In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, football adds Roc Bellantoni to the defensive staff, and basketball players explain their new celebration
A familiar face is returning to the Plains. In the wake of former linebacker coach Josh Aldridge's departure for East Carolina, the Auburn football program has added former assistant Roc Bellantoni to the defensive staff to coach outside linebackers.
Bellantoni previously coached on the Plains under Bryan Harsin, beginning as a defensive analyst and then serving as the edge linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Most recently, Bellantoni was the defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic. He also had stops at Utah State, Washington State, and Buffalo, among others.
Basketball players explain their new celebration
All season long, Auburn basketball has been putting on a show, and after some of the biggest moments of the games, players can be seen holding their hands to their heads in the shape of a telephone.
Players explained the backstory of the celebration to the media this week. A student member of the strength staff, Caleb Jones, walked into the weight room during workouts one day and said, "Call God!" and then walked right back out. According to freshman Tahaad Pettiford, it quickly caught on between members of the team.
"Everybody started catching on," Pettiford said, per Auburn Undercover. "We started doing it in practice — and it was just something that we felt like you don't really see a lot of people doing. Something we could start."
"Everybody on this team is revolved around God and having a relationship with God," Miles Kelly added. "So that's a big part of why everybody is doing it."
The Tigers view the celebration as a reminder of why they're playing when they are caught up in a big game rather than a signature celebration.