The university's 'Mob Father'

02/06/08 - Fans of The University of Rhode Island men's basketball team had a lot to cheer for at last Saturday's game, but one of the favorites for the thundering, sold-out crowd wasn't a player. 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.

Coppa is arguably the most fanatical fan of all. A lifelong Rams devotee, he was the team's ball boy for the 1997-1998 season, which ended with the team's trip to the NCAA Tournament and its loss to Stanford University in the Elite Eight.

Now a college junior, Coppa still gets excited when talking about the 1998 game and he remembers the intimate details of the last-minute play that sealed Rhody's fate. When he talks about the decade-old, two-point defeat, the disappointment is as clear in his voice as it is on the lips of any shell-shocked Patriots fan today.

"That will still, always, for the rest of my life, suck," he said, spitting out every word.

But Coppa is instantly excited when he talks about this season, and what the team means to him.

"Nothing has made me go as crazy as Rhody basketball. This is just our team ... those guys are playing for this whole school and this whole state," he said.

Coppa said he doesn't mind the increasing difficulty of getting tickets to URI basketball games now that the team is gaining national attention, or the long lines on game days.

"[College basketball] is all about people coming out in freezing temperatures, missing classes and even putting your job on hold if you have to," he said.

Coppa can't quite explain what draws him so strongly to basketball.

"Everyone's got their passions and their hobbies, this just happens to be one of my biggest," he said, adding, "everyone who's seen my jump shot knows there's a reason I'm a fan and not a player."

Coppa said the encouragement he received from fellow fans about his cheerleading, along with a mention in The Providence Journal, could make his performance a regular event at home games.

"If I'm going to be a fan, I'm going to be the best damn fan I can be," he said. "I have way too much energy to keep it to myself. I'm going to bring it to everyone who steps into that building."

The Mob hopes to be recognized by the Student Senate, which will debate the issue tonight. Coppa said that the membership list for game tickets is full, but any student interested in helping out can send an e-mail to mob@etal.uri.edu.