'Tattoos have different meanings to everyone'
The ink that defines Quinnipiac men's basketball
To get to junior forward Amarri Monroe’s house in Newburgh, New York, one must drive down I-84.
If, for whatever reason, someone wanted to know what sophomore guard Khaden Bennett’s dad, Brandon’s, zodiac sign is (he’s a Libra), look no further than his son’s lower half.
Inked across Monroe’s left arm is a shaded version of that very highway. Down Bennett's leg rests three zodiac signs — his father’s, one for his mother, Irma and his younger brother, Bryce.
Growing up, Brandon Bennett was Khaden’s basketball coach. When recruiting the Grand Prairie, Texas, native, Quinnipiac men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora jokingly wanted to put his father on the roster as well — according to Pecora, he’s built like an NFL wide receiver.
“It had its ups and downs,” Khaden said of being a coach’s son. “Sometimes people think it’s easier for me, him being my coach but it’s actually not. He was hard on me, but I have a really good relationship with him.”
Junior forward Amarri Monroe's left arm piece, which depicts an I-84 sign (Photo from Nick Boyd)
Junior forward Amarri Monroe's left arm piece, which depicts an I-84 sign (Photo from Nick Boyd)
"I think it's just ... my own story"
Senior forward Alexis Reyes' 555 tattoo, honoring his late friend Terrence Clarke (Photo from Nick Boyd)
Senior forward Alexis Reyes' 555 tattoo, honoring his late friend Terrence Clarke (Photo from Nick Boyd)
Tattoos aren’t merely done for the spectacle. A majority of body art is indicative of an individual’s identity — where they come from, what they value, who they aim to become. They’re popular among athletes, and it’s no different for this Bobcats team.
Freshman guard Jaden Zimmerman has two full arm sleeves and multiple leg pieces, full of motivational messages and reminders of family, home and faith. Ditto for senior guard Doug Young, whose left arm is inked with scripture, his birth year and personal designs. He’s also got an astronaut on his leg — an homage to his Houston roots.
“Tattoos have different meanings to everybody,” Bennett said. “I think it’s just kind of my own process, my own story.”
The average person wouldn’t notice that senior forward Alexis Reyes memorializes his childhood friend, Terrence Clarke, with ‘555’ inked on his left forearm.
Clarke, one of college basketball’s top prospects in 2021, died in a car accident in the same year. The late guard for the University of Kentucky met Reyes while playing high school AAU for Boston’s Expressions Elite.
On the court, they were coined a dynamic duo. Outside of basketball, they were brothers.
“We played in a lot of tournaments together, grew up together,” Reyes said. “We always used to eat hot pockets when we came to my house all the time. That was our favorite thing to do.”
The 19-year-old rising sophomore declared for the NBA Draft a month before his death and was ceremonially drafted that year.
"I wouldn't be doing any of this if I didn't have faith"
The most common inspirations for Quinnipiac’s tattoos are faith and family.
“You can’t do anything without faith,” Monroe said. “Self-confidence is probably the most important thing you can have. I wouldn't be doing any of this if I didn’t have faith.”
A person can’t physically hold their favorite line of scripture in their hands or bring the street address of their first home to college. But they can get it tattooed. While most of the team came to Hamden already inked up, Bennett waited until his freshman season ended to take the leap.
“I started (getting tattoos) last spring in March after the season,” Bennett said. “I did three different sessions. I did side, back and then shin.”
“We really only pick on Khaden,” Monroe added. “He’s so quiet, we see he got something tattooed, everyone makes a big deal about it. If I get a new tattoo, (Reyes) hasn’t gotten one in a while, it’s not really that big of a deal. But Khaden, for sure we make fun of him a little bit.”
Monroe is one of the most inked players on the squad. He knows his tattoos like the back of his hand, or literally in this case, his left arm.
Junior forward Amarri Monroe's coffee bean tattoo (Photo by Nick Boyd)
Junior forward Amarri Monroe's coffee bean tattoo (Photo by Nick Boyd)
Well, except for one — as he was running down all of his tattoos, the self-proclaimed “mama’s boy” failed to mention the permanent mark of his mother’s name, Yvetta on his inner bicep.
“Oh my god,” Monroe laughed. “Don’t tell her I forgot about that. This is my very first tattoo. Might have been the most painful, I was a little skinny.”
Small tattoos can have huge meaning too. In one of his newest pieces, Monroe sports an espresso bean on his left wrist, barely a square inch large. If you’re on the sidelines at a Quinnipiac game, you’ll hear athletic trainer Sara MacDonough-Civitello refer to Monroe as ‘coffee’ and the moniker means a lot to the 2025 MAAC Player of the Year.
“It’s a book actually named ‘Coffee Bean,’” he said. “I got it in high school from my football coach. I used to be pretty bad with anxiety being a quarterback. He just had me read the book and it changed my whole mindset of being in tough situations just staying calm. It means a lot to me. I let everybody, any sport, I let them read (‘The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change’ by Damon West and Jon Gordon).”
Given just how much these symbols mean to their respective players, the pain of being tattooed doesn’t carry much merit. Monroe has yet to have his fill, as he’s planning to get a handful more.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to tattoo my right arm,” he said, typically a trend among basketball players. They never want to tattoo their shooting arm. “Thinking about the leg, not 100% sure yet.”
Bennett too, wants to get more — though he says his next tattoo is a surprise.
“I’ll probably start my arm sleeve next,” he said. “Doug gave me some advice the other day, he thinks I should start with my bicep area. But I think I’m going to start lower.”
"Definitely an investment"
The results are worth the sting — and the burden on their wallets. These players have anywhere between a few small marks of patchwork on their skin to entire sleeves on their arms and legs.
One has to ponder the financial implications. Larger tattoos require more sessions with an artist, increasing the cost.
Monroe’s pieces are worth approximately $2,000, while Bennett leans more toward the $1,200-$1,300 range. Not exactly an inexpensive accessory.
“Being that I play basketball I get a lot of deals,” Monroe said. “Guys are happy to tattoo me. I never really have to pay full price, but definitely an investment.”
Of course, this type of personalization isn’t limited to a college basketball team.
Tattoos are one of the oldest forms of self-expression and sentiment, serving as a reminder that people aren’t one-dimensional.
Observers just need to look a little closer and read the ink-soaked map that is someone’s story. For these Bobcats, their personalties are engraved in plain sight.
Freshman forward Grant Randall's right arm sleeve (Photo from Nick Boyd)
Freshman forward Grant Randall's right arm sleeve (Photo from Nick Boyd)
