One of the most slept on aspects of sports is the role of the bench. Nothing––not even the depth of the team––can compare to the importance of the celebrations and hype that the bench can bring to a game. “A celebration can change the game in a lot of ways. It gets the crowd into the game which helps amp up the people on the court,” senior basketball rotation player Tommy Cron said.

Some players, such as Cron, take their bench participation to heart. He feel it can really change the momentum of the game, at both home and away games. “Basketball is a game of runs and momentum, and the bench can really boost that,” Cron said.

Not all celebrations end well though, and Cron has learned the hard way. “If you do obnoxious celebrations during away games, the away fans make fun of you relentlessly,” Cron said.[In the interview, Cron talked about his experience during halftime layups near the opposing team’s student section. The details of the conversation are not to be repeated.]

Cron and the other seniors on the bench face a new challenge with an increased role on the team heading into their last season on the team. Cron often teamed up with others during their celebrations last year, but will have to balance being supportive on the bench and successful on the court. “With me being on the court more this year, I will have to make up for that lost time with better celebrations. I will have to think of some new ones,” Cron said.

Cron’s usual game day routine can include up to ten celebrations per game. “Depending how tired I was from the JV game determines my celebration levels” Cron said.

His go to celebration is the field goal, where he and his fellow hype men hold a fake football, kick it, and hold the uprights with their arms to signify three points. “My goal someday is to get Twitter famous or make it on ESPN or something from one of my celebrations,” Cron said.

Others play a different role in the bench hype routine, such as senior volleyball manager Eric Weber. Without the possibility of even getting into the game, Weber focused solely on his bench hype. “If I bring the energy, they will see that, and it’s only going to translate to wins,” Weber said.

Weber got into the game of volleyball as a manager, but was unaware of the common knowledge of the game. He was there to bring the energy, but also learn. “ I don’t know the game of volleyball that well but it was fun to listen to the coaches’ strategies,” Weber said.

Having up to five “cellies” (short for celebrations) per game, Weber sticks to his bread and butter, the bow and arrow. “I like the arrow in my quiver, where I hit somebody in the stands with an imaginary arrow,” Weber said.

The bench not only provides production on the court, the bench does a great job of bringing positive energy to the team, resulting in success.