It's been a three-year rebuilding process that has yielded overall records of 15-15 in 2000-01, 18-15 in 2001-02 and 19-13 last season. With team leader Tramaine Perry restored to full health, a core of returnees, and a crop of extremely talented freshmen, as the Chinese calendar would seemingly have it, 2003 truly is the year of the Ram.

“My expectations are high again this year,” said Head Coach Joe Niland. “They are high every year, whether we're a veteran team or not. We play to be the best we can be.”

The key this year will lie in consistency and adhering to Niland's defensive-minded philosophy. Coach Niland preaches coming to practice and playing in every game with focus and court discipline.

“Basketball is a game that is played without any stops,” said Coach Niland. “You have to be disciplined when you are on the fly and make good decisions. It’s a team game. We have to work together and understand our individual roles.”

Stepping back into this year's lineup will be 2001-02 All-Conference player Tramaine Perry. Perry, the 2000-01 GCAC “Freshman of the Year” recipient, will be coming off a season-ending foot injury he suffered early last year. Perry has averaged 15.2 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per contest in just two full seasons. Perry’s return should ignite some instant offense this season.

“The biggest benefit Tramaine brings us is his leadership skills,” said Coach Niland. “He is an All-American kind of player and a guy that the team has confidence in.”

Also returning for his junior season will be starting point guard Gabriel Feagin. Feagin, a Birmingham, Alabama native, has been a solid contributor for the Rams since his arrival on campus three seasons ago.

“Gabe has been our starting point guard since his freshman year,” said Coach Niland. “We need him to get more people involved in the offense this year. There are other players around him that he has to learn to incorporate. He is a great defender and a strong kid.”

Joining Feagin in the backcourt will be junior guard Larry Burgess. Burgess was a GCAC All-Conference player last season, averaging 13.8 points per game. Burgess is a combo guard who can play both the point- and shooting-guard positions and isn't shy when it comes to pulling the trigger.

“Larry is a very good offensive player,” said Coach Niland. “His shooting wasn't as good last year as it was his freshman season, but he is still our top scorer. He's an All-Conference type of player. Larry can be as good as he wants to be.”

Finding himself on a relatively young team, Seluynn Palmer will be the only senior on the Rams' roster this season. Palmer has steadily improved his contribution to the team in his four seasons and has worked very diligently on his outside perimeter game as well as mid-range game.

“Seluynn plays with a lot of passion, which we love,” said Coach Niland. “He will be our only senior this season and he has been a pleasure to coach the last four years. We are looking for great things from him.”

One of the biggest surprises to the Ram's program in the last few years has been the play of junior center Gimel Lewis. Lewis set a University of Mobile single-season record as a freshman with 53 blocked shots. He followed that up with 28 his sophomore season and is now currently the Rams' all-time block leader with 81.

“Gimel made a big step forward last year from his freshman season,” Coach Niland. “He didn’t block as many shots for us last season as he did as a freshman, so we are looking forward to more of that. But I think he will make another step forward for us this season. He had some really good games for us last year.”
Albert Sullivan comes into the 2003-04 season with more confidence after having made an impact with the team the season before. The 6’ 5” junior logged valuable minutes in the Rams rotation last year and is expected to be even more of a force inside this year.

“He really came on strong for us last year,” said Coach Niland. “Albert is a great defender. He takes charge. He has gotten better offensively, and I am looking forward to him taking that step up this year.”

Another player looking to find more minutes this season is sophomore forward Randy Jordan. Jordan is a White Castle, Louisiana native and was a member of the 2002 Louisiana All-Star team. Jordan didn't get to play as much as he would have liked in 2002-03, but he did gain some valuable playing time that will help with his confidence this season.

“Randy is very athletic and has long arms,” said Coach Niland. “He can play both the small and power forward positions. Because of that added versatility, we are really looking forward to him stepping up and having a big year. I'm really excited about his potential this season.”

Coming off season-ending knee surgery, sophomore Christian Bolden will look to step back in and rebound from last season. Bolden's athleticism will put him in the mix for playing time at the guard position.

“Chris has to get a little better on both ends of the floor, but we expect him to,” said Coach Niland. “He will compete for some early playing time.”

Michael Timmons, a 6’ 5” forward from Slidell, Louisiana, played sparingly as a freshman for the Rams last season. This year, Timmons hopes to make more of an impact and play on a more regular basis.

“He played very well at times,” said Coach Niland. “Michael still has to adjust to the size of the college game, but he will make those adjustments this season. He gives us very good depth and is very versatile in the fact that he can play either side of the post.”

Also returning this season for the Rams will be junior walk-on Mathew Singleton. Singleton, who hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, is considered a perfect team player by his coach. This season, Singleton is expected to red-shirt but will help the team on the sidelines and in practice.

While the returning core of players gives the coaching staff much to be optimistic about, it is the recruiting class of seven new players that has the Pharr faithful excited. Many of these guys are expected to challenge for playing time.

Jacob Frasier, a junior-college transfer from Indian River Community College, is a 6’ 5” guard who shoots the ball very well.

“He's athletic and played for a very hard-nosed high school coach,” Coach Niland said. “He understands defense, and I think he will help us out tremendously.”


Jacob Loucks will enter the University of Mobile as a true freshman. Loucks is a combo forward who can play at either the small forward or the big forward position.

“Jacob is a very solid player,” said Coach Niland. “He will have to make the adjustment to the college game. He is a very well-rounded player who can do a lot of things.”

Ravi Amunugama, originally from Nyon, Switzerland, played for Salt Lake City Community College last year in Salt Lake City, Utah. A point-guard who can also play the two-guard, Ravi will look to make an immediate impact next year for the Rams.

“He’s a very strong defender and a solid ball handler,” said Coach Niland. “He's versatile and can play both guard positions. I like this kid.”

The Rams will also be welcoming three new walk-on players this season. Kenny Wright (red-shirting), Barry Evans, and Al Hopkins will all be looking to contribute in whatever way they can and give some valuable minutes.

“We are very excited to get these guys and hope they will be able to produce for us in the future,” said Coach Niland.

This year's pre-conference schedule is littered with top-ranked NAIA, NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II schools. The schedule features 12 games against teams that participated in their national tournament last year including games with Division I teams Nicholls State and Louisiana-Lafayette. Louisiana-Lafayette, the defending Sun Belt Western Conference regular season champions, pose the biggest challenge on the Rams pre-conference schedule with a game slated for December 17 in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Cajuns are coming off a 20-win season that included a trip to the National Invitational Tournament. The Rams will also face off against the NCCAA national champion Tennessee Temple Crusaders when the two teams tangle in the first game of the Spring Hill Classic.

“We traditionally like to play a very strong non-conference schedule in preparation for GCAC play,” said Coach Niland. “It helps us get ready for the conference season.”

UM finishes off their non-conference action when the team heads west for the Mesa State University Shootout, a tournament in Grand Junction, Colorado, held over the Christmas holidays. The tournament will feature three games against NCAA Division II teams Mesa State University, Lee University and Western State University.

Conference play begins on January 8, at home, against defending conference regular season champion Southern University of New Orleans (SUNO). Mobile was the lone team to defeat SUNO last season in conference play and will be looking for a second consecutive home win over the Knights.

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