Prep Basketball Playoffs : 5-A Semifinals : Ruppel’s Job Description Doesn’t Call for Finesse

For most players, statistics gauge their performance. For Char Ruppel, Mater Dei High School’s 6-foot 6-inch center, a quick look at his uniform and his hair often gives an indication of how well he has played.

If Ruppel’s jersey is dangling over his shorts, if his uniform is dirty and sweaty and if his hair is a mess, it’s a good bet he has played a good game. He isn’t a basketball player; he’s a wrestler disguised in sneakers.

Ruppel is on the floor almost as much as he’s on his feet. He battles for loose balls and rebounds and tangles with opposing centers. He isn’t pretty, but he’s effective.

“I see myself as a Kurt Rambis type of player,” Ruppel said. “My job is to rebound and guard the big guy on the other team.”

Ruppel will guard 6-10 center Edwin Stokes tonight at 7:30 when Mater Dei (19-7) plays St. Bernard (20-7) in a Southern Section 5-A semifinal game at Ocean View High.

The Monarchs, the three-time defending 5-A champions, are vying for their sixth consecutive berth in the large schools’ division championship game.

Ruppel, a senior who played behind All-American center LeRon Ellis last year, has found it difficult to live up to the Mater Dei tradition.

“You lose a game and everybody asks what’s wrong. What’s happening? It’s been a tough year, and I think I’ve heard from everybody,” he said. “But they love you here when you win.”

Ruppel has had his share of criticism during an inconsistent season for Mater Dei. For the first time in six seasons under Coach Gary McKnight, the Monarchs lost two straight games, lost to an Orange County school (Capistrano Valley and Ocean View), lost an Angelus League game and failed to win a league title.

“Everybody is always giving me advice, especially about my free-throw shooting,” Ruppel said. “My own sisters are always telling how to shoot.”

With good reason. Ruppel, a poor free-throw shooter, outdid himself against Edison last week when he missed the rim by nearly two feet on an attempt. But he also scored 11 points, had 13 rebounds and limited Edison center Chris Lippincott to two points in a very physical game.

“I got a lot of heat for that free throw when we watched the videotape the next day,” Ruppel said.

Ruppel’s poor shooting technique is excusable. He suffers from bone deterioration in his right elbow that limits him from extending his right arm. The injury cut short a promising baseball career.

“I had to quit baseball in my sophomore season,” he said. “I’ve been pitching since the third grade, and my elbow finally gave out. I’m going to get my elbow X-rayed after the season is over, and if the doctor gives me permission, I’m going to try and pitch again.

“My fastball was clocked at 85 miles per hour when I was a sophomore, and I think I have a pretty good slider. People have told me I could be a big-time college pitcher.”

Ruppel tried playing football during the summer before his sophomore season, but found that playing three sports was too much.

“Everyone told me to play all three, but it was hard to do,” Ruppel said. “I decided to concentrate on basketball.”

Ruppel had an outstanding summer and opened his senior year by being named the most valuable player in the Newport-Costa Mesa tournament. But he slumped most of the season until he regained his confidence in the playoffs.

“I was almost nonexistent in the Beverly Hills tournament,” he said. “I’m the type of player who has to be rebounding to get into the flow of a game. Our entire team was hesitant to shoot at Beverly Hills, and we got blown out.

“I think I played my best game of the year against Notre Dame in the opening round of the playoffs. I’ve got my confidence back, and the team is playing well. We were disappointed that we didn’t win league, so our goal now is to win the CIF (Southern Section) title.”