Not looking back

Kyle Snavely has gone from being a work-in-progress to the work horse for the Siloam Springs boys basketball team.

In three years with the Panthers, Snavely has grown from a gangly newcomer, who was still adjusting to his body and new found height, to a dominant post player in the 7A/6A-Central Conference.

Heading into Tuesday's 6A game against Greenwood, Snavely was leading the Panthers in both scoring (17 points per game) and rebounding (8.9 rebounds per game), all the while leading his team to a tie for first place in conference play.

"Guys mature at different rates, not just basketball-wise but physically," said Siloam Springs head coach Tim Stewart. "Kyle's been a steady climb since he's been here. It's all starting to come together on the court with the skill and the athleticism. "He's really been able to certain games just take over and be our main focal point on both ends of the floor."

Snavely wasn't always this way though. It's taken hard work on the court and in the weight room during the offseasons and summers to get where he's at. And his coaches believe he still has plenty of room to improve, even as the Panthers (15-6, 6-2) chase a conference championship.

"He's come so far and I think really two years from now he'll be that much better," Stewart said. "It's not going to stop anytime soon."

Tough decision

Following a successful ninth-grade season at Springdale Central, Snavely faced a crossroads for his academic and basketball future.

On the one hand, he could continue on in the Springdale School District where he'd gone to school his whole life, had tons of friends and start his sophomore season at Springdale Har-Ber.

The other option was to transfer to Siloam Springs, where both of his parents were employed by Siloam Springs School District -- his dad, Kevin as vice principal at Siloam Springs High School and his mom, Deanna as the school's library media center assistant.

"It was pretty tough because I wanted to come to Siloam because of my parents, but I wanted to stay in Springdale because of my friends," Kyle Snavely said. "And I always grew up in Springdale, so I knew what that was like."

Then there was the basketball to consider as well.

Snavely had just been a part of a Springdale Central team that advanced to the Junior High Regional Tournament, and he had scored a season-high 13 points against Fort Smith Kimmons in an opening round loss.

Har-Ber was going through a coaching transition with Adam Simmons having resigned and new coach Scott Bowlin arriving after winning state championships at Greene County Tech.

From a coaching standpoint, Snavely had enjoyed the time he spent with Simmons at Har-Ber, but he also liked Stewart.

Snavely said he talked to lots of people about what to do, including his sister Kathryn, who told him that if it wasn't her senior year at Har-Ber she would have also made the move to Siloam Springs because it was a great school.

"I just thought about it, prayed about it, and finally just decided to come to Siloam and never looked back after that," Snavely said.

'Fit in perfectly'

When Snavely transferred to Siloam Springs, there were a lot of unknowns about his basketball skills.

"We didn't know much about Kyle at the time," Stewart said. "We had seem him play. ... Kyle was one of those guys that had grown quick and was a little bit awkward, but even at the time had a good work ethic. You could tell he played hard. You could see the determination in how he carried himself, but (he still had) a lot of work to do."

Stewart said they could tell immediately that Snavely was a good kid who worked hard and was coachable. At 6-foot-5 and weighing around 195 to 200 pounds, he became a project for strength and conditioning coach Chris Cameron.

His teammates remember this time as well.

"When he first got here, the first thing we all said was he looks like an uncoordinated, baby giraffe running around the court," senior teammate Kyle Comiskey said. It's hard to make those jokes now because he's turned into a really good basketball player."

Comiskey said the team accepted Snavely into their locker room immediately.

"He fit in perfectly," Comiskey said. "From day one we accepted him as our brother, and we loved him. I don't know that there could have been a better fit for our program than Snaves."

Steady climb

As a sophomore, Snavely saw very little varsity action with the Panthers, scoring a total of 18 points.

The following summer, Snavely spent time working with local basketball coach Conley Clarke, working on various basketball skills, including ball-handling, posting up and shooting. He also worked with Cameron on getting on a weight program and eating right.

As a junior, the difference was night and day for Snavely, who wound up leading the Panthers in scoring at 10 points per game.

Now standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 220 pounds, Snavely appeared prime for a big senior season for Siloam Springs.

"Coming into this year, we had talked about if he could give us 15 (points) and 10 (rebounds), that would be a huge boost for us," Stewart said. "He's well surpassed that."

Snavely has scored in double figures in 18 of the Panthers' 21 games, including a season-high of 30 points in a 70-58 win against Bryant on Jan. 29. He's also had a pair of 27-point games and scored more than 20 points in eight games.

"The offense goes through Snaves," Comiskey said. "If Snaves is playing good, our offense is doing good. Without Snaves we wouldn't have a big man, and therefore I don't think our offense would be near as good or efficient as it has been."

A senior leader

Snavely has been contributing beyond the scoreboard too. He leads the team with 186 rebounds and 44 blocked shots along with 32 assists and 31 steals.

"I just want to play as hard as I can, get every rebound that I can and try not to foul out, which I used to do a lot," Snavely said. "I just try to stay in the game and do what's best for my team. If my shot's not falling I don't shoot it. I'll pass it out and trust that they'll make it."

Stewart said Snavely has an unselfish attitude on the court.

"Kyle fits that mold that the other players on the team do," Stewart said. "It's not all about Kyle and it's not about any one player. He's going to do whatever it takes for the team to be successful."

Snavely is also a team co-captain along with Comiskey.

"I think through the seniors -- Kyle included and through his leadership -- that (attitude has) kind of flowed downhill to everybody, and now we have this group that really enjoys playing together and they share the ball," Stewart said. "They play hard for each other more than trying to get their selfish points or this or that. That's a big credit to the senior group and to Kyle and what they bring to the table."

It's been a fun and entertaining season so far for the Panthers, who finished 11-16 last year and lost nine straight to end the season.

Expectations outside of Siloam Springs weren't real high for the Panthers, but a 6-2 start in conference play has been a pleasant surprise.

"I knew that we'd be good as a team because we play well together," Snavely said. "It's pretty interesting to see how far we've come as a team."

Snavely hopes there's more down the road for the Panthers.

"The goal is to win state," he said. "I'd love to win state."