Interview with Pantelis Xidias: College Basketball’s Greatest Hype Man

Pantelis graciously allowed me to ask him a few questions, and these were his responses. 

On Recruitment and Making the Team:

Danny Podolsky: Pantelis, coming out of high school, did you receive any interest to play college basketball?

Pantelis Xidias:  After playing at La Lumiere high school, I had a little bit of interest from some division II and division III schools. When I got to my senior year, and played for the traveling team at La Lumiere, then I got some interest from a few different schools to walk onto such Michigan St., Creighton, and DePaul. Then, I visited DePaul, fell in love with the city of Chicago, and decided that this was the place to go. 

Podolsky: What was the conversation like when you were told you made the DePaul basketball team?

Xidias: It was really a blessing man, all the work that I put into being an athlete, and wanting to play at the collegiate level. When you finally get told that that dream was a reality, it’s truly a dream come true; a feeling you can’t even describe. 

On His Dance Moves:

Podolsky: What’s your motivation behind doing your dances on the bench during games?

Xidias: Honestly, my teammates make it really easy for me to do all those dances since they do all types of crazy stuff. When we had Max Strus he was out there shooting threes like there was no tomorrow, and dunking on people. This year, we have Paul Reed posterizing people; he’s a walking double-double. When you have people like that on your team, and this talent, it’s easy for me. There’s my motivation right there is just seeing these guys excel and grow. 

Podolsky: What was the initial reaction of your teammates and coaches when they first saw you dancing and hyping up your team?

Xidias:  They were interested, to say the least. You know, I come onto the basketball court, and probably don’t look the most intimidating, or I don’t even look like a basketball player like a lot of people say. But, I go out there, I give it my all every time, and I think that was their first impression. Even if he isn’t going to play, he’s going to do his role, no matter what it may be. I think that was the number one thing they recognized, and then actually going during games and doing it. What I do in games is the same I do in practice; it’s the same every day. Executing what I do on a day-to-day basis is probably what people think about me. 

Podolsky: When did you start to get recognition around the country from college basketball fans?

Xidias: It actually started in high school; we played in the Chick-fil-A classic my senior year. There were a lot of big names in that tournament. Zion Williamson actually played in that tournament with his high school. There was a lot of coverage, a lot of media, and a lot of ESPN people around there. You know, I’ve always been doing this bench stuff because I’m really enthused for my teammates. No matter what happens with them, I love them, and got their back, and I love to show them that when I’m on the bench.

So I was doing the same things there that I was doing in college, and that was the first time that I actually got some kind of media coverage. I think it was USA Today who wrote an article about me, and that was a dream come true. So that was the first time I was really recognized nationally by the media. It’s been a blessing ever since that I’ve been able to maintain that. 

Podolsky: How do you come up with your celebration moves?

Xidias: You know, people always ask me about the celebration moves, and if there is some motivation behind them or if I think about them. They’re just innate, and I go with the trends of my dancing. As new moves come and go, I pick them up, and put them down. The different ones that I’ve experienced throughout my life have been translated to the college basketball bench, and really that’s the motivation behind them. 

Podolsky: Do you have a favorite celebration?

Xidias: People ask me that all the time, and I have to say the hit dem folks for sure. It’s just innate, and something that I do when I see something that excites me. 

Podolsky: Besides yourself, who would you consider to best the bench mob guy either in college or at the NBA level?

Xidias: That’s a question I’ve never been asked before. Last year there was a guy named Buddy Jaffee who played at Marquette; I was a big fan of him, and I’ve known him for a long time. He brought the hype so that’s another guy that I really like. There was another guy this year named Ramon Singh who plays at Xavier. He’s a walk-on as well, a bench mob guy who works really hard, and I love him too as far as work ethic, and bringing the hype. 

On the Big East Tournament Cancelation:

Podolsky: Was it weird for you and your team watching Creighton and St.John’s play while every other tournament had been canceled?

Xidias: Weird would be an understatement. With everything going on right now, and at the time in New York we didn’t know what was going to happen. After we played the night before, we didn’t know if there was gonna be another game. Then seeing what happened in the Creighton St.John’s game the next day was interesting to say the least with it getting cut off at halftime. We took it for what it was, and above all else is safety first. We accept that, of course we don’t want the season to be cut short since we’ve been working hard all year, and had the momentum coming into the Big East tournament, beating Xavier in a huge win at the [Madison Square] Garden. It was disheartening, but it’s safety first, and we had to take those measures to be safe. 

Podolsky: What was the conversation like when you and your team got told the Big East tournament had been canceled?

Xidias: Essentially, it was sudden; it seemed to be an emergency which of course it is, seeing the state of the country with it being a pandemic. The conversation was essentially that, and we responded well. We got on the plane, went home, and made sure to take all the precautions necessary to make sure that we were safe. 

Podolsky: I cover Villanova and run the @OTHVillanova page on Twitter. So, I did a preview of DePaul’s matchup that day against Villanova, and was set to live-tweet that game as well. Do you believe DePaul ultimately would have won that game?

Xidias: Of course; I can’t say no to that! Although, Villanova is an amazing team, amazing program, amazing culture. If you were to ask me who would have won that game, of course I’m gonna say DePaul because I have faith in us. At the same time, Villanova is an elite team when it comes to college basketball, so it would have been a great game. 

Podolsky: Would you agree, college basketball needs to see Pantelis Xidias and DePaul in a NCAA Tournament game?

Xidias: That would be amazing; a dream come true. One thing I’ve been thinking about my whole life is that I want to go to the NCAA Tournament. This year could have been the year, and unfortunately the season was cut a bit short, but hopefully next year we can make that happen. 

Podolsky: Do you believe your teammates such as Jalen Coleman-Lands and D.J. Williams who were seniors should be given an extra year of eligibility? 

Xidias: I would say that I hope they can get their years of eligibilty back. Especially for the seniors; to have your season cut short, your championship season, and then all of a sudden this happens. I think it would make sense for them to get their years back, but again we trust the NCAA’s decision no matter what, and if they come to the conclusion that that’s not the case, then we’re gonna accept that as well. 

Podolsky: Do you have a favorite moment from your college career so far?

Xidias: Going to the CBI postseason tournament was an amazing one, and playing in a playoff game was amazing since DePaul hadn’t been in that situation in a long time. To finally go from watching other teams play in their tournaments at home, to actually going to one, it was a big leap for us so that was great. And then, another one was my freshman year going to the PK80 tournament; Phil Knight’s Nike tournament in Oregon, that was amazing as well. That was one of my first experiences of actually traveling. Also, being at a big time venue, playing at the Portland Trail Blazers’ arena. That was another one I’ll never forget. 

Podolsky: Is there one NBA player who you try to model your game after?

Xidias: I would have to say JJ Redick. He’s a shorter guy, who just goes out there, and shoots his threes. He’s a specialist at what he does, he’s a star at doing it, and he’s had a successful career making millions of dollars shooting that three. However, my favorite player is Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greek Freak. 

Podolsky: What have you been doing since DePaul sent their students home for the semester? 

Xidias: I’ve been busy with finals because all of our finals are online now so I’ve been taking care of business from the school aspect. I’ve also been re-modeling a house with my dad, so that’s been interesting. Another thing I"ve been doing is working out. I’m just trying to stay in shape because we don’t know when this hiatus will be over. Staying in shape will be a big deal because if tomorrow, or in a week, month, or year, whatever the case may be, when they tell us practices are back on, I don’t want to be out of shape, eating cookies. So I’ve been trying to stay in shape, and eating right. 

Podolsky: Pantelis, what are your goals for next season? 

Xidias: Welp, certainly to win the championship. We strive for that every season of course. Otherwise, just rolling with these guys, and becoming the best players and people that we can be under the guidance of our coaching and mentors. Just growing as people, and growing as players, and trying to win that national championship is my goal. 

Podolsky: What advice would you give to high schoolers who also play the bench role on their team?

Xidias: I would just say don’t stop. It’s very easy, especially being a bench player in high school to lose hope, and stop working hard. But, you can’t do that. No matter what you do, you can’t stop working hard. I was a bench guy in high school so to see where I’ve come now is a blessing. It wouldn’t have been possible without hard work and dedication. I think just staying the course, trusting the process like Joel Embiid says, maintaining that humble spirit and hard work, and you will do well. 

Finally, I would like to thank Pantelis Xidias for allowing me to interview him! 

Follow me @PodolskyDanny on Twitter and follow Pantelis @pantelis_xidias here!

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