Jaclyn Muns should have the easiest job at the University of Rhode Island. As the new coordinator of marketing and promotions, she gets to sell the entertaining and successful men’s basketball team. The 15-2, nationally ranked men’s basketball team has won more games than any other in the Atlantic 10 this season.

Muns should be able to stroll about campus on game days and simply direct hordes of students down the hill to the Ryan Center. Or wander the corridors of the State House like many a lobbyist and hand out maps to Kingston to legislators who might want to catch the Runnin’ Rams.

In fact, Muns has a challenging mission. Despite Rhody’s sparkling record, the outstanding play of Will Daniels, the dramatic shooting of Jimmy Baron, the improvement of point guard Parfait Bitee, the athleticism of super subs Lamonte Ulmer and Keith Cothran and the spirited defense of Kahiem Seawright, the Rams are not drawing the way you’d think a Top 25 team would draw.

Through eight home games this season URI is averaging 4,943 spectators, 64.6 percent capacity of the 7,657-seat Ryan Center. They have sold out the building once, on Dec. 4 for the Providence College game. They have drawn more than 5,000 twice: Dec. 22 for Hofstra (5,129) and Sunday afternoon for Duquesne (5,512). Their attendance has not dipped below 4,000, although the Dec. 1 New Hampshire game was close (4,071).

URI stands sixth in the A-10 in average attendance, trailing Dayton (12,529), Xavier (9,884), Saint Louis (8,625), Temple (7,559) and Charlotte (7,462). Each of them plays in a larger facility, ranging from the University of Dayton Arena’s (13,455 seats) to Charlotte’s Halton Arena (9,105 seats).

As a percentage of arena capacity, URI attendance is seventh in the 14-team conference. Saint Joseph’s, which calls 3,200-seat Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse home, has sold out its five home games and is actually averaging 4,215 because the Penn State game New Year’s Eve was at the larger Palestra. Xavier is averaging 94.6 percent, Dayton 93.1, Charlotte 81.9, Temple 74.1 and St. Bonaventure 69.6.

Saint Louis has the lowest percentage of capacity at 41 percent, but the Billikens play in the 20,000 Scottrade Center. Their new on-campus Chaifetz Arena is nearing completion. UMass, which is 11-4, is filling only 44.7 percent of the seats at the 9,493-seat Mullins Center.

Why aren’t more people going to watch the Rams? Good question, with several possible answers.

We live in a pro-oriented society here in the Northeast, which means all Patriots, all Red Sox, all the time. The economy is tough, although I think a lot of people can still afford a ticket to a URI game. We’re talking Rams, not Celtics, right?

Students, once the nucleus of a basketball crowd, don’t go to games as they used to in the days when basketball shoes were sneakers and shorts were shorts. They stay in their dorms now, watching games on TV, playing video games and surfing the Web. URI president Robert L. Carothers worried about this phenomenon even as the Ryan Center was being built. Loyal Rhody boosters still wonder why more students don’t show up, except for the big games.

Drawing students to the Ryan Center is, I’m sure, one of Muns’ initial goals. Increasing ticket sales and fan participation and working with “campus leaders to engage the student body to participate and attend URI events” are among her responsibilities. She had similar tasks at UMass, where she was in charges of marketing and promoting men’s and women’s basketball and soccer, softball and men’s ice hockey, among other duties.

I hope Muns succeeds in getting more people to watch URI basketball this season. Then she can use lessons she learns to convince football fans to come to Meade Stadium next fall.

And, in case you are wondering, PC has averaged 6,657 for its eight home games to date, 61.6 percent of capacity at the 10,800-seat Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

mszostak@projo.com