March 6, 2009

IRVING, Texas - Jessiah "C-Bass" Rudolph, a junior at East Carolina University, has been voted the Conference USA Ultimate Fan. As the grand prize winner he receives a pair of club seats to both the 2009 C-USA Men's Basketball Championship in Memphis and the 2010 C-USA Men's Basketball Championship in Tulsa, as well as another chance to record their life as an Ultimate Fan at both events.

He was selected from a group of six finalists through an on-line voting poll at conferenceusa.com. As the winner, Rudolph also receives a pair of ECU basketball season tickets for the 2009-10 campaign.

C-Bass is one of many nicknames for this year's C-USA Ultimate Fan, but it's the one he prefers. A physical education major at East Carolina, he was born in Australia, but grew up in Outer Banks, N.C. He has been an avid Pirate fan since the day his application was accepted to the university and he follows all men's and women's sports at ECU. C-Bass is a familiar sight among Pirate Nation as he attends any and all East Carolina sports events whenever he has time. But this Pirate fanatic makes time. His favorite sport at ECU is basketball and as he describes, "I saw a need and hope that I can make somewhat of a difference to affect and help the team."

It's not hard to spot C-Bass in the sea of Pirate fans. He has developed a signature look in purple and gold, one which he calls, "mind-blowing, spicy and fresh." His fan rituals include modifying his accessories and warm up apparel with the time of year and to match the mood of the event. He also wears a different sweatband setup each time and he likes to drink purple Gatorade during the games to complete the look.

"I am honored and grateful to be able to represent the East Carolina University Pirates," said C-Bass. "I would like to thank all my awesome friends and supporters who voted for me. Much love. Honors to all the other finalists too - they did a great job and seemed very worthy of this award."

C-Bass will lace up his sneakers any time he gets a chance and get in a game, instead of cheer at one. During the 2007 season, he surprised fans at a basketball game half-time promotion by going for a slam dunk instead of layup. His inspiration for supporting ECU athletics comes from his love of having fun and enjoying the company of friends and fellow Pirates.

The C-USA Men's Basketball championship will take place at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., March 11-14. Visit ConferenceUSA.com in the coming days for updated information, exclusive video blogs and live coverage regarding C-USA Men's Basketball and the surrounding events in Memphis. Also, be sure to look for C-Bass in the stands as he represents ECU as the league's Ultimate Fan.