HACKENSACK, N.J. - More than two dozen of Jason Ray's family and close friends were at his hospital bedside today, holding a vigil as the University of North Carolina mascot lay gravely injured after being hit by an SUV.

The 21-year-old senior remained on life support and in extremely critical condition Sunday, two days after he was run down near his hotel in Fort Lee. Ray, who suited up as UNC's ram mascot, Rameses, was in New Jersey for the NCAA men's basketball tournament, a portion of which is being played at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford.

Ray's father, Emmitt, who flew to New Jersey in a friend's private plane after getting word of his son's life-threatening head injuries on Friday, said doctors hold out little hope for his son's recovery ''short of the intervention of the Lord.''

The UNC mascot had run out to get a burrito and a Coke at a nearby convenience store Friday afternoon, and was walking back to his hotel along Route 4 when he was struck from behind by an SUV. The driver stopped immediately to call 911. No charges have been filed.

Ray's top-seeded Tar Heels were facing Georgetown today at 5 p.m. for a spot in the coveted Final Four. It was to be Ray's chance to entertain his biggest crowd ever.

''We've known Jason since he was 11 years old _ he is an awesome kid,'' said Jodi Stewart, a neighbor of the Ray family who attends the same church in Concord, N.C.

''I never knew a kid who was more full of life. He was excited every day. He loved what he was doing, he loved God, his family, and being the school's mascot. We have not given up hope.''

Stewart said about 30 of Ray's family and friends were at Hackensack University Medical Center today, including his parents, Emmitt and Charlotte Ray, two brothers, and five high school friends who lived with Ray in Chapel Hill.

Stewart said the Rays had Jason when they were in their 40s, and devoted a lot of time to their son.

''They cherish this boy. You cannot put into words what this child means to them,'' she said. ''Jason is their life. They live their life for him.''

Stewart said Ray was an Eagle scout and was involved in his church. While in high school at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, Ray was often seen cheering in the stands at basketball games, she said.

Ray's dad told The Star-Ledger that his son ''absolutely loved'' dressing up as Rameses, despite the costume's bulk. ''It was his way of supporting the team,'' said Emmitt Ray.

''There are things you just can't explain,'' he continued. ''He just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. He wasn't doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing. He was 200 yards from the hotel.''

Police said Gagik Hovsepyan, 51, the driver who hit Ray, had a valid driver's license and did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His son was asleep in the SUV at the time, police said.

At 6-foot-5, Jason Ray was such a commanding presence that when UNC Coach Roy Williams first met him in the campus gym, he wondered aloud why Ray wasn't on his team.

''I'm too slow and I can't jump,'' Jason told Williams. ''But I can be of assistance in other ways, coach.''

Ray was to graduate in May with a 3.6 GPA, majoring in business administration with a minor in religion. He had a sales and marketing job lined up in nearby Raleigh