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Two words. One hand gesture. Millions of views.
The Long Island University Sharks men’s basketball team is enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory. The program also boasts a wildly popular cheering section known as “The Reef.” But it’s not led by students.
The Reef is powered by best friends Cameron Koffman and David Pochapin.
Koffman, a real estate company owner and lifelong college basketball fan, attended Yale University, where he served as the voice of Yale basketball. Pochapin works in business development. A few years ago, the two hoops diehards decided to adopt LIU as their team.
“We wanted to pick a New York team to get behind,” Koffman told Greater Long Island. “We thought LIU would be great. The team was horrible. It felt like a fun project where we could get in at the very bottom and see if we could help build it back up.”
That’s exactly what they’ve done.
They named their section “The Reef” and launched a free-throw tradition called “Fins Up.” Members press their hands together above their heads to mimic a shark fin — a simple gesture that’s become a signature moment inside the arena.
It’s caught on in a big way.
Most of the Sharks’ bench now joins in during games, and recent videos of the celebration have gone viral, racking up over 1.5 million views.
“After a Senior Day game, the whole team wanted to take a photo with us,” Koffman said. “School President Dr. Cline has done Fins Up. Even Coach Rod Strickland’s mother has done it.”
But their fandom goes well beyond hand signals.
They’ve donated custom shirts. And even a shark. Yes — an actual shark. Sort of.
“A couple of years ago, my stepfather caught and released a 12-foot-long shark in Florida,” Koffman said. “He had a full replica made and planned to put it in his home, until my mother said no. So we did a formal dedication of the shark to LIU on a day we called ‘Rock the Reef.’”
Koffman says the growing spotlight on LIU basketball isn’t about attention for him or Pochapin — it’s about energy for the players.
“It’s just nice to see people excited and the team being appreciated,” he said. “They deserve fans and an atmosphere, not playing in a dead gym.”
The Sharks are in the midst of their best season in years under head coach Rod Strickland, the former Knicks guard who guided LIU to an NEC regular-season title and a 22–10 overall record, including a 15–3 mark in conference play.
“There’s been a lot of growth,” Strickland told KnicksFanTV. “The best thing that happened was having four years to experience what I needed to experience. Now we’re trending the right way.”
Strickland, who began coaching at LIU in 2022, won just three games in his first season.
LIU, which plays in Brooklyn at the Steinberg Wellness Center, hosts Wagner on Saturday, March 7, in the semifinals of the NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Update: The Sharks clinched an NCAA Tournament berth with a semifinal win over Wagner in the NEC Tournament. The victory secured the conference’s automatic bid because Mercyhurst — which advanced to the final — is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament after its recent transition to Division I.
LIU later went on to capture the NEC title with a 79–70 victory over Mercyhurst.
The NCAA Tournament appearance marks the first time LIU has reached the Big Dance since merging its Long Island and Brooklyn athletic programs under the Sharks banner in 2019. The last LIU program to make the tournament was LIU Brooklyn in 2018, when the Blackbirds fell to Radford in the First Four.
Top: The “Fins Up” chant founders Cameron Koffman (middle) and David Pochapin (far left). (Credit: Bob Dea/Daly Dose of Hoops)
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