‘North Philly tough’: St. Peter’s freshman Clarence Rupert sets the tone for the Cinderella Peacocks

The eight-inch height disadvantage Clarence Rupert faced Friday night became even greater in the game’s opening possession when Purdue’s towering 7-foot-4 center lifted the ball into the air. Rupert, a 6-foot-8 freshman from St. Peter’s, suddenly looked tiny.

He grew up at 19th and Allegheny, the son of a single mother, and he polished his game at the Belfield Rec Center where foul calls are outlawed. He attended high school in Virginia after his mother moved him out of North Philadelphia in the seventh grade. It turned out the only college that wanted him was St. Peter’s, the Jersey City commuter school that Rupert never heard of until their coach called.

His life, Rupert said, has been filled with challenges. So a couple of inches? That was nothing.

He reached up, smacked the ball from Zach Edey’s hands, and the tone was set for St. Peter’s to continue their incredible march to Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup with North Carolina at the Wells Fargo Center.

The team from Jersey City wasn’t afraid of Kentucky in the first round or Murray State in the second round. And you didn’t need to wait long on Friday night to learn if they would fear Purdue in the Sweet 16.

The kid from North Philly — inside the Wells Fargo Center for the first time ever — answered that question in 18 seconds.

“We call that North Philly tough. That’s what it’s called. North Philly tough,” said Philly Pride AAU director Kamal Yard, the program Rupert played for when he returned home in the summer. “He’s out there, a little undersized against bigger guys and he’s fighting tooth and nail. He’s a fighter. He’s North Philly tough.”

Rupert was supposed to attend Murray State, a successful mid-major college program that has produced NBA stars and has had a recent track record of reaching the tournament. But his commitment was nulled when the Racers rescinded their offer during the pandemic as college coaches were unable to see Rupert play in high school. The other programs backed off, too.

Then St. Peter’s called. Rupert’s mom asked him where it was. He didn’t know either. But it was his only option, so he signed on.

“He said ‘St. Peter’s.’ I said ‘Umm, who is St. Peter’s?,’ ” said his great uncle, Darryl Morton. “He said ‘Well, it’s a D-1 school.’ I said ‘Really? Let me do some research on it.’ I was like ‘Really, you want to go here?’ ”

The Peacocks have won 10 in a row and Rupert has established himself as a freshman in the starting five. The decision worked out, his uncle said. Rupert’s 11 points on Friday included his second three-pointer of the season, which he celebrated by looking into the stands and pointing to his mom.

Makisha Banks was unable to make it to any of her son’s games this season as she watched him play while finishing her shift on the sales floor of a Virginia department store. Rupert said his mother moved him and his two siblings to Virginia to be closer to family when his grandmother became sick. She works hard, Rupert said, to allow her children to chase their dreams.

“She’s been a major part of me getting here. Ever since I was young, I feel like she and my family were the only ones who thought I could really do this,” Rupert said. “Looking at her in the crowd really brightened my eyes. Seeing her smile, happy, and cheering. It’s a blessing. I was just excited to see her.

“Sometimes I just think about how I have to figure out a way to get my mom out of that situation. I have to figure out a way to help her anyway I can. I try to help my mom as much as possible. Anything I get, I try to send her way because she needs it more than I do.”

Rupert returned each summer to North Philadelphia where he would stay with Morton, eat Dalessandro’s cheesesteaks, and play for Yard’s AAU squad. Morton told his nephew about how Aaron McKie came from the same neighborhood and showed him videos of Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon, providing Rupert with a basketball education.

Morton brought him to Belfield and watched him hold his own on the playground courts. He remembers the showcase Rupert played in at Neumann-Goretti when he scored 30 points, was named the MVP, and tossed the trophy to his uncle.

“He said ‘How’s that?’ I was just cracking up walking out of that gym,” Morton said. “That was awesome. That’s my boy. He’s making me proud. I love him and I hope the city loves him, too.

“It’s my job to grow this boy into a man. I had to do it. That’s the way this family works. We grow and nurture our kids. He’s a Philly kid at heart because of me. He’s Virginia but he loves coming up here all the time and staying here with me.”

Morton works for SEPTA as a cashier at the Allegheny station on the Broad Street Line, telling everyone about his nephew at St. Peter’s. His job, Morton said, was to make sure Rupert reached college. And now he isn’t afraid to brag.

Morton attended most of Rupert’s games this season, often as the only family member in attendance. He would meet his nephew after the game and push him to keep going.

“He would come talk to me after the game and say ‘This is all we have. You have to play your hardest and play every game like it’s your last.’ He’s really a big part of my life,” Rupert said. “A major father figure. He’s been around my whole life. He teaches me what to do, what not to do. We talk every single day.”

Rupert grew up a 76ers fan but never made it to the Wells Fargo Center before arriving Thursday for practice in South Philly. St. Peter’s tournament run was already incredible and it became even more special when it brought Rupert home.

“Walking into the locker room, a couple tears came down,” Rupert said. “I always wanted to play here and I’m really playing here. We got dressed for practice and I walked out to the court and just stood there for a minute, soaking it all in. I looked at the rafters and everything around me. The feeling still hasn’t hit me. Like I’m here.”

North Carolina has two more national titles than St. Peter’s has tournament appearances. The UNC roster is filled with players who were McDonald’s All-Americans in high school while none of the Peacocks were even ranked by recruiting services. The Tar Heels play their home games at a 21,750-seat arena and train inside a $34 million basketball facility. St. Peter’s arena hosted 434 fans for the Peacocks home opener and holds just 3,200, enough to fit the entire student population.

The Peacocks will again be an underdog on Sunday. But they won’t be scared. The kid who is North Philly tough won’t let them be.

“It’s not easy growing up in Philly. You’re facing a new challenge everyday,” Rupert said. “I’m getting into this moment now and I’m just like ‘I’m built for this.’ I’m not showing any fear and I don’t have any fear. I’m undersized and I’m playing against 7-footers but I’m battling every night. It’s a challenge but there’s no fear in me.”

“People say it’s a Cinderella story but I don’t think so. We can hang with anyone.”