BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
"Heckling Piccolo" of the Alabama basketball pep band is here in Pittsburgh.
She plays the smallest instrument, but has the loudest voice.
Her mission is to make Alabama's NCAA Tournament opponents miserable.
She's obnoxious, but in a good way. Like, seriously, she has no chill.
Heckling Piccolo is March Madness personified, and she represents what's so perfect about the most thrilling competition in American sports, the NCAA Tournament. It's a little crazy, but a lot of fun. Heckling Piccolo's name is Ansley Frachiseur, and she's a senior music administration major at Alabama. She's just a kid from L.A. (Panama City, Fla.), who is empowered by her piccolo and love for Alabama hoops. Her goal in life at this exact moment is "to be a meme before I graduate."
On Wednesday during Alabama's final practice before the NCAA Tournament, Heckling Piccolo was a raging lunatic. Of course she couldn't contain herself when Lou DeNeen walked by the pep band. She had to say something. She always says something.
That's her thing. She Alabama's self-appointed "Heckling Piccolo."
DeNeen is the Alabama staffer who bumped shoulders with Auburn coach Bruce Pearl after Alabama's blowout victory against its rival in the SEC Tournament. He's kind of a folk hero among Crimson Tide fans these days, and the kids on the pep band are the biggest fans of all. And the loudest. And the wittiest.
And in an empty arena on a practice day before the NCAA Tournament, they kind of stick out.
DeNeen starts every practice for Alabama with runs and stretches, and then cheers and claps from the sidelines.
Habitually clapping as strength and conditioning coaches often do, DeNeen worked his way around the court inside PPG Paints Arena until he was standing on the baseline and in front of the pep band. DeNeen fisted bumped Alabama's band director, and then, directly into his right ear, the loudest voice in the arena screamed at the top of her lungs.
"You took down Bruce Pearl!" screamed Heckling Piccolo.
The entire pep band cheered and laughed, and DeNeen slowly walked away, clapping all the while, trying not to be embarrassed by his school's own pep band. At that point, it was my duty as a journalist to interview Heckling Piccolo and share her energy with readers.
College basketball enters this NCAA Tournament under intense national scrutiny. Money has corrupted the sport, and, with an FBI investigation digging into all of college basketball's dark corners, its authenticity feels a little like pro wrestling. There's nothing fake about Heckling Piccolo, though. She stays true to the game.
"I am the Heckling Piccolo," Frachiseur said. "I learn hometowns, middle names, majors, amounts of siblings, fun facts, everything."
Alabama plays Virginia Tech at 8:20 p.m. CT on Thursday in both team's opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and Heckling Piccolo is ready. Yeah, she can play a mean piccolo, but that's only half of her superpowers.
She's also really good at getting the attention of opposing players.
"I never use profanity," said Heckling Piccolo. "I never cuss, or nothing like that."
She keeps it clean, but she gets personal. The Heckling Piccolo does her research. She knows Kentucky star Wenyen Gabriel likes Japanese anime, for example.
"I asked him if he plays Pokemon Go, and he didn't appreciate that very much," Heckling Piccolo said. "He just glared at me."
Her favorite taunt is to ask players about their majors. Kentucky's P.J. Washington didn't like that, apparently.
"He hated me after warm ups," Heckling Piccolo said.
Heckling Piccolo lost her voice during Alabama's loss to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, but her pipes are back. What does she have ready for Virginia Tech?
"Justin Robinson, he's No.5," Heckling Piccolo said. "He looks like Oscar the fish from 'Shark Tale.' I made a thing already."
"Made a thing" means Heckling Piccolo has already put something on Twitter about Robinson. Yes, Heckling Piccolo has a Twitter account.
Alabama's official position on its pep band heckling opponents is "Roll Tide."
"Make sure you include that our witty banter is always respectful, Disney-esque, light-hearted humor," said Neal Flum, Alabama's director of pep bands.
"Sportsmanship personified."
Yeah, OK.
Flum wanted me to write about all the engineering majors in his pep band. They take great pride in that at Alabama. It's a real smart bunch, apparently. Of course, that's about the time in the interview when Heckling Piccolo told me she brought Tide pods with her to Pittsburgh.
Why, exactly, did she do that?
To eat them. Duh. Roll Tide.
Seriously, though. It's tough majoring in electrical engineering and being in the band, but kids like Evan Watkins manage it just fine. Watkins is from Columbus, Ind., so he knows all about the oddball culture of postseason college basketball.
"It feels like our taunts have a more direct impact on the action," he said.
He loves playing in the Million Dollar Band (Alabama's football marching band), but there's nothing like standing on the baseline during a NCAA Tournament and yucking it up for the crowd. Alabama's players aren't the only students enjoying this ride.
Watkins wants Heckling Piccolo to realize her dream this weekend and be "memed" by the Internet, as the kids like to say. Characters like Heckling Piccolo are what helps make the NCAA Tournament a one-of-kind event among America's sea of sports entertainment. Of course, one bad shooting night by Alabama's Collin Sexton, and Heckling Piccolo will be playing a different tune. Just ask Villanova's Crying Piccolo.
Meet Alabama's loudest fan at the NCAA Tournament, the 'Heckling Piccolo'
She plays the smallest instrument, but has the loudest voice.
Her mission is to make Alabama's NCAA Tournament opponents miserable.
She's obnoxious, but in a good way. Like, seriously, she has no chill.
Heckling Piccolo is March Madness personified, and she represents what's so perfect about the most thrilling competition in American sports, the NCAA Tournament. It's a little crazy, but a lot of fun. Heckling Piccolo's name is Ansley Frachiseur, and she's a senior music administration major at Alabama. She's just a kid from L.A. (Panama City, Fla.), who is empowered by her piccolo and love for Alabama hoops. Her goal in life at this exact moment is "to be a meme before I graduate."
On Wednesday during Alabama's final practice before the NCAA Tournament, Heckling Piccolo was a raging lunatic. Of course she couldn't contain herself when Lou DeNeen walked by the pep band. She had to say something. She always says something.
That's her thing. She Alabama's self-appointed "Heckling Piccolo."
DeNeen is the Alabama staffer who bumped shoulders with Auburn coach Bruce Pearl after Alabama's blowout victory against its rival in the SEC Tournament. He's kind of a folk hero among Crimson Tide fans these days, and the kids on the pep band are the biggest fans of all. And the loudest. And the wittiest.
And in an empty arena on a practice day before the NCAA Tournament, they kind of stick out.
DeNeen starts every practice for Alabama with runs and stretches, and then cheers and claps from the sidelines.
Habitually clapping as strength and conditioning coaches often do, DeNeen worked his way around the court inside PPG Paints Arena until he was standing on the baseline and in front of the pep band. DeNeen fisted bumped Alabama's band director, and then, directly into his right ear, the loudest voice in the arena screamed at the top of her lungs.
"You took down Bruce Pearl!" screamed Heckling Piccolo.
The entire pep band cheered and laughed, and DeNeen slowly walked away, clapping all the while, trying not to be embarrassed by his school's own pep band. At that point, it was my duty as a journalist to interview Heckling Piccolo and share her energy with readers.
College basketball enters this NCAA Tournament under intense national scrutiny. Money has corrupted the sport, and, with an FBI investigation digging into all of college basketball's dark corners, its authenticity feels a little like pro wrestling. There's nothing fake about Heckling Piccolo, though. She stays true to the game.
"I am the Heckling Piccolo," Frachiseur said. "I learn hometowns, middle names, majors, amounts of siblings, fun facts, everything."
Alabama plays Virginia Tech at 8:20 p.m. CT on Thursday in both team's opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and Heckling Piccolo is ready. Yeah, she can play a mean piccolo, but that's only half of her superpowers.
She's also really good at getting the attention of opposing players.
"I never use profanity," said Heckling Piccolo. "I never cuss, or nothing like that."
She keeps it clean, but she gets personal. The Heckling Piccolo does her research. She knows Kentucky star Wenyen Gabriel likes Japanese anime, for example.
"I asked him if he plays Pokemon Go, and he didn't appreciate that very much," Heckling Piccolo said. "He just glared at me."
Her favorite taunt is to ask players about their majors. Kentucky's P.J. Washington didn't like that, apparently.
"He hated me after warm ups," Heckling Piccolo said.
Heckling Piccolo lost her voice during Alabama's loss to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, but her pipes are back. What does she have ready for Virginia Tech?
"Justin Robinson, he's No.5," Heckling Piccolo said. "He looks like Oscar the fish from 'Shark Tale.' I made a thing already."
"Made a thing" means Heckling Piccolo has already put something on Twitter about Robinson. Yes, Heckling Piccolo has a Twitter account.
Alabama's official position on its pep band heckling opponents is "Roll Tide."
"Make sure you include that our witty banter is always respectful, Disney-esque, light-hearted humor," said Neal Flum, Alabama's director of pep bands.
"Sportsmanship personified."
Yeah, OK.
Flum wanted me to write about all the engineering majors in his pep band. They take great pride in that at Alabama. It's a real smart bunch, apparently. Of course, that's about the time in the interview when Heckling Piccolo told me she brought Tide pods with her to Pittsburgh.
Why, exactly, did she do that?
To eat them. Duh. Roll Tide.
Seriously, though. It's tough majoring in electrical engineering and being in the band, but kids like Evan Watkins manage it just fine. Watkins is from Columbus, Ind., so he knows all about the oddball culture of postseason college basketball.
"It feels like our taunts have a more direct impact on the action," he said.
He loves playing in the Million Dollar Band (Alabama's football marching band), but there's nothing like standing on the baseline during a NCAA Tournament and yucking it up for the crowd. Alabama's players aren't the only students enjoying this ride.
Watkins wants Heckling Piccolo to realize her dream this weekend and be "memed" by the Internet, as the kids like to say. Characters like Heckling Piccolo are what helps make the NCAA Tournament a one-of-kind event among America's sea of sports entertainment. Of course, one bad shooting night by Alabama's Collin Sexton, and Heckling Piccolo will be playing a different tune. Just ask Villanova's Crying Piccolo.
Meet Alabama's loudest fan at the NCAA Tournament, the 'Heckling Piccolo'
