GoldandBlack.com visited with Peyton Stovall, Purdue's assistant athletics director for student-athlete development. Here is a transcipt of that interview from October 25.

GoldandBlack.com: How has this new opportunity been for you?

Stovall: It’s been about four months or so. I absolutely love it. It’s been really special to come across the river and work over here at Purdue. I always knew there was something great going on at Purdue, to see what Mike (Bobinski) and Jason (Butikofer) and that cooperation is doing with the athletic department strategically, and being in the mix, it’s been really special. Sometimes, I pinch myself when I’m in meetings. I just can’t believe I’m part of something that is moving so quickly.

GoldandBlack.com: Give us the elevator speech of your role.

Stovall: My job is student-athlete development and the assistant AD for the athletic department, and basically my job is to help enhance the experience of a student-athlete at Purdue. That is to help build them holistically and make sure from the day they step on campus to the day they step off that they are prepared for life after sport and that they’re not ready for the next four years but the next 40. Their next passion is going to come up quickly, and that next passion is going to be taking care of their family, getting a good job, and supporting themselves and being a part of a community. That’s my job is to make sure that they’re ready for life after school.

GoldandBlack.com: What’s it like working for a guy like Mike Bobinski?

Stovall: You always want to raise your bar. Being around him and knowing what his expectations are, you want to meet those expectations and do as much as you can to make sure that you are representing the university in a positive light at all times and that you keep the needle moving. If you can’t keep the needle moving, maybe this isn’t the right place for you.

GoldandBlack.com: You are an experienced college basketball player. How has it changed since your playing days?

Stovall: It’s a changed a lot. I think the expectations have changed. The student-athlete, their well-being and welfare. Initially back in my time playing, it was an institution. We’re going to make sure that you graduate, and that you have a scholarship. That’s what we owe to you. Now, it’s changed and evolved so much that now not only do we believe you are a valuable member of our team and that you have a scholarship and that you’re going to graduate, but we also want to make sure that you are prepared for life after sport is over. Putting a team together, the academic advisors, seeing them in an external part, just getting the internal part of what it looks like for a academic advisors to make sure that they’re prepared and they know they’re student-athletes. It’s been really special to watch that because you hear conversations that are real and transformable. It’s really nice to be on the other side of that place and see how special it can be.

GoldandBlack.com: Can you walk us through some of the things you do to enhance the student-athletes in their professional development?

Stovall: Right now, we’re actually building a program for what it will look like for spring 2020 and 2021. What it will look like is as a freshman, we’ll do some DISC assessment, we’ll do some strength finders to find out who you are as a freshman. You’ve been with your parents for 18 years so now you may have your own beliefs and values and we want to know what those things are so that way we can find out what motivates you. It also helps with transition from high school to the college level. From that point, we continue to build on tough foundation. As sophomores, we start to do a lot of branding. We figure out how to actually use social media in a positive way. It can help you and it can hurt you. We move into that phase and really get you connected. As juniors, we start to polish up that resume a little bit and that cover letter. We start to look into meeting some of the Purdue network. There’s a ton of Boilermakers out there across the country. We’ll do some job interviews and some mock interviews and career readiness. We’ll do all of those things that are going to help encompass a holistic individual and get them ready.

GoldandBlack.com: Who do you spend the most time with on the staff?

Stovall: For me, my parents always told me “Make sure you surround yourself with great people” and I think that’s what I did is surround myself with great individuals. Now, I’m very fortunate to be around a great group that are doing amazing things. I’m soaking everything in. I’m around not only in the offices, but I’m stepping in the offices of as many administrators as possible and saying “what can I learn from you? What can we take and mold it to help continue to build our student-athletes?” It’s been very special to be around people that have been doing great things for a long time.

GoldandBlack.com: How did you get out of Tippecanoe Country?

Stovall: These knees still hurt from all those points. All that stuff sounds good, but these knees are definitely paying for it today. It was a blessing in disguise for me to be at Ball State and to go through that process and to be in Muncie. In 2003, growing up a Boilermaker, I remember crying the night that the Big Dog lost in the tournament and seeing the newspaper the next day and it was so sad. Being a Boilermaker was a dream of mine, but it didn’t work out for me at that time. I was offered to be a preferred walk on and I was ready to accept that offer. I came home and told my parents I was going to Purdue but they were like “Purdue is offering you zero and Ball State is offering a full scholarship, so we’ll see you in Muncie in a couple of weeks.” It’s a gorgeous place and it ended up working out great. I went through some adversity, but overall I had some great times there. I ended up meeting my wife there and we have two beautiful children. It’s been very special.

GoldandBlack.com: You have an older brother who was a Big Ten Champion at Purdue and a younger sister who went to Ball State. Who wins the Purdue and Ball State argument between your family

Stovall: My argument usually goes that I was the middle child so I had the biggest struggles. I had to go through the most adversity in terms of injuries and things like that. It’s a tough argument, it’s hard to debate. My brother is a Big Ten champion and was also a state champ. My younger sister played every sport in high school and was a decathlete in college. She threw the javelin. It’s a tough conversation.

GoldandBlack.com: What have your parents taught you that you use today with your kids?

Stovall: Faith. Stay faithful. The biggest thing is they wanted me to go through adversity. They didn’t want to protect me from everything. They wanted me to get outside my bubble. It’s very easy to become (inaudible) and things like that. They want me to get out and explore the world and go through some tough times so that way you can prevail and learn from your mistakes. I definitely did that. They were always there to make sure I didn’t go too far alone and they would bring me back up. They were always supporting us, my brother, my sister and I, to live out your dreams. You have the same expectations for your kids. Don’t hold them back, let them grow. That’s what my wife and I are doing.

GoldandBlack.com: Can you talk about how student-athletes are different now then they were when you were playing in high school and college?

Stovall: Social media has changed the game, it really has. That’s how a lot of recruiting is being done. It’s become a vital piece of the puzzle for universities and institutions to grow their business and also recruit high talent. It’s also become a way for a student-athlete to brand themselves. It gets your story out there so more people can hear about you. There’s so many aspects of social media that has changed the game and again, it can help you or hurt you. If you let it help you, it can be an advantage to many folks.

GoldandBlack.com: Talk about your role in recruiting.

Stovall: I have the opportunity to talk to recruits that come in and basically explain what we are trying to provide for them as a student-athlete here in West Lafayette. What the environment is like, what the community is like. Especially with me being from Lafayette and this area, I always am able to settle to a student-athlete that this is a great place to raise your family and being able to tell of those experiences. I enjoy talking to the recruits and being 100 percent transparent with them and what it looks like and how we can help them prepare for life after sport. Even as a student-athlete myself, when I graduated from Ball State. I didn’t feel like I was totally prepared. I didn’t know what was next. Those feelings are scary. We want to make sure that we are preparing them. We don’t want to coddle them, but we want to make sure that they know all of their resources and how they can be successful and take advantage of as many things as possible. I think the biggest thing nowadays, too, is mental health. Making sure that they know that we are trying to grow our team there, as well. We care about you as an individual. We want you to be successful on and off the playing fields, but we want you to grow as a human being and that’s where Purdue hangs its hat on.

GoldandBlack.com: Besides your parents, are there any other big influences in your personal and professional development?

Stovall: I think I have had the opportunity to have a few mentors in my life that really cared about me growing professionally and personally. When I got to Ball State, it really changed my life when I met a guy named Chris Taylor. He was my SID at the time for athletics. He really taught me how to go out and network and meet people. When I get out of my comfort zone, he made me talk in front of folks and do public speaking. He got me out of that bubble of athletics. I think meeting him really transformed who I was. There was a lot of people like that out there and they want to help young folks, especially here in this community. This is an awesome community and to have people and professionals with high standards at Purdue that I’m working with today, I am very optimistic about the future.

GoldandBlack.com: What did you learn from the culture change working with Lafayette Jefferson?

Stovall: The first thing I learned was it takes a village. Everybody has to be bought in. If everyone is bought in and if everybody is all in, you can go a lot of special places. If we’re all on the same page, then we’re headed in the right direction. We can make a huge impact, but it has to be together. I found out there that everybody trusts decision-making from the top. It had to be viceversa. I had to trust them and they had to trust me. That is definitely an area where we wanted to change the mindset and change the mentality. Working with Paul Leaf who was my assistant athletic director, there was many times where we probably slept in the office because we were just trying to game plan and strategically figure out how to get things accomplished. A passion like that for athletics and for students and for the school, I think a lot of people have that at Lafayette Jeff and that’s what made it special. I think it will continue to rise.

GoldandBlack.com: What was your greatest accomplishment athletically?

Stovall: My biggest accomplishment was my ability to connect as an athlete to my community. I think that was probably my biggest accomplishment. When I go to Muncie, that was my second home. I felt like they gravitated towards me and I did the same to them. While I was there, things flourished. That’s what helped me with experience as a student-athlete.

GoldandBlack: What about a 40-point game?

Stovall: I did enjoy a 38-point game. That was not too bad. It was IPFW at home my senior year. That was a good game. As I stepped off the court, my dad said “Should have had 41.”

GoldandBlack.com: Who was the best guy you played against?

Stovall: In high school, Dwight Howard. In college I’d say probably Ben Gordon when we played at UConn. He was a special talent. I was a freshman and I got to see what it looked like to play against an NBA guy. It was a difficult assignment.

GoldandBlack.com: Did you ever get to play Purdue?

Stovall: I got to play at Mackey Arena my senior year. That was the most emotional week of my life just because coming home, the jitterbugs, being in front of my friends and family and to be in an arena that I cared so much about. It was a tough mental game for me because I think so highly of Matt Painter. It was a tough game but great atmosphere, great welcoming at home, too. I think I only had about 14 points or so. Chris Kramer put the lockdown on me. It was a good team, it was a really good team. I continued to watch those guys stay through after I left. It was a fun game.

GoldandBlack.com: What are student-athletes biggest fears and challenges today?

Stovall: I think the biggest thing is the transition piece and failure. Some student-athletes are afraid to fail. These are high stakes. This is a top five institution. It’s part of the Power Five. Every weekend is a big week for these student-athletes. There are fans that have their own opinions and sometimes they have to see that on the internet through social media and it makes it difficult. Expectations are high. They’re in the classroom getting in done but they’re also on their respective fields getting it done. There’s this feel of “Am I worthy of this university?” That’s our job, to make sure we tell them and remind them that we recruited you. We want you. You’re good enough. We believe in you. There’s going to be tough critics out there and you’re going to get that time to time. Never doubt that your supported within, and to trust your coaching staff and those around you. I think the sheer failure is always something that student-athletes struggle with. I can’t imagine catching a punt with 50,000 fans going nuts in the crowd and being able to field that thing. If you drop it, you have probably 40,000 coaches out there telling you “What are you doing?” It makes it tough, but you do it for the love of the game.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you help with getting internships?

Stovall: We are going to continue to push towards doing those mock interviews and helping those student-athletes get some internships and potential jobs to prepare them. I truly believe that with the Purdue network across the country, it’s who you know that may get you a job interview, but it’s what you know that gets you the job. We are going to try to get them with the who you know, and then we know once they get in that room that they can sell themselves and we’re going to help them sell themselves and tell them what they’re transferable skills are and help them with those things. That way, when they get in that room ,they can knock it out of the park.

GoldandBlack.com: No more pick-up basketball? Are you playing in free time?

Stovall: I hate to admit that I still have been playing. When I get home my wife sees me walking around and she’s like “You played today, didn’t you?”

GoldandBlack.com: Did you play football at Lafayette Jeff at all?

Stovall: I did. I played one year. I was wide receiver. A wide receiver that couldn’t catch and that’s hard to do.

GoldandBlack.com: You played with Dustin Keller, as well?

Stovall: I did. He’s one of my best buddies.

GoldandBlack.com: When you see freshman come in, do you get a baseline assessment as to where they are and how you can help them?

Stovall: That’s what this whole program is going to build out into. Doing the assessments, Cathy Wright-Eger does a heck of a job with the DISC assessment. It’s detailed, but she’s doing a lot of the stuff by hand and she’s getting it figured out to better the student-athletes. I think that’s what is really special. There is so many financial literacy. The basics, intermediate and advanced and making sure the student-athletes know and be able to hear from some guest speakers how they can help themselves be successful and take the time to pull into your future self and how important it is.

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