Chester motivated by tradition, Campbell’s return

Chester’s starting five, from left. Jamar Sudan, Khaleeq Campbell, Maurice Henry, Stanley Davis and Marquis Collins, are poised to get the Clippers back to the state tournament after a rare absence last year. (Times Staff/Rick Kauffman)

Chester’s starting five, from left. Jamar Sudan, Khaleeq Campbell, Maurice Henry, Stanley Davis and Marquis Collins, are poised to get the Clippers back to the state tournament after a rare absence last year. (Times Staff/Rick Kauffman)

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By Matt DeGeorge

Off the top of his head Wednesday, Larry Yarbray couldn’t recall the last time before 2015 that Chester had failed to qualify for the PIAA playoffs.

He’s probably been reminded a few times by the fanbase that the answer is 1991-92, or that his squad last year was only the second since the ’81-82 Clippers to be deprived the privilege of a daunting series of trips to Pennsylvania’s hinterlands.

Yarbray is spot on with one statistic though: His Clippers were 5-1 when point guard Khaleeq Campbell went down with a season-ending knee injury Dec. 29. That loss was the first of 10 in the final 19 games; as Yarbray correctly recited, five were by three points or fewer, plus one in overtime.

Yarbray’s shunning of the historical accounting is a nod to the present. Last year’s result may have been an anomaly for Pennsylvania’s most storied program. But it was one that, even sans Campbell, the Clippers had the power to avert.

Webmaster’s note:  You can listen to Chester’s opening game tonight right here on Delcohoops.com.  Our broadcast begins at 7:15 with tip-off scheduled for 7:30!

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