It has been a tale of 2 seasons for the Boilermakers. Last year they were a #1-seed but were upset in the 1st round by Fairleigh Dickinson. This year they are again a #1-seed but the results have been quite different: 28-3 in the regular season, followed by 5 straight NCAA tourney wins to clinch a spot in the title game vs. UConn on Monday night. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Purdue basketball parent Laurie Rayl about her son Jace.
Your son Jace grew up in Kokomo, IN: what made him choose Purdue? Jace was born into a Purdue family on his mom’s side. His grandparents/mom/uncle are all Purdue graduates so he was always a fan of Purdue. He also really liked Coach Matt Painter.
In addition to playing basketball in high school he also played golf: which sport is he best at? He is better at basketball than golf. I am a golfer and taught him at a young age how to play. He played off and on growing up but started to really enjoy playing golf in high school with friends so he decided to play on his high school team.
You are a Purdue alum: when you see your son playing for a Boilermakers team that has made it to the title game do you have to pinch yourself to make sure it is real?! I do have to pinch myself. I still cannot believe after all these years that Purdue finally made it to the Final 4! The fact that Jace gets to be a part of this is the icing on the cake: it feels like a dream.
He was as an academic All-State honoree and 3-time member of National Honor Society: as a 4th grade teacher, what sort of impact have you had on his ability to balance his work on the court with his work in the classroom? Being a good student has always came naturally for Jace. I never had to do much: he knew that he was expected to do his best in the classroom. He enjoyed school and was competitive in the classroom. Now in college he has had to learn more how to balance school and basketball on his own.
Last year his basketball team made it all the way to the state title game before losing to an undefeated Ben Davis team: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of his career? The state finals game against Ben Davis was the most devastating loss of his career…but his Final 4 loss in the Kokomo City Little League tournament was a close second.
1 of his former teammates is also 1 of the top recruits in the country (Flory Bidunga): what would it be like to see them square off if Purdue plays Kansas next season? I would love to see Purdue play Kansas next year: it would be incredible to see Flory play against the Boilermakers. It would have been really cool to see Flory play against Zach Edey. Flory is very fun to watch and is a great kid.
He is a preferred walk-on: does it make the experience any less sweet because he does not get as much playing time as the guys on scholarship? Even though he does not get playing time as a preferred walk-on his experience has been very sweet. He knows he is extremely lucky to experience having such an amazing coach/mentor both on and off the court in Matt Painter. He is also on a team that is not only talented but full of outstanding teammates: they are all good kids.
He will turn 20 this month: are you doing anything special for the big day? For his 20th birthday we will probably celebrate with a family dinner. He has been so many places this year with the team like Europe/Hawaii/Phoenix that he is looking forward to some relaxation time.
His grandfather Jimmy was a 2-time All-American basketball player at Indiana, his father Jimbo played basketball at PFW, and his sister Rhys plays softball: who is the best athlete in the family? I guess I would have to say grandpa Jimmy Rayl the All-American has to be the best athlete in the family. His sister Rhys is second because she has a lot of natural ability but Jace is the hardest worker.
Any predictions for tomorrow’s title game? My prediction is that the Boilers beat UConn in the final game in a back-and-forth battle.