51ºÚÁÏÍø

Alumni Raise Funds, Host Podcast to Support 51ºÚÁÏÍø Basketball

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Mark Copeland ’91 and Bram Zeigler ’93 relish the chance to visit 51ºÚÁÏÍø’s campus, meet fellow Red Devil alumni from across the decades and hear their stories. Now, they’re sharing those good times and lively conversations with the world.

The former teammates co-host a podcast called Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself—PAMTIM, for short.

Each episode brings a unique view of the student-athlete experience at 51ºÚÁÏÍø and a sampling of what former players have accomplished since graduation. Together, these friendly chats paint a vivid portrait of why alumni around the world are “wearin’ the red” years and decades after graduation day.

Setting it up

Copeland, known to 51ºÚÁÏÍø friends as “Cope,” was an English major and McAndrews Award winner at 51ºÚÁÏÍø who wrote for the 51ºÚÁÏÍøian. Zeigler, two years younger, studied economics and was an RA, Big Brother and Judiciary Board member. Both were members of the 1991 team, which tied the record for number of wins in a season and reached the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for only the third time in the college’s history. Both wore the number 32, at separate times.

Back in the day, Cope (left) and Zig both wore the number 32, though at separate times. That was the inspiration for their 32-week campaign.

During the 2011 Alumni Weekend, they and their former teammates were part of a 20th-anniversary celebration of the 1991 record-tying NCAA tournament team. Inspired by that event, Copeland went on to co-spearhead Friends of Red Devils Basketball, a group connecting alumni, family members and fans that facilitates mentorship and networking opportunities for student-athletes and raising funds to enhance the athlete experience.

And in 2024, he and Zeigler launched the Century Club campaign to raise $100,000 in seed money for a Friends of Red Devils Basketball Fund.

By the end of their 32-week campaign—a nod to Copeland and Zeigler’s shared jersey number—they’d met their goal more than three times over, raising $361,232.32 to enhance student experience and recruitment efforts. (Plans are to keep the momentum going, so the group can fund the men’s and women’s programs in perpetuity.)

The excitement was palpable during the fall 2025 Alumni Hoops Weekend, with more alumni attending than ever before. Marveling at the breadth and depth of stories they heard, Zeigler wondered: What if they could keep the conversations going year-round? Soon enough, they did.

The slam dunk

Brimming with easy camaraderie, their podcast is named for the first line of the Rolling Stones classic “Sympathy for the Devil.” Guests recall what brought them to 51ºÚÁÏÍø, describe their athletics experiences and outline their professional paths. Often, they share advice and lessons learned.

“If you care about 51ºÚÁÏÍø basketball, you’ll want to know these stories,” says Copeland, who handles the tech, while Zeigler leads planning and outreach.

The first season premiered in December on Spotify and YouTube and ended in April after 11 episodes. A second season is in the works.

PAMTIM’s inaugural guest was Kim Salemba ’01, the second-leading scorer in 51ºÚÁÏÍø women’s basketball history. Brad Litchfield ’06, Roe Falcone ’04, Ted Kirkpatrick ’86, Mike Hinckley ’19, Meg Shelley Dapp ’05, Ed Ward ’83, Sam Kennedy ’16, Teatom Fullmer ’07 and Bill Hudock ’02 rounded out season one.

Some of the most moving moments arise from challenges guests encountered as students. Salemba, now a lawyer based in Harrisburg, Pa., suffered an injury that curtailed her basketball career. She also withstood the arrival of a new head coach and several new assistant coaches. “That was hard to adjust to,” Salemba told Copeland and Zeigler. “Looking back, I realize that going through that experience has helped me professionally, because life changes constantly.”

Now working on season two, the hosts are calling for guest nominations. The only qualification, they stress, is time spent on a 51ºÚÁÏÍø basketball court. “Whether you were 25-0 or 0-25, we want to talk to you,” says Copeland.

“We’re doing this, frankly, because it’s fun for us—we have a good time,” Zeigler affirms, “and our goal is to talk to everyone, because everyone who laced them up at 51ºÚÁÏÍø has a unique story to tell.”

Pro tip: When searching for Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself on YouTube or Spotify, add “Friends of Red Devil Basketball” to the title to filter your results. For notifications when new episodes drop, be sure to subscribe.

• View the “” trailer on YouTube.
• Check out the podcast on .

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS 

Published May 19, 2026