Name, number change meant the world to Amarri Monroe

Formerly Amarri Tice, Amarri Monroe switched his name and number to honor his mother and a defining moment of his childhood. (Photo by Tyler Rinko/The Quinnipiac Chronicle)

By Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports)

HAMDEN, Conn. — What’s in a name? What (or who) does it represent?

When you ask Quinnipiac’s Amarri Monroe what it means to him, it’s more than just the stitching that appears on the back of his jersey. 

Formerly known as Amarri Tice, the junior forward spent the last few years of his basketball career sporting his father’s last name on his uniform. Ahead of the upcoming season, he decided to switch it up—back to his mother’s.

“It meant the world to not just me, but to my mom as well, and to my whole family,” Monroe said. “It was just something I always wanted to do, actually. It was a big moment for me, and I love her a lot. She’s my biggest fan, so (I) just wanted to do something to show her how much I love her.”

A self-proclaimed “mama’s boy,” Monroe had discussions with his mother, Yvetta, about switching his surname for a while. When it was finally announced on August 2, it still caught Yvetta by surprise.

“My sister, who was in a group chat, she goes, ‘did you see Amarri’s post? I'm not gonna spoil it,’” Yvetta Monroe said. “So I go and look, and I was like (audible gasp), because we've been talking about it, we just talked about it like two days before. It was a huge deal. Now I just gotta get used to yelling Monroe.”

“Growing up, I was always a mama's boy, I can't do anything without my mom,” Amarri added. “My dad was a little jealous, but I can't do anything without my mom. Can't travel without her. I can't sleep, whatever you name it. So I was always a mama's boy.”

And it’s not just the letters that will be different from a year ago. Amarri also decided to change the numerals right below it. After being sported by legendary Bobcat guard Matt Balanc for six years, No. 2 now resides on the back of the player just named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, the award most recently handed down to Balanc.

“He had talked about having that number last year, so as soon as Matt left, he wanted to take No. 2,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora said. “He could take any number, (he’s the) Preseason Player of the Year. Give him whatever he wants right now, (a) number on the back is an easy thing.”

But why No. 2? After donning No. 11 at Wofford, then No. 15 last season for Quinnipiac, there’s another emotional connection surrounding Amarri’s new digits.

“It’s February 2 around two o'clock, and I guess I'm jumping on the bed,” Amarri said. “My brother kind of pushed me off the bed, not purposely, obviously. The edge of the dresser hit the back of my head (and I’m) out completely, like knocked out cold, gushing blood. (I’m) two years old, second month of the year, second day of the month, around two o'clock. So I just kind of wore number two.”

For Yvetta, that moment is engraved in her memory.

“That was the scariest moment ever, ever, ever, seeing him go up and come down and hit his head,” Yvetta said. “But he’s here now, thank God. That number means a lot, so every chance he gets, I’m sure he's going to snatch it up.” 

Amarri admitted that he doesn’t remember much of the incident—only bits and pieces from stories passed down—but knows that number has always meant something to him growing up around the basketball court.

“I try to wear two to represent that whole situation,” Amarri said. “I wasn’t aware of it my whole life, but once I found out about it, I was like ‘OK, that’s pretty cool.’ That’s something that can represent me.”

So again, what’s in a name? For Amarri Monroe, it means the world. He doesn’t have an updated physical driver’s license yet—“I have a paper ID or whatever,” he chuckled—but it still gives him chills to look at.

For his mother, it’s just as special, maybe even more so.

“I’ll probably cry, I’ll probably shed a few tears, choke up a little bit,” Yvetta said on seeing Monroe on her son’s jersey for the first time. “It’s a big deal, and the reason why he did it is a bigger deal because I've never seen Monroe on nothing besides paperwork. So to see it on his jersey, it means a lot.”