketball, which features seven state titles and two-dozen 1,000-point scorers, have teams repeated as state champions. So this year, say the Clippers coach and a few players, that is their mission.

INTER-AC: Haverford School pins turnaround hopes on Xu ... There's a new coach, one big new player and a new vision at The Haverford School. Henry Fairfax, the program's all-time leading scorer, hopes to guide the Fords beyond a myriad of recent .500 seasons with the help of Chinese exchange student Tao Xu, a 6-foot-11 center. Oh, and the cast of players around Xu -- including senior guard Zach Thomas and freshman guard Sammy Foreman -- are pretty good, too.

CENTRAL LEAGUE: Lower Merion among many contenders in Central ... So I called each of the Central League's coaches and asked for their pick to win the title. Everyone said Lower Merion. But as Aces coach Gregg Downer told me, no one in his locker room has ever won a title, which opens the door for Ridley, Marple Newtown, Upper Darby, Haverford, Springfield ... and just about everyone else.

CATHOLIC LEAGUE + THE REST: Carroll looks to Yacob to maintain momentum ... Archbishop Carroll's winningest seasons have been the last four, within which the Patriots have had a pair of 1,000-point scorers, two trips to the Catholic League final, three state-playoff berths and a PIAA Class AAA title. Now, the keys to the team have been handed over to Yosef Yacob, the junior shooting guard and co-captain, to keep the team pointed in the right direction.

On the girls basketball side, beat writer Matt Smith did a great job highlighting the season with his previews. Take a look
Pearson, Creighton are Carroll's 1-2 punch ... Meghan Creighton and Rachel Pearson will continue their careers next season at Drexel. Before that takes form, though, they have some unfinished business at Archbishop Carroll.
Springfield will take its best shot ... Like the boys side, Lower Merion appears to be the heavy favorite. Among Delco's contenders, it could be Springfield's year.
Some big questions as new season approaches ... Is the Del Val League up for grabs? What's life like at Delco Christian, without all-time leading scorer Emily Homan?
Five players to watch

So there you have it. I think we've covered all the bases with the season preview. If I missed anything, be sure to leave a comment or send an email (cvito@delcotimes.com).

Only one day away until tipoff.

In counting down the days until Friday, opening night of the boys basketball season, here's a By The Numbers preseason glance. Enjoy:

3 ... Penn Wood players on East Stroudsberg's roster next winter. Patriots senior Malcolm Richardson, who will carry the scoring load for Penn Wood, will have a full ride to the Division II school in 2012-13. The others at ESU are Duane Johnson and Will Brown.

6 ... Schools in Delco with new coaches. They are: Academy Park's Allen Brydges, Delco Christian's Don Davis, Haverford's Keith Heinerichs, Haverford School's Henry Fairfax, Radnor's Chris Monahan and Ridley's Mike Snyder.

7 ... Big-school state championships won by Chester. Still, the Clippers never have won back-to-back PIAA crowns. The reigning champs take a 26-game winning streak into Friday's opener.

11 ... Coaches in the Central League to pick Lower Merion as the favorite to win the league crown. The one who didn't? Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer, who opted against singling out any team in particular.

78 ... Student-athletes who tried out for Garnet Valley's basketball team, a program record according to Jags coach Joe Rapczynski.

109 ... Days until the PIAA Championships, at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Welcome back, readers. We're three days removed from opening night of the boys basketball season, and here's what to look out for in 2011:

***Chester. It may not come as a surprise, but the reigning PIAA Class AAAA champions are good. How good? The Clippers might be rolling with a 13-man rotation, with each player getting quality minutes. Keep an eye on junior Rondae Jefferson (pictured) and senior Erikk Wright.

***Big man on campus. The Haverford School has a new coach and a new outlook on basketball, after yet-another .500 season. Oh, and the Fords have a 6-foot-11 junior transfer student from China. Tao Xu is coming off a back injury, but he should have the Fords back in contention in the Inter-Ac League.

***Captain Yosef. For the first time in five years, Archbishop Carroll is fielding a roster without D.J. Irving and Juan'ya Green, a pair of All-Delco guards. So the keys to the Patriots' season have been handed to Yosef Yacob, the junior captain.

***Cluttered Central League. Outside of Lower Merion, the heavy favorite in the Central, it appears to be a mixed-up league. Some coaches point to Ridley and Marple Newtown as favorites, others say Haverford and Upper Darby. It'll be a nice race to watch.

That's it for now.

Keep an eye out for Thursday's Daily Times, which will feature the basketball previews.

Hey basketball fans, welcome back to Gettin' Schooled for the 2010-11 season.

There are plenty of players to follow, games to be seen and matchups to salivate over. In the meantime, here's a look at the season preview that appeared in the Daily Times:

PIAA Proving Size Matters: Three Class AAA teams in Delco - Springfield, Strath Haven and Marple Newtown - got the bump to Class AAAA, courtesy the PIAA's influx of charter schools occupying the lower classifications. District One chairman Rod Stone, PIAA executive director Brad Cashman and others chime in on how to remedy this issue.

Season Produces Plenty to Ponder: Which teams will experience rebound seasons? Which games are can't-miss games? Who will win the Del Val League title? These are burning questions worth investigating.

Recipe For Success? Depends Upon Whom You Ask: I asked the coaches of Delco's winningest programs during the last three seasons how they can maintain that level of success...and each offered a different opinion.

While you read over that stuff, be sure to bookmark Gettin' Schooled in order to check back throughout the season. It's sure to be a fun one.