Evan Ganning is a Senior at Seton Hall and a percussionist for the university’s pep band. Since he was a Freshman, Evan has participated in the pep band and was looking forward to his last year in the organization until COVID-19 took it from him. In the 2020-21 college basketball season, Seton Hall’s pep band has been noticeably absent.
Ryan Visnovec: How are you involved in the basketball program?
Evan Ganning: I am a member of the pep band, have been since freshman year. But this past year – I guess technically I’m in it, but it hasn’t been active.
Basically, once the Big East shut down last year we haven’t played since.
RV: What do you do in the pep band?
EG: Attend both the women’s and men’s basketball games and occasionally perform at school events.
RV: Has there been communication about starting it up again?
EG: Yeah, in October I think there was an email reaching out trying to start it up again. But logistically with 100 plus people in the band that could register for it, it just logistically couldn’t happen with all the protocols that need to go to have team organizations.
It’s more because there’s just a bunch of us and they weren’t allowing like NCAA would not allow cheerleaders or pep bands at events, so there hasn’t been really much of a point.
Especially with the school also being very limited in letting people in – in like events and whatnot- we don’t even have events to play at.
RV: How connected to the school is the pep band?
EG: You would think it works directly with the school, but they’re like separate entities. One is run by the music department and then the school would reach out to the music department asking for us to show up to stuff. So, it’s more so an event that the school allows and reaches out to us if they need anything.
RV: How often would you usually practice a week?
EG: We would practice once a week maybe twice a week depending on how many new things we have. But normally we just use a lot of stuff that we’ve played before, it would be once a week for an hour and a half to two hours. Until basketball season started in which case, once it starts, we play like two or three times a week.
RV: When it comes to a typical day in pep band when you’re going to the prudential center, what would that look like?
EG: So normally we would meet at Corrigan about an hour and a half to two hours before a game starts depending on when it is. If it’s an evening game, we would get there earlier because of traffic through Newark. If it’s a Saturday or Sunday game, we would get there a little later. We try to get there about an hour and 45 minutes before the game starts because we need to set up at the prudential center. I think the players come around twenty minutes before the game and we start playing when they first come out, so we need to get there, giving us like twenty or thirty minutes before they come out and we play.
Normally the drive is like 40 minutes to get there because of traffic through Newark. Then we play and once the game ends, we pack up. Normally we are the last people out of the arena, other than the security guards it’s just us and the people who are working for Fox sports or whoever the broadcast is.
Then we come back and normally we make it back before the student busses make it back which I think is pretty crazy because we’re out last. Then we just come back, and women’s is the same way except we have to their game about 30 minutes beforehand as opposed to two hours with a bus.
RV: Do you miss going to either practice or the game?
EG: Yeah, I would’ve loved to be able to go to games because it’s just enjoyable to go to basketball games in person, but I understand why we couldn’t.
RV: Who do you think misses the pep band at the prudential center?
EG: So, I think the pep band, although they are workers for the basketball team, it’s more so a thing for the fans and the cheerleaders. I don’t think the basketball players necessarily the band, maybe occasionally they’re like “oh man I wish we could’ve had a band live,” because during women’s games I know a lot of the men’s players would come out and try to play percussion with us and try and engage in some way shape or form given the opportunity.
It’s definitely an extension of the fans so I feel like the pep band’s purpose is to hype up the students and the fans and that would hopefully hype up the players. I feel like it’s more so an extension of the fans, so if they enjoyed having fans, then the players may miss the band.
Maybe at the women’s game, it’s more impactful because there are less fans. But I would say it’s more so for the experience of the viewer than the actual player. I’d be surprised if a bunch of players were listening to the band while playing the basketball game.
RV: What do you miss most about pep band and your experiences?
EG: I’d say just going to basketball games in person. I enjoy watching the games, so I miss being able to go to games in person without the pep band and it was super weird. It’s definitely a lot of energy that is brought in because it’s loud and people enjoy music – I don’t know.
And playing an instrument was a side hobby that I got to do.
RV: You said it was strange without the pep band, could you explain a little more about that?
EG: Normally we would play on every single stoppage. Like whenever there would be a time out the band would start playing it was just weird to have the dead air there.
Then whenever there was like a close game, I feel like the band added a lot of energy. You were already excited because it was close and, in some way, which the basketball was. Normally if it’s a dead game, like a 20 point lead on one of the sides, it doesn’t add a ton of energy, but when it’s close and you’re already kind of hyped up, it adds a lot to it.
RV: Have you been able to stay in touch with the basketball season now that you’re not going to every game with pep band?
EG: Yeah, I’ve watched a handful of the games, most of the games though, I’ll be honest, the pep band schedule kept me in check because every single Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday I’d check my calendar because there would probably be a game and id have to go and figure it out.
Since I don’t have to do that anymore I miss so many basketball games.
I think pep band just an energy thing. It’s not so much for the players, but it’s for the fans. Obviously having fans that are super excited about something is a lot more impactful for the players. I think it’s an extension of the noise that the fans bring for players in crucial moments.