OPPONENT SPOTLIGH: Snowden no longer overshadowed

There are not too many Division I college basketball players who played second fiddle to someone else in their high school careers. But Harvard star Kyle Snowden faced exactly that situation. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound junior forward, whose average of 11.4 rebounds per contest is currently the nation's sixth-best average, was overshadowed in high school by Carmelo Travieso. Snowden and Travieso, now a starting guard for No. 1 Massachusetts, both attended Thayer Academy in suburban Boston. With two players of Division I caliber, Thayer Academy enjoyed its share of success. In both Snowden's junior and senior years, Thayer captured its league championship. As senior captain in 1993, Snowden helped lead the team to the 1992 New England Prep title. Coming from a history of success, Snowden had a big adjustment to make when he enrolled at Harvard. The year before Snowden arrived in Cambridge, the Crimson posted a miserable 6-20 record. "My mother even told me to get ready to lose some games," Snowden said. Perversely, that lack of success was more an attraction than a repellent when Snowden was choosing schools. Harvard offered the lure of instant playing time, something the other Ivy League programs (Snowden had already narrowed his choices to Ancient Eight schools) could not do. Jumping to the collegiate level required Snowden to give up his other great sporting love -- baseball. A four-year starter in centerfield for Thayer, the three-time all-league selection attracted some major league scouting interest until he made it clear he was headed for college. According to Snowden, baseball teams still occasionally inquire about his future intentions, although he never intends to play again. With baseball in the past, Snowden was free to concentrate on bettering his hardwood game. On the surface, the Harvard system, which utilizes three-guard sets and just two frontcourt players, would not seem to be ideal for a slightly undersized power forward. But Snowden responded to what he called a "baptism of fire" by blossoming into an inside force. In his freshman year, Snowden led all Ivy League freshmen in scoring with 11.4 points per game and was the Crimson's leading rebounder with an average of 7.5 per contest. His field-goal percentage of .545 led the entire conference. Nevertheless, the native of Milton, Mass., lost out on Rookie of the Year honors to Dartmouth forward Sea Lonergan. An ankle injury that sidelined Snowden for two key Ivy League weekends may have been a factor. "Freshman year, I didn't expect it to happen so fast," Snowden said. "I was shocked that I was going to be starting, but it was really helpful because I worked the bugs out of the system." Sophomore year, Snowden consolidated the gains he had made in his rookie season. Having completed the transition from an up-tempo high school system to Harvard's halfcourt approach, he brought his scoring average up to 13.9 ppg (4th in the Ivies) and nudged his rebounds to 7.7 per contest (3rd in the conference). For that, Snowden received second team all-Ivy recognition. In spite of the growing personal success of their its top player, the Harvard program was showing little sign of improvement. Snowden's 1994 arrival coincided with a one-game improvement to 7-19. Last season, the Crimson fell back to 6-20. But this year, things are different along the Charles River. Harvard is off to a 10-6 start and is in third place in the Ivy League with a 4-2 conference start. The renaissance may signal the end of the Crimson's long banishment to the bottom of the conference. Harvard has never won an Ivy championship since the conference was founded in 1957. Look no further than Kyle Snowden for the cause of the turnaround. Through 16 games, he is leading the league in rebounding at 11.4 boards per game, despite measuring in at only six-and-a-half feet. "I think he has great hands and a great feel for the game,"said Penn coach Fran Dunphy, who lost the Snowden recruitment battle. "Some players have the knack for rebounding, and Kyle has the knack." Snowden himself favors a different explanation. "My coaches have stressed the point that I could average double-digits in rebounds," Snowden said. "I bring to the court a lot of intensity." He has also lifted his scoring to 14.9 ppg and has scored in double figures a remarkable 32 games in a row. Add to the mix his quickness on the defensive end of the court, and you have a made-to-order Player of the Year candidate. As the premier player on a rising team, Kyle Snowden does not have to share the spotlight with anyone now.