Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, Eric Snell: Humdrum hero

Barry Faulkner

Nevermind watching him play. Simply talk with Corona del Mar High

senior Eric Snell for a short time and it becomes clear his hardwood

heroes are not Jason Williams, Allen Iverson or Jason Kidd.

Snell’s basketball clone doesn’t play on the playgrounds, but rather

somewhere on a rural Midwestern farm, where the side of a barn bounces

the ball back toward a solitary shooter after it arcs through a netless

rim.

In an age of head bands, XXXL shorts, high black socks and low

tolerance for the mundane, Snell is not merely old school -- he’s

one-room schoolhouse.

“I wouldn’t consider him real flashy,” said veteran CdM Coach Paul

Orris, who could try the rest of the millennium and not come up with a

bigger understatement. “But he gets the job done. And there are a lot of

different ways to get to that end result.”

Snell’s way includes dependable defense, sensible shot selection and

effort as consistent as the silent pauses in his conversation.

“He’s a quiet kid, who doesn’t say much,” Orris said. “But he is a

great listener. Even when he may get down or frustrated, because of all

that we ask him to do, he’ll take a breath and listen to me, then try and

execute to the best of his ability.”

Until this season, Snell’s ability was camouflaged by a collection of

older, supremely talented teammates, who rendered him what Orris called

“my defensive stopper.”

But, in his third varsity season, and as the lone returning starter

off last year’s 23-8 Pacific Coast League champion and Division III state

regional quarterfinalist, he has emerged as the leading scorer for the

3-7 Sea Kings.

He averaged more than 15 points in five games last week at the North

Orange County Tournament to earn Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week honors.

His 12.5 scoring average leads the team.

Snell’s 77 points in the tournament represent nearly half the 130 he’d

collected in 45 games as an inconspicuous contributor the last two

campaigns. He has scored in double figures seven times this season, a

feat he managed just once the previous two seasons.

“He’s gone from a part-time player as a sophomore, to a starter and

role player last year, to one of the main guys, if not the main guy this

season,” Orris said. “We ask him to do a lot.”

Orris said he is regularly assigned to guard the opponent’s top guard

or forward. He also handles a large portion of the ball handling, while

shouldering the scoring load.

“I was looking to be more aggressive this year,” said the 6-foot-1,

180-pounder, who also excels in football (as an All-PCL safety) and

baseball (a .370 hitter who earned All-Newport-Mesa District recognition

last spring). “

Most of his points come on perimeter jump shots, but Orris said his

physical strength, unusually abundant for a guard, will also allow him to

post up backcourt rivals.

“I get most of my shots from our offense,” said Snell, whose idea of a

trick shot would likely be a bank from the top of the key. “I worked on

my shooting a lot over the summer and I think I improved a lot.”

Snell, who also believes leadership is something he needs to provide,

said the facet of the game he is now striving most to improve is his

team’s record.

“We have a long way to go and I’m not satisfied yet,” Snell said. “It

doesn’t matter how many points I’m scoring. As long as we’re improving as

a team and getting some wins, I’ll be satisfied.”