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.

As previously announced, Chester point guard Karon Burton is this year's All-Delco boys basketball Player of the Year.

Burton presented the obvious scoring average and additional statistical evidence to validate his selection as Player of the Year, but he also demonstrated the intangibles (i.e. vocal leadership) necessary to Chester's winning its sixth big-school state title earlier this month.

Right now you might be asking: Aside from Burton, who else got a nod? Here's the rest of the First Team:

• Steve Egee, G, Ridley
• Tyreke Evans, G, American Christian
• Aaric Murray, C, Glen Mills
• Nasir Robinson, F, Chester
• Duane Johnson, F, Penn Wood

There's far too much in today's edition of the Daily Times to recap here. Check it out for final standings, an extensive list of the scoring leaders in the county, bios of each of the First Teamers, a huge feature on Burton and who made the other teams.

IN OTHER NEWS
Evans, who made the All-Delco team for a third straight season, had a big night at the McDonald's All-American Game. The unsigned senior scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds.

Steve Egee could have chosen football.

A first-team all-state selection, Egee quarterbacked Ridley to a state-semifinal appearance. He threw for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. He had a district-title medal to validate his worth on the gridiron.

Instead, Egee chose basketball.

"I always kind of knew I'd be a basketball player at the next level," Egee said late Saturday night, shortly after giving his word to play hoops at Columbia.

The cool side note for Egee - a 6-2 guard - on heading to Columbia will be playing his brother, Kevin, twice a year. Kevin will be a senior for Penn next season.

"I'm sure my parents are going to circle the dates we play," he said jokingly.

Penn Wood's players anticipated the fourth time being a charm against Chester. The Clippers saw the Patriots as another obstacle standing in their way of a state title.

What came to be Saturday at Villanova's Pavilion was an entertaining showcase of two teams vying for something pretty special.

In the end, Chester called upon its postseason savvy to end Penn Wood's remarkable run with a 68-60 win in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals.

Karon Burton iced down his knee then lit up the scoreboard, netting 25 points in the win. Sports editor Rob Parent shed some light on Burton's return to the court after bruising his left knee and lower thigh during the game.

And despite their quarterfinal loss, Deputy Sports editor John Lohn foresees Penn Wood being the team to beat next season. It's very likely, considering they graduate only two players and return a bevy of underclass talent.

Said Penn Wood coach Clyde Jones: "Chester has all kinds of banners hanging up. It's time for a banner to hang somewhere else."

IN THE OTHER QUARTERFINAL

Penn Wood wasn't alone Saturday, as another Delaware County team's season came to an end. Ridley, trying to avenge its loss to Pennsbury in the District One quarterfinals, fell to the Falcons 45-40.

The Green Raiders were able to contain Pennsbury standout Dalton Pepper but could not come through with a timely basket toward the end. The Raiders graduate six seniors, including 1,000-point scorers Dan Robinson and Steve Egee.

Said Egee of his athletic career at Ridley coming to an end: "But now I'll never put on a Ridley uniform again. I'm just thankful for the memories and the good times that I had with these guys."

Chester is headed back to the state semifinals.

The Clippers ended Penn Wood's season with a 68-60 win at Villanova's Pavilion Saturday. The second-best season in Penn Wood history ends at 23-9. In the process, the Clippers move on to Wednesday's semifinal at Penn's Palestra.

Chester got 25 points from Karon Burton, who played on despite a bad knee. Tyree Johnson netted 18 for the Patriots.

Who will join Chester at the Palestra? Pennsbury, which ended the season for Ridley with a 45-40 win, will take on the Clippers. Ridley's 1,000-point scoring duo of Steve Egee and Dan Robinson went out on high notes, scoring all but six of the Raiders' points. Egee notched 13 and Robinson netted 21.

I spoke with Ridley senior Steve Egee last week about the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs. A conversation with Egee, a past All-Delco basketball selection, wouldn't be complete without discussing football.

Egee (pictured) quarterbacked the Green Raiders to the state title game this year, after sitting out as a junior. Egee is unsure about his future, but that's on hold for now: the Raiders have some games to play. Here's an excerpt from our conversation:

Daily Times: Your team looks loose and casual going through practice. Do you see that translating to their playoff games?
Egee: Definitely. Team camaraderie and team chemistry have never been problems here. We get along great, play loose and everyone's looking forward to the next game.

DT: Do you see any similarities between the football playoffs and the basketball playoffs?
Egee: They're very similar. It's all about the team coming together, believing in the coaches and believing in each other. It's about playing tough defense every possession. (Against) state teams, you have to play hard every possession. They're very similar in both sports. You've got to come out to play every play. Every state(-qualifying) team is a good team.

DT: Where do you stand with pursuing either football or basketball in college?
Egee: At some schools, I'd probably be able to walk on to the football team if I wanted to. Maybe I would do it, not even as a quarterback but as something else. I don't know what I want to do. We'll see in a couple weeks.

DT: Say, for a moment, that you go the football route. Are you ever out there on the court thinking, 'This could be my last basketball game'?
Egee: I think my choice is going to be to play basketball in college, at the next level. I really do.

Egee leads Ridley (24-6) into its second-round game against Central Dauphin East tonight in a 7 p.m. tip at Garden Spot H.S. in New Holland. *Photo courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer*

IN OTHER NEWS
In addition to Ridley, Penn Wood and Chester also will play their second-round games tonight. For preview capsules of all three games -- as well as a feature story on how the Clippers handle all the hype and championship talk -- pick up a copy of Wednesday's Daily Times.

The Central and Del Val leagues announced their all-league honors Wednesday. Here's the rundown of the first-team nominees for each league:

IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE...
Co-champions Lower Merion and Ridley were rewarded with two representatives each on the first team. For the Aces, Greg Robbins and Carl Johnson were honored, as were Steve Egee and Dan Robinson (named the league's most valuable player) for the Green Raiders.

Rounding out the Central League's First Team are Soutiri Sapnas of Marple Newtown and Jake Cohen of Conestoga.

IN THE DEL VAL LEAGUE...
PIAA Class AAAA tournament qualifiers Chester and Penn Wood each garnered two first-team nominations. The Clippers' Nasir Robinson and Karon Burton (pictured) got the nod, as did Duane Johnson and Tyree Johnson for the Patriots.

Also earning top honors in the league were Glen Mills' Aaric Murray and Academy Park's Anthony King.

Delaware County's third-leading scorer took a breather Wednesday night. Ridley's Dan Robinson missed the Green Raiders' 62-42 Central League win over Springfield.

The cause? Robinson is suffering from broken skin under his right arm, something his coach says will not keep the 6-foot-7 senior forward out of the lineup for long. In fact, Ridley coach Keith Heinerichs said he expects Robinson to play in Friday's game at Strath Haven.

"It's a day-by-day thing is what I'm told," Heinerichs said by phone Wednesday. "I'm going to pull a Bill Belichick thing here and just say 'I don't know' because I don't. We hope it's nothing serious and we don't think it is."

Robinson averages nearly 20 points per game for the Green Raiders (17-3, 12-2). Shamar Harris and Steve Egee picked up the scoring load in Robinson's absence Wednesday, scoring 25 and 15 points respectively.