Nov. 1, 2004

Rams open season against Trinity Baptist College

MOBILE, Ala. -- The University of Mobile men’s basketball team, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Top 25 pre-season poll, will open their regular season at home on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. against Trinity Baptist College in Pharr Gymnasium.

The Rams, who finished last season with a 29-10 record and made an appearance in the Final Four of the NAIA National Tournament, make the biggest jump in this year’s pre-season poll after finishing at No. 21 in last year’s final regular season poll.

Mobile returns all but one player from last year’s Final Four team and add 6-foot-6 point guard Steve Pellan from Nanterre, France and McDonald’s All-American nominee Justin Chapelle, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the mix.

Back for Mobile is five seniors including center Gimel Lewis and forward Tramaine Perry who were recently named to the pre-season Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Team.

Lewis, who owns the University of Mobile career record for blocked shots with 171, shattered his own single season record of 53 blocked shots from his freshman year, with 90 blocks in 2003-04.

Perry, a native of Hammond, La., averaged 15.1 points per game last season while grabbing 6.4 rebounds a contest in helping lead the Rams to a regular season co-championship and an outright Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship.

Mobile is 2-0 all time against Trinity Baptist College. Mobile won the last meeting 84-51 at home on Nov. 1, 2002.

-30-