2008 Woodie Awards
The university's 'Mob Father'
Student fan sixth man on basketball court
Robert Preliasco
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: News
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At each timeout, as the teams huddled and hip-hop music blared, URI student Jason Coppa ran laps around the perimeter of the Ryan Center court. Frantically waving his arms and giving high-fives, Coppa organized several repetitions of the wave, getting the crowd off its feet and drawing applause as he passed each section.
Sometimes all that could be seen of him above the masses of waving hands was his head, painted completely Keaney blue and topped with a mohawk.
"I don't know what happened," Coppa said about his impromptu performance. "But I said, 'You know what? I've never seen the Ryan Center do the wave.'"
He added, "I would run around naked on the court if it would get people out of their seats and excited about this basketball team."
Coppa's enthusiasm made him a natural candidate to resurrect "The Mob" spirit group, previously known as the "Fanatical Fans." Coppa calls The Mob "possibly the greatest group of nut-job fans on campus."
The Mob's mission, he said, is to "be the sixth man on the court" and give the Rams as big a home court advantage as possible.
"If the building's packed and everyone's quiet, that doesn't help the team at all," Coppa said. "I can be screaming all I want but I'm just one kid. When you get 100 kids like me, that makes a difference."
Coppa said The Mob's activities lapsed after last season, when the former organizer decided to step down. After meeting with Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn and deputy director Gregg Burke, Coppa decided to reinvigorate the group, which he has been working on this basketball season.
The Mob has 100 members who get free, courtside seats in exchange for membership and volunteer work in promoting the team and game attendance. If a member does not consistently attend games, his or her free ticket passes go to someone on the group's long waiting list.