(June 27, 2005) ?C The Fordham University men??s basketball Rams will open the 2005-06 season in paradise. The Paradise Jam, that is. Six Division I men??s basketball teams are gearing up for a trip to paradise at the sixth annual Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament hosted by the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas. The 2005 tournament field promises great competition in the islands as three of the six participating teams played in the 2005 NCAA tournament. Wisconsin, Old Dominion, Eastern Kentucky, Fordham, Norfolk State, and Georgia will compete November 18-21 at the state-of-the-art UVI Sports & Fitness Center in St. Thomas. The tournament is set up in two three-team brackets with Fordham, Old Dominion and the Georgia in the St. John??s Division and Norfolk State, Eastern Kentucky and the Wisconsin in the St. Thomas Division Fordham will open the three-game tournament on Saturday, November 19th when the Rams tip-off with Old Dominion at 6:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) and then take on Georgia on Sunday, November 20th at 6:00 p.m. (E.S.T.). The Rams will close out the tournament on Monday, November 21st by playing a team from the St. Thomas Division with the opponent to be determined by the results of the pool play. The Rams are coming off a 13-16 overall record in 2004-05, 8-8 in the Atlantic 10. The eight conference wins were the most by a Fordham team since the Rams joined the Atlantic 10 in 1995-96 and put the Rams in fourth place. The 13 overall wins were the most for the Rams since the 1999-2000 team went 14-15. Paradise Jam 2005 is likely to be one of the most competitive fields in the five years of men??s competition in the Virgin Islands. In 2004 Paradise Jam tournament action, Arkansas dominated the six-team field, defeating Eastern Michigan 82-64 in the championship game. Winthrop captured third place over Austin Peay and Saint Louis beat Troy in the consolation game. For more tournament information, inlcuding travel packages, go to http://www.fordham.edu/Alumni_Relations/Clubs/Rebounders_Club/ or to www.ParadiseJam.com.