Yarbray out at Chester as contract not renewed
Larry Yarbray’s tenure at one of the state’s premier basketball programs has ended.
Yarbray’s contract will not renewed by Chester High School, ending his nine-year term as the Clippers’ head boys basketball coach.
Chester athletic director Andre Moore confirmed the move in a phone call Friday night, but offered no other comment on behalf of the administration.
Yarbray posted a 214-53 record since taking over from the late Fred Pickett in 2008. He led Chester to back-to-back PIAA titles in 2011 and 2012, the latter a perfect 32-0 season led by current Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The Clippers lost in the state final the following year to Lower Merion and made the state semifinals in 2014.
Yarbray oversaw a disastrous 2014-15 season in which the Clippers stumbled to a 14-11 record following the injury of All-Delco point guard Khaleeq Campbell, the first time since 1992-93 that the Clippers failed to qualify for the state tournament.
The 2016-17 Clippers collected a 22-7 mark but required playbacks to reach the PIAA Class 5A tournament after a homecourt loss to Upper Merion. They also stumbled late in the regular season at Academy Park on a last-second shot to squander a chance to split the Del Val title with Penn Wood.
Chester’s season ended in double-overtime at the hands of Abington Heights, 65-61, March 19.
Yarbray’s winning percentage of 80.1 is nearly identical of that of his mentor Fred Pickett (80.5), though in four fewer seasons. It’s also in line with previous Chester greats like Alonzo Lewis (77.9) and Cliff Wilson (79.9) over comparable tenures.
Yarbray, who could not be reached for comment, is a 1988 grad of Chester High. An All-Delco guard as a senior, he went on to play at Coppin State.
The 2012 Daily Times Sports Figure of the Year, Yarbray faced charges stemming from a domestic incident in 2014, but those charges were eventually dismissed.
Among Yarbray’s many accomplishments at Chester is a long track record of helping his pupils earn the chance to play in college. Three formers Clippers — Tyrell Sturdivant at Stony Brook, Mahir Johnson at Delaware State and Stanley Davis Jr. at Morgan State — are playing Division I basketball. (Marquis Collins and Maurice Henry, 2016 graduates, enrolled at Delaware State but are no longer listed on the roster.)
Other players are exceling at lower levels, including Conrad Chambers at Millersville and Campbell at Lock Haven. Darius Robinson and DeShawn Hinson starred last year for Delaware County Community College, under the direction of fellow Clipper Zain Shaw.
Of this year’s class, second-team All-Delco guard Ahrod Carter committed to Manor College following the conclusion of the season. All-Delco Jamar Sudan and forward Jordan Camper are still mulling collegiate interest at the Division II and III levels.
