At Temple, where I graduated from, underclassmen are taught this one, very simple expression: "Temple Owls are everywhere." And it's the truth - no matter where my career has taken me, I always seem to run into a Temple alum.

Well, Delaware County products are everywhere too. Here's a quick rundown of how some of them are doing on the college hardwood:

***Kevin Egee (Ridley): At Penn, has three starts in nine games; shooting 45 percent; averaging 9.7 ppg.
***Steve Egee (Ridley): At Columbia, has four starts in 11 games; averaging 13.7 minutes per game as a freshman
***Nasir Robinson (Chester): At undefeated Pittsburgh, has appeared in 11 of the Panthers' 12 games; averaging 10.5 minutes, 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds.
***Noel Wilmore (Chester): At George Washington, averaging 9.3 points off the bench as the team's third-leading scorer.
***Kenny Tribbett (Chester): At Drexel, has started eight of nine games; averaging 2.6 points.
***Charlie Swiggett (Chester): At Wisconsin-Milwaukee, averaging 1.6 points in limited time off the bench.

***Numbers weren't available for Dan Robinson (Ridley/East Stroudsburg) or Kevin Green-Germany (Chester/Delaware Tech).
***Sitting out: As for Chester grads Karon Burton (La Salle) and Russell Johnson (Robert Morris), they are red-shirting in order to straighten out their academics and will play next season.

I know I left a few out. Let me know who, and I'll post a follow-up in the near future.

Monsignor Bonner senior center Lijah Thompson visited Robert Morris University this weekend and he liked what he saw. Thompson wasted little time, committing to the Northeast Conference school hours after making his official visit to the Moon, Pa., campus.

Thompson averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds last season as a Second-Team All-Delco pick a year ago.

Thompson, known for his high-flying dunks and athletic blocked shots will be a freshman there in 2009-10 with Chester's Russell Johnson and North Catholic's Velton Jones in their sophomore seasons with the Colonials.

I have some extras from my interviews with Thompson and Friars coach Brian Daly, but they're at the office ... and I'm at home updating the blog on my off day. I'll post them when I get in on Monday.

Until then, here's the story (which was first reported by the Daily Times). Enjoy the weekend.

Photo by the Philadelphia Daily News

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.

Chester forwards Russell Johnson and Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) attended Sunday's Temple-St. Joseph's game at the Palesta. But the 6-foot-5 Clippers had reasons to be there other than to watch an instant classic Big 5 game.

Johnson, a senior, considers Temple among his college choices. The others are Robert Morris, La Salle, Niagara and George Washington - all of which have offered a scholarship. Temple has yet to do so, but Johnson liked what he saw.

"They run the court and just play ball," he said before Chester's practice Monday. "They don't call that many plays. They play man-to-man (defense) most of the game. They run it a lot, up and down the floor, just like we do. They move the ball well. They're fun to watch."

Jefferson, a junior, was at the Palestra to see St. Joseph's. The Hawks have expressed an interest in Jefferson. So, does Jefferson have interest in the Hawks?

"It's a good school, a good team and a good program," Jefferson said. "What's not to like?"

Chester plays Harrisburg Wednesday in a PIAA Class AAAA second-round game at the Geigle Complex in Reading.

Chester senior Russell Johnson participated in practice Tuesday and could be ready for Friday's playoff game, point guard Karon Burton said late Tuesday night.

Johnson, a forward, started all of the Clippers' games this season except the final four. He has been sidelined since twisting his ankle in a pick-up basketball game last month. Burton said Johnson "got some running in" Tuesday. Burton expects Johnson to be ready for Friday's District One Class AAAA first-round game against 32nd-seeded Methacton.

"He suited up for practice and he looked good," Burton said.

IN OTHER NEWS: The seedings for the District One Class AAA tournament will be released Thursday. Four Delco teams are in Class AAA (Marple Newtown, Radnor, Springfield and Sun Valley) so it looks like a few could land a spot in the tournament when the 12-team field is announced.

Also, I wanted to offer belated kudos to the Bucks County Courier Times, which organized a tournament two weeks ago for one of its sportwriters who passed away of cancer in December. The proceeds of the tournament - named the Jason Haslam Classic - benefited cancer research. Jason was one of my friends from Temple University and had a hand in my development in this business. Thanks to the BCCT for getting the tournament off the ground.

Ridley's Dan Robinson scored the 1,000th point of his career this season, but the record slipped past Ridley team officials and this reporter. (I'm in my first year on the beat, so I'm sure it's just one of those things that got away from me.)

Robinson needed 372 points this year to notch 1,000 for his career. He scored 14 in a 53-43 win over Conestoga on Jan. 18, which put him over the top. For his career, Robinson has 1,112 ... and counting. Robinson's Green Raiders picked up the No. 6 seed in the District One Class AAAA tournament, which begins next weekend.

IN OTHER NEWS: The Daily Times has learned that Chester's Russell Johnson has missed the Clippers' last four games with an ankle sprain suffered in a pick-up basketball game. The status of the senior had not been previously known. He could be ready for the top-ranked Clippers' meeting with 32nd-seeded Methacton Friday in the Class AAAA district tournament.

Just got back in from the Kobe Bryant Classic at Villanova's Pavilion. Here are a couple things I saw that I couldn't fit into my stories:

• The Catholic League playoffs are right around the corner, so a couple role players from Delco's CL teams made sure they got one last look at Roman Catholic. Archbishop Carroll's D.J. Irving and Monsignor Bonner's Lijah Thompson and Henry Smith were on hand to watch the Cahillites.


• American Christian's Tyreke Evans returned to the Pavilion following his afternoon game for one of the nightcaps - Roman vs. Chester. He tried to slip in a back door before a security guard tried to squelch that plan. That is, until she recognized who Evans was. No one likes to give out special treatment. But in this case, the security guard felt she had to oblige.


• Chester's Russell Johnson sat out the Clippers' 83-73 win over Roman Catholic. Johnson was dressed in street clothes on the Chester bench for Friday's game, too. His status was not immediately known.


• Congrats to Conestoga and Ridley, which clinched a co-championship in the Central League with wins Saturday. Both teams will enter the District One Class AAAA tournament with identical 20-4, 15-3 records.