As the college basketball season gets into full swing, one team, unheard of by most, has been making waves for something unusual -- their bench celebrations. This season, Monmouth University's basketball team has pulled out impressive upsets over teams including UCLA, Notre Dame (ranked no. 17 at the time) USC, and Georgetown. However, rather than the team's starters and high scorers, Monmouth's bench players are the ones who have found fame with their over-the-top bench celebrations.
The bench is led by Daniel Pillari, Greg Noack, Louie Pillari, and Tyler Robinson, who meet after team practices to brainstorm new routines. Noack keeps a card with a list of celebrations in his sock that determine what they will do after the next big play.They've become so popular that cameras immediately zoom to the bench after the team scores. The Monmouth bench even has a Twitter account with over 12,000 followers. Former Wisconsin star and current Hornets center Frank Kaminsky III tweeted, "Monmouth's bench mob is my spirit animal." Check out some of this bench mob's most creative celebrations below.
Slam Dunk
Lifting Weights
Hawks Take Flight
Double Dutch
Pirate Ship
Joust
Handstand Scissors
Shock Back to Life
Trophy Fish
Sistine Chapel
This is obviously a special bench squad. It takes an impressive amount of creativity and execution to pull these celebrations off. To get a behind-the-scenes look at the players and processes behind these celebrations, check this video out.Look out for Monmouth's next games to see what their bench mob has in store.