How 'The Reef' Built LIU's 'Fins Up' Basketball Identity
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- David Pochapin and Cameron Koffman launched "The Reef" courtside fan section on Jan. 16, 2023, at a St. Francis Brooklyn–LIU "Battle of Brooklyn" game that drew an official attendance of 400; Pochapin described the gym as "reeking of a swimming pool."
- LIU's on-court turnaround tracked the fan section's growth, improving from 3-26 in Rod Strickland's first season to 17-16 and now 24-10 with one of the best home records in the country.
- The "fins up" chant traces to a Feb. 2024 overtime game against Merrimack (recorded attendance 521) that featured 79 combined free throws, when the duo's generic raised-hands distraction morphed into a shouted "fins up" cue followed by a synchronized clap overhead.
- LIU's Shark identity itself is a product of the 2018 merger of LIU Brooklyn (Blackbirds) and LIU Post (Pioneers); students chose Sharks from three ballot options, and VP Michael Berthel said a packed NEC arena showed the unified brand "clicked."
- A video of marching band director Spence Howell leading "fins up" during the March 4 NEC quarterfinal win over Chicago State surpassed one million views on X, and more than 1,500 fans filled the Steinberg Wellness Center for the NEC championship — where LIU clinched an NCAA berth because finalist Mercyhurst was ruled ineligible.
- Koffman donated a life-size replica of stepfather Jeff Lipsitz's 12-foot Miami bull shark to the school after his mother threatened divorce over keeping it at home; the replica, now known as "Harvey the Shark," sits outside the gym where superstitious fans rub its nose.
- Fan Ian Lipman's miniature dachshund Winston attended the NEC semifinal with a fin prop and, by the championship game — which fell on his second birthday — had secured a branding deal with ticketing company TickPick.
Why it matters: A grassroots courtside section built by two fans turned a 3-26 program into a 24-10 NEC champion with one of college basketball's best home atmospheres, validating LIU's 2018 brand merger and giving a mid-major a viral identity. The contrast — from a 400-fan gym that smelled like chlorine to a 1,500-strong arena with a million-view X moment in roughly three seasons — is the rare case where the fan section and the win column rose together.
