Ball State University Athletics
9 Players, 9 Days: Peyton Stovall
November 09, 2007 | Men's Basketball
9 Players, 9 Days:
NOTE: The final story in a nine-part series on each of the Ball State men's basketball players, exclusively on ballstatesports.com through Nov. 9.
Peyton Stovall
By Chris Taylor
Director of Athletics Communications & Marketing
Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one.
-- Walter Payton
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Throughout the last four years, there have been several times when senior guard Peyton Stovall has wondered what tomorrow would bring.
There was the tomorrow in March of 2005 when Stovall's sophomore season ended with injury. There was the tomorrow in November of 2006, when his second injury sidelined him for his junior season.
The first coaching change in the spring of 2006. The second coaching change in summer of 2007. A roster of teammates that's changed as often as the weather in Indiana.
The highs of thrilling wins -- like his collegiate debut of eight points and seven assists against Xavier in 2003 or his career-high 29 points against Western Michigan in 2005 -- or the forgetful depths of a season gone bad a year ago.
Through it all and with the help of his parents, Stovall knows tomorrow is promised to no one.
“I'm very blessed,” Stovall said on the eve of his senior season. “When you look back on the last four years, it's sometimes hard to comprehend or explain. No one expects it or wishes it upon anyone, but it's made me a better person, a better athlete and a better man.”
When Prentice and Lorraine Stovall named their second child after Chicago Bears superstar Walter Payton on Dec. 22, 1984, they wouldn't know the battles he would face. Now, 23 years later, the name seems even more fitting.
“My parents named me after Walter Payton because he was the best running back of his era in the NFL and was my parent's favorite player back then,” Stovall said. “They wanted my first name to be Payton, but they gave me the letter 'e' instead.
“I guess it is kind of ironic now, knowing what he went through,” Stovall said about the NFL great who lost his battle with a rare liver disease in 1999. “Through the tough times he endured, he was still strong and a role model to so many. I never saw him complain. He accepted his fate and was a man.”
Perhaps too, it's not ironic that one of Stovall's favorite athletes is Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning -- and it's not just because of the name.
“The reason is because he is so well prepared,” Stovall said. “He knows his opponents, he knows himself and he knows his team. I want to be able to do that this year. I am going to know my opponents better than I know myself and be a leader on the court like Peyton Manning is for his team.
“I've always wanted to do something like Peyton does with his foundation and all the charities he supports. Hopefully, one day, I will be able to do that. I think it says something the way the community supports him, and he supports the community. I take pride in that also.”
Stovall -- who will be playing for his third head coach in five years -- enters his senior season 21 points shy of scoring 1,000 points, ranks seventh all-time in school history in three-point field goals, has undergone two ACL surgeries (on the same knee) and will graduate in December as a double major in sports administration and marketing.
“Peyton Stovall is a great leader,” first-year head coach Billy Taylor said. “He is a very experienced player who certainly has endured much throughout his career. He is very important to our team.
“He's been an incredible resource for our program and Ball State University. I am excited about now having him back to the form he had his freshman and sophomore seasons. He is Ball State basketball.”
Stovall averaged 8.8 points and played in all 31 games a year ago. He has scored in double figures 47 times in his career, including nine games with 20-or-more points.
Stovall, a nominee for the 2008 Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup, enters his senior season with 83 career starts.
“I am excited,” Stovall said. “I have so much pride in Ball State. This University, the Muncie community and our students have been so supportive of me. I want them to know how appreciative I am, and how much our team wants to give them something to cheer about this season.”
And while many may try to discredit the season before it even starts because of a perceived lack of players, lack of height and lack of experience, the fifth-year senior quickly sets the record straight.
“Look at Melvin Goins' heart. Look at Brandon Lampley's heart. Look at Anthony Newell's heart. I can name any of my teammates, or Coach Taylor or the staff. Look at the passion and the heart, and then tell me if being tall or having numbers means anything. We can debate that all day if you want to. This is my team and we believe.”
For Peyton Stovall, tomorrow is now.
