The University of Tulsa men's basketball head coach Eric Konkol announced Rico Sylvester and Cameron Ramos as graduate managers for the 2022-23 basketball season.
"The graduate manager program is a special one to me, because it is how I got my start, right here at TU," Konkol said. "Without that, there's no telling what could have happened. This place really taught me a lot and inspired me to continue as a coach.
"During my tenure as an assistant and head coach, I've really tried to help those graduate managers. Frankly, I believe they're the backbone of the things we do. We want to provide an experience where they can learn every aspect of a college basketball program and then help them move on when they get their graduate degree."
Sylvester spent last season as a graduate manager on Konkol's staff at Louisiana Tech, where he assisted with opponent scouting, player development, practice scheduling in addition to numerous other responsibilities. Prior to his time with the Bulldogs, he was a student assistant at the University of Missouri for two seasons.
Sylvester played two years at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo. He started 26 games for the Cougars as a freshman, helping the team to a 27-5 record, an American Midwest Conference championship and an appearance in the NAIA national tournament.
The Belleville, Ill. native graduated from Missouri with a degree in parks, recreation and sport in August of 2021.
"We're really excited that Rico chose to join us and become a student here at The University of Tulsa," Konkol said. "He did a tremendous job for us at Louisiana Tech last year. He's a person who spends a lot of time with the guys and can get out on the floor and help with rebounding and other things."
Ramos joins the Hurricane after graduating from Olivet College (Mich.) in May with a degree in exercise science.
A native of Charlotte, Michigan, Ramos played for the Olivet College basketball team his first two years before deciding to spend the remainder of his collegiate career pursuing his coaching ambitions.
He joined the Potterville Public School basketball program in 2020 as an assistant coach with the junior varsity and varsity teams, as well as the head coach for the seventh-grade team. For the 2021-22 season, he added the eighth-grade team to his head coaching duties and was promoted to the top varsity assistant position, where Ramos developed the team's offensive system.
"Cam just finished his college basketball career and his undergraduate career." Konkol said. "He's someone we became aware of as we were searching for another graduate manager. Cam provides a lot of energy and is someone who brings a lot of administrative skills."
