Jefferson, Temple hoops keeps it all in the family

Rahlir Jefferson doesn’t need to score. Seriously. He just wants to win.

Sounds cliche? Not to the Temple sophomore.

“I’ve always been that scrappy type of player who does all the little things,” Jefferson said. “And I’ve always been on winning teams. I like that. I’ll crash the boards, take charges, things like that. I have confidence on the offensive end, don’t get me wrong. If I score four points and we win every night, I’ll take it.”

Temple has been winning since the 6-foot-6 Jefferson arrived on North Broad Street. Jefferson, who helped guide Chester High to the 2007-08 PIAA Class AAAA state championship, was a key contributor as a freshman.

This season, he’s been even better. Jefferson had 10 rebounds to open the season vs. Seton Hall, and is averaging 5.3 for the year.

“I take pride in getting rebounds and the coaches talk about that all the time, that if we win the rebounding edge, we’ll have a better shot at winning the game,” Jefferson said.

Temple could be winning more games with another Jefferson. The Owls are recruiting Rahlir’s younger brother, Rondae, a 6-foot-5 sophomore at Chester.

“I think he has a chance to be really, really good,” Rahlir said. “I just tell him to keep working hard. If you’re not in the gym, someone else is and they’re working on their game.”