The All-Delco boys basketball team was unveiled in Wednesday's Daily Times. And based on the graphic at right - and the headline above - you should already know that Penn Wood junior point guard Tyree Johnson is the 2009 Player of the Year.

Johnson led the Patriots to their first PIAA Class AAAA championship and a Del Val League championship. Along the way, he became the county's best point guard and demonstrated the uncanny ability to make everyone around him play better, resulting in the school's first championship of any kind since 1992.

Four Patriots averaged in double figures this season - including Johnson - and two of them improved their scoring tallies significantly in the state playoffs. All thanks to Johnson's play, thus earning him the honor of Daily Times Player of the Year.

Here's the rest of the All-Delco team:

• D.J. Irving, Jr. PG, Archbishop Carroll (pictured)
• Calvin Newell, Sr. SG, Strath Haven
• Aaric Murray, Sr. C, Glen Mills
• Duane Johnson, Sr. F, Penn Wood
• Rahlir Jefferson, Sr. F, Chester

*Murray and Johnson are repeat All-Delco selections.

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It's been a while since I last posted - following state-championship lag from State College - here's a quick-hitting recap of what you might have missed:

• Former Chester coach Fred Pickett has thrown his hat into the political ring. He will launch a campaign for a city council spot.
• Penn Wood coach Clyde Jones was named the PIAA Class AAAA Coach of the Year. Seven Delco players earned state honors, too.
• Three-time All-Delco Tyreke Evans told FoxSports.com that he plans to leave Memphis to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

Fred Pickett is the Daily Times' 2008 Sports Figure of the Year.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. Aside from molding Chester into a state and national powerhouse, Pickett had the uncanny ability of turning basketball-playing teenagers into upstanding young men with real promise in the classroom. I'm not sure how many players Pickett helped send to college in his 13 years with the Clippers, but it's got to rank up there with the best of them.

Being a Temple alumnus, I have a lot of respect for guys like Pickett. John Chaney employed the same set-up at Temple, giving student-athletes with questionable academic standings a place to grow and learn. But don't take my word for it. Daily Times columnist Jack McCaffery said all of this far more eloquently than I have, in his story on Pickett in Monday's Daily Times.

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SPEAKING OF CHESTER...

Here's some information on Tuesday's game, Chester at Penn Wood:

Tickets will be sold during school hours at each school’s athletic office. The game, slated for a 7 p.m. start, will be played at Penn Wood Middle School. All tickets are $5.

Fans are urged to take advantage of the presale opportunities, as fewer than 100 tickets will be available tonight at the door. Seating capacity at the middle school, located at 121 Summit Street in Darby, is estimated at 700.

Chester (15-1, 6-0) and Penn Wood (15-2, 5-1) are ranked Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, in the latest PIAA Class AAAA poll. The Clippers won the teams’ earlier meeting, 57-48, Jan. 8. Questions regarding ticket sales for the game can be referred to Penn Wood High School’s athletic department, at 610-284-8058.

Yesterday was a day to remember for fans seated in the bleachers of Widener's Schwartz Center. For me, well... let's just say I had my fill of basketball.

The Jameer Nelson/Pete Nelson Classic kicked off Friday with all three Delaware County teams involved walking away with wins:

Chester extended its dominance over Norristown, 58-47 ... Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) had a dominant outing against the team the Clippers beat for the District One and PIAA Class AAAA titles. So did Maurice Nelson, the younger brother of Chester legend Jameer.

Daily Times photographer Bob Gurecki was on hand for some video coverage of the game, so let me know what you think of it: e-mail me or post your thoughts on the blog.

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Penn Wood led the whole way against North Catholic, 78-65 ... Reserve Chris White hit six big-time 3-pointers for the Patriots, who went nine-deep but never lost the lead against the Falcons.

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Archbishop Carroll topped Life Center Academy, 55-49 ... Junior D.J. Irving had the big game for the Patriots, winning the MVP award in his hometown of Chester. The game was closer than it should have been considering LCA was without four players who were declared post-graduates. Among them was Jon DeShields, who played last year at Delco Christian.

Had LCA played all of its post-grads, who knows whether Carroll's district- and state-playoff eligibility would have been called into question down the road? The result of this game might have even been forfeited. It's a good thing this was dealt with appropriately.

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A couple other tidbits from the Nelson Classic:

• DeShields, who watched his LCA teammates from the bench, was walking with a limp. He said its the product of a toe contusion. DeShields led the county with 24.4 points per game in 2007.
• Freshly retired coach Fred Pickett was on hand throughout the day and was seen videotaping the Penn Wood game for Chester coach Larry Yarbray. "I'm a scout now," he said with a smile. Pickett took in the Chester-Norristown game from the far end of the Clippers' bench.
• Penn Wood looks like it has its most success when it rotates players in and out of the game with regularity. The Pats scored 10 points in the second quarter, when coach Clyde Jones stuck with a six-man set. "With foul trouble, you have to do that sometimes," Jones said. "The game of basketball is a lot easier when you have the players you want on the court all the time, but it doesn't work like that."

There's more to come Saturday from the Nelson Classic. Staffer Matt Smith is there for the Chester-Atlantic City game.

Another day, another Big 5 college commitment.

Chester senior forward Rahlir Jefferson gave his word Thursday night to Temple and coach Fran Dunphy that he will continue his career with the Owls. This comes on the heels of Glen Mills' Aaric Murray and Jefferson's Chester teammate Karon Burton picking La Salle.

I spoke with Jefferson, former Chester coach Fred Pickett and first-year coach Larry Yarbray tonight and here are some the extras from the interview with Pickett and Yarbray. (Look for a full report in Friday's edition of the Daily Times):

FRED PICKETT ... On Rahlir's mode of picking Temple:
"At the end of the day, I was shocked he committed like that. I'm happy for him, because we teach our kids to really thoroughly look at this and be selfish with it. We tell them to have a relationship with the head coach and know the style of play and the players they're bringing in and that you have to fit into it."

On Rahlir's role at Chester:
"For this team to be as good as they became, they all had to sacrifice something. He sacrificed a whole lot. He was quite often the third, fourth or fifth option and that's basically because (of where) he kind of just would fit in with our game. There were times when he would go a quarter or a quarter-and-a-half without getting any shots up. He was the consummate team player."

On getting extra looks because of his teammates:

"No question about it. When those guys were being recruited, (the coaches) would come to see them and they'd be impressed with Rahlir. It worked out for him because he loves Temple. Something clicked with him and coach Dunphy. Temple is a marvelous school, very diverse. They have everything."

LARRY YARBRAY ... On Rahlir's decision:

"You take a lot of visits and hear a lot of coaches talking. He heard what GW and Penn State had to say and liked Temple's pitch more. He's a quiet guy who doesn't give you a lead as to where he's leaning toward, but something told us he always had Temple at the top."

On making his choice before the season:

"I think a lot of guys want to get it out of the way before you start working out (for the upcoming season). That was his intention, I guess."

American Christian Academy, the tiny prep school in Aston that earned so much national attention in the last couple years, is no more.

Earlier this week, administrators at the school announced that it will end its middle-school and high-school services and maintain only its elementary-school operations, primarily serving as a school for Baptist-church-related education.

The decision ends American Christian's run atop the national prep-school landscape. Players like Dwayne Jones (St. Joseph's U, Cleveland Cavaliers) all the way to Tyreke Evans (Memphis U) made their home with the Eagles. Reasons for the decision were not made official, though it's believed that the closing of the middle and high schools is related to finances or the school's always-in-question academic standards.

Said former coach Ray Carroll, in a 2006 interview with the Daily Times: "They sit in a classroom where there's no reading, no writing and no teaching taking place. ...These kids are great kids who want to learn, but don't know how. I often walk by their classrooms and see them sleeping."

For more on American Christian, check out the story from earlier this week.

CHESTER TO NAME COACH TODAY
The boys basketball program at Chester High has been without a coach long enough. Mere minutes after the leading the Clippers to their sixth big-school state title, 13-year coach Fred Pickett announced his retirement, which means the spot has been vacant for nearly three months.

It is believed that longtime assistant Larry Yarbray will take Pickett's spot on the bench. That decision, which has been confirmed by multiple sources, will be confirmed tonight at a Chester Upland School Board meeting.

More to come when everything's official. Until then, check out today's story.

Russell Johnson, a 6-6 forward from Chester, announced Wednesday that he has committed to Robert Morris University.

Johnson, who averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds, emerged as the Clippers' third-leading scorer during their run toward the District One and PIAA Class AAAA titles.

Unsure whether he has met NCAA Clearinghouse standards, Johnson awaits the call to ensure his eligibility next season. He said he'd like to improve his SAT score by another 100 points, and he's registered for the standardized test next month.

"I'm waiting for the NCAA to call me back," Johnson said. "If they say it's OK, I'll take some summer classes to get ready for the season."

Johnson became the Clippers' second Division I commit from this year's recruiting class. Teammate Nasir Robinson gave his word to Pitt last season.

"High-caliber Division I schools were after Russell," said newly-retired Chester coach Fred Pickett. "He's going to have a good career. I've said it before - I think he'll get his team to the Big Dance. I just know it."

Two nights. Two all-star games. Two most-valuable player awards for Chester students.

On Saturday night, Chester senior Russell Johnson participated in the Pennsylvania-Maryland All-Star Game, held at Steelton-Highspire High School. Johnson, an unsigned recruit, scored 18 points and earned co-MVP honors to pace the Fred Pickett-coached Pa. team past Maryland, 110-100.

A night earlier, fellow Chester senior Kevin Green-Germany scored 29 points to lead all scorers and win the MVP award in the Penn-N.J. all-star game. Green-Germany's team prevailed, 141-115.

I kept it a secret long enough: Chester High's Karon Burton is the 2008 All-Delco boys basketball Player of the Year.

Not only entertaining to watch with his high-flying moves and acrobatic passes, Burton led the Clippers in scoring, assists and steals en route to winning their sixth big-school state championship.

Chester coach Fred Pickett's team was littered with talent all over the floor, but it was Burton who tied it all together. Each of the Clippers' starters averaged in double figures on the year thanks to Burton, who incorporated everyone in the scoring on a nightly basis.

For the rest of the All-Delco First-Team and beyond, pick up a copy of Thursday's Daily Times.

A long, arduous road carried the Chester Clippers into Saturday's PIAA Class AAAA title game.

In the end, they're state champs.

The Clippers beat Norristown, 81-77, yet somehow that was not the big news of the night.

Chester coach Fred Pickett announced he is stepping down after 13 seasons, 3 state titles and eight district titles. In addition to this story, Terry Toohey contributed a sights-and-sounds notebook. And Jack McCaffery wrote of how passionate Karon Burton is...even when his team is struggling. Even still, Burton never seems to stop smiling.

Long night tonight, even longer day ahead. Stay tuned for more.

If you were at the Palestra last night, you were witness to Chester's dramatic 75-64 win over Pennsbury in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinal. In case you missed it, we've got you covered:

THE GAME STORY. Despite foul trouble, all five Clippers starters scored in double figures. They weathered a flurry of fouls and Pennsbury 3-pointers to extend their season.

THE REAL STORY. Marvin Dukes, Brandon Robinson and Mark Burrell probably didn't expect they'd play a huge role in Chester's win. But they did. Staff writer Jon Campbell tells their story.

THE PREPARATION. The Clippers' prep work for playoff basketball goes beyond the court. It starts in the classroom, where - as sports editor Rob Parent tells us - coach Fred Pickett's players are excelling.

THE VISUAL. Last night's game wasn't televised, but staff photographer Eric Hartline offers his view from the baseline at the Palestra in slideshow form.

The Chester Clippers successfully defended their string of District One Class AAAA championships Sunday to take home their seventh in a row.

The Clippers (28-1) handed Norristown (28-1) its first loss of the season in a 61-47 decision at Villanova's Pavilion.

Karon Burton finished with team highs of 20 points and 7 assists while Nasir Robinson (pictured) had 18 points and 12 rebounds. The senior duo connected on three alley-oop dunks in the win.

In the PIAA Class AAAA state playoff bracket, Chester will take on Williamsport (19-8), the second seed out of District Two, in the first round. That game will be played next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Norristown High School.

FOR MORE ON THE GAME...
...pick up a copy of Monday's Daily Times. Included will be a game story; a sidebar on Burton's rebound from a sloppy first quarter; a column by Terry Toohey on Chester coach Fred Pickett; and another sidebar by Chuck Smith on Norristown's take on the Clippers.

I spoke this morning with Chester coach Fred Pickett, who confirmed that tonight's District One Class AAAA championship game is postponed due to inclement weather.

The game - between No. 1 Chester and No. 2 Norristown - will be played Sunday at 4 p.m. at Villanova's Pavilion.

The area's snowfall coupled with the forecast of an ice storm to follow caused the cancelation of classes at Chester and Norristown, which forced the postponement of tonight's game.