Every Thursday, Bowie State University Department of Athletics will spotlight one student-athlete in wake of COVID-19 pandemic that forced CIAA to suspend fall competition until the spring of 2021. However, this week's spotlight will be different and feature Jason Imperati— the Associate Athletic Director of Compliance and Equipment Management—from Long Island, New York.

Imperati loves sports and, better yet, has a thriving career in it. This is the American dream many citizens desire but will never experience. Imperati is nine months into his new position at Bowie State after serving as the Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations at the University of the District of Columbia, and as the Athletics Compliance for New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). NYIT is the school where he met and formed a strong relationship with now Bowie State Vice President of Athletics and Recreation, Clyde Doughty Jr.

"I am so very thrilled and honored to work alongside Jason once again," Doughty said. "Jason is a true professional. He is creative, hard-working, dedicated, but most of all, he is a good person. In his brief tenure as Associate AD for Compliance and Equipment Management for BSU, he has already had a major impact on our operational efficiency. I look forward to working with Jason as we race to excellence. We are undeniably Bowie Bold and 4eva Bulldog Strong!!!"

It was third grade when Imperati started playing sports—mainly basketball—a sport he eventually fell in love with heading into middle school. He had decent skills but didn't understand the importance of time-management and health and nutrition—two necessary and pivotal things needed to become an elite student-athlete. So, heading into high school, he decided to focus on Boy Scouts and eventually became an Eagle Scout.

But he was still a fan of the game. A large fan in fact. He grew up a Chicago Bulls fan. He loved how the dynamic tandem of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin wreaked havoc throughout the league. He loved their dynasty—six championships between 1991 and 1998—with two three-peats included.

Usually, people born and raised in New York are mighty Knicks fans. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith is a prime example. But Imperati said, "he just couldn't get into the Knicks back then."

"Maybe it was just me rooting against friends and family," he said. "I have a lot of family that are Knicks fans. But I just liked Chicago and kind of got into it, so I became a fan."

However, though, Imperati is a devout fan of the New York Yankees and New York Jets.

When it comes to basketball, Michael Jordan is Imperati's sports hero. But for Baseball? That title belongs to Derek Jeter, a beloved shortstop who played 20 years—all in pinstripes. Jeter was elected to the Hall of Fame nine months ago and is year three into his role as Miami Marlins chief executive.

"If you come into my office here at Bowie State, I have a ton of Jeter memorabilia," Imperati said. "I just love what he brought to the game. He was the team captain, a grinder, stayed out of trouble, and was in the media spotlight for all the right reasons. He was the ultimate professional and still is with Miami."

That same energy Imperati has when discussing Jordan and the Bulls, or Jeter and the Yankees carries over to his full-time job in athletics. What he loves most about it is the interactions with the student-athletes. He enjoys seeing student-athletes arrive at universities as freshmen, then evolves over time into graduating seniors, with careers in place following their commencement ceremony. In his 10-plus years working in athletics, Imperati says he's been "very fortunate to be around a lot of wonderful student-athletes and stays in touch with a good deal of them".

"Whether it's through social media, texting, or just phone calls," he said. "Just checking up on certain individuals and watching their careers grow. So that's a big thing for me--just being able to support them. And I take great pride in seeing those folks be successful, and our success in athletics is all attributed to them. So, you can't help but appreciate that."

During a phone interview with Bowie State Athletic Department, Imperati shed light on how much he regularly watches sports, how he dealt with sports canceled during quarantine, his arrival at Bowie State, and more.

Regularly how frequently do you watch sports?

I mean, anytime I can put a sporting event on; it's certainly on at home. Sundays are big, football days at the house. Living in Maryland, I don't get as many Jets games as I'd like to, but I still try to catch glimpses of the 1'o clock games--and I certainly watch Sunday and Monday Night Football. For baseball, I watch the Yankees play on the Yes Network.

How did you deal with sports being canceled during quarantine?

Yeah, that was extremely difficult to get used to. I watched reruns of games NBA TV and NFL Network aired. So, I watched old playoff games and things of that nature, just to get a little bit of it. Believe it or not, corn hole was on TV, so I watched a bit of that, too.

What do you like to do in your downtime besides watch sports?
My fiance and I like to go hiking. We go to West Virginia quite often, and there are some good spots in Maryland. We find trails and a lot of history in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. So, it's great to go those historical trails and hike and head down to Harpers Ferry, where we can do some of those trails. So, yeah, that's a big part of my fitness and being outdoors, especially during the quarantine. When we were allowed to go back outside that was a big part of our mental health--going hiking.

Tell me the process of how you ended up with Bowie State?
This opportunity here at Bowie State opened up, and when I saw the post, I realized that Clyde Doughty was here at Bowie—we had stayed in touch over the years, and he's been a mentor and a good friend. So, it was something that I wanted to pursue. This was just a perfect opportunity to get back into compliance—to do a little bit of equipment which I love as well. So, I did apply for this position here, went through the interview process, and was fortunate enough to be offered.

And it's good to be back with Clyde; it's just a wonderful experience. He's a great mentor. A wonderful leader. He certainly has a passion for athletics, and it certainly something I try to emulate as well.

How would you compare working at Bowie State athletics to other institutions?

I think every experience is different. You have to take away positives from everything that you do in life. You can't focus on the negative because I don't think that builds good mental health. You definitely need to take some of the negatives and turn them into positives if you can. But here at Bowie, the atmosphere is wonderful. We have great, great fans. The student-athletes here are, again, wonderful. We have really positive support from the administration, certainly a team atmosphere here. Definitely really big on school spirit on "Bulldog Nation." The colors are everywhere across the university. Certainly branded, you certainly know we're a part of Bulldog Nation.