By: Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
Prior to mid-March, Daryl Banks III figures most people didn't know much about Saint Peter's.
"A lot of people didn't even know where Saint Peter's is," he says with a smirk.
Now, everyone knows at least something about Saint Peter's, thanks to the Peacocks and their once-in-a-lifetime Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament.
And, as a result, most people have heard Banks' name as well.
"We joke about how when we get older they'll probably make a documentary or something," he said.
Whenever that Saint Peter's team gets its own 30 for 30 style look back at a March Madness experience truly deserving of the moniker, knocking off Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue in perhaps the most unlikely Elite Eight run of all time, highlights of Banks will feature prominently.
The California-turned-Jersey native captured the attention of the nation with his 27-point effort in a thrilling overtime win vs. Kentucky as the 15th-seeded Peacocks broke brackets nationwide. He later added 14 points in a Sweet 16 victory over Purdue.
Daryl Banks III became known to basketball fans nationwide during this year's NCAA Tournament.
"I got into a rhythm and wasn't missing," Banks remembers of that Kentucky stunner where he went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.
"Once we started strong and the game was close, we just kept gaining confidence. When it got to overtime, we knew they (the Wildcats) messed up by letting it go to overtime. We knew we were a team that you shouldn't let hang around."
That performance helped set off a sequence resulting in Banks and his teammates capturing the hearts of the nation. Back home in New Jersey, the team became celebrities overnight.
"It was surreal; like something you dream of," he said. "It was all so crazy. When we were back at school there was media and people everywhere, just lining the street."
Banks, along with the majority of his Saint Peter's teammates, hit the transfer portal in April, part of the changing landscape of college basketball which also resulted in his new St. Bonaventure squad having a completely different look this fall.
Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Banks and his family moved back to the East Coast when he was 15, returning to the New York/New Jersey area that was native to his dad. He played at The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J., serving as a two-year team captain. Five of his AAU teammates would earn Division I scholarships and Banks would as well, staying close to home in Jersey.
He would play three seasons with Saint Peter's. He made an immediate impact, setting the tone for what was to come by pouring in 25 points and drilling a buzzerbeater against perennial MAAC power Iona in his very first conference game.
It would be his favorite game to remember – until last year's Kentucky performance.
After making a name for himself in the NCAA Tournament, Daryl Banks III is looking forward to the atmosphere of a packed Reilly Center.
Banks finished three years with the Peacocks by posting 890 total points and earning All-MAAC Third Team honors in each of the last two years after receiving a MAAC All-Rookie Team nod as a freshman. In addition to an ability to get to the rim, he is a true threat from the perimeter as well, sinking 100 3-pointers in the past two seasons.
"I do whatever it takes to win. I like to get after it on the defensive end; I like to shoot threes and use my athleticism to play above the rim a little bit," he said when describing his game. "But whatever it takes to win I'll do."
As things started to change at Saint Peter's following head coach Shaheen Holloway moving to Seton Hall, Banks called on a previous recruiting relationship to find his next basketball home.
"We already knew our coach was leaving and then it was a matter of making the best decision for myself," he said. "Coming out high school, (Bonnies Associate Head Coach) Coach Curran recruited me a little bit and when he reached back out to me we had that familiarity."
Banks averaged 13.5 ppg during Saint Peter's Tournament run, including 27 points in a win over Kentucky.
After his NCAA Tournament performance, Banks had a number of schools reach out upon entering the transfer portal. But during his transfer experience, he kept returning to Bonaventure as the best fit.
From his time in New Jersey, Banks knew of former Bonnie Kyle Lofton who spoke to him about his Bonaventure experience during Banks' official visit to SBU. Those conversations helped to lock in his decision.
"The family environment that's here, the connections this school has, it was a no-brainer for me to come here," he said. "I had a list of schools, but I was leaning toward Bonaventure and when I came on my visit I just knew."
Now one of the veteran-most members of this new-look Bonnies squad, he hopes to use his experience playing on the national stage to help lead in his first season at Bona's.
"It's just the experience. We're a whole new team with a lot of younger guys. Having the experience and being in those environments I'll be able to pass that down to teammates. Summer went really well, getting to know the guys. I feel like we are really close already; we clicked really fast."
While Banks has already experienced some of the best moments the collegiate game has to offer, he now looks forward to feeling the type of home court advantage he has heard so much about.
"Everybody I talk to keeps telling me about what the Reilly Center is like, even on social media, they'll tag me talking about it," he smiles. "Saint Peter's was in the city and it picked up as the year went on, but I know the atmosphere was nothing like it's going to be like here on a nightly basis."
