When Kirk Snyder answers the hotel telephone and hears an unfamiliar voice, he usually knows what the person wants. It's another agent, hoping to sign the athletic junior and, as Snyder puts it, "trying to get in my pocket."
The University of Nevada star is flattered by the attention, but the hounding also becomes tiresome. At least twice this season Snyder has changed his cell phone number. And on recent road trips, he said, his coach has registered Snyder under a different name to make it harder for agents to find him.
That Nevada has a player garnering such attention illustrates how far the program has come. The Wolf Pack reached the round of 16 for the first time last weekend and is the only West Coast team still playing in the NCAA tournament. Nevada, a No. 10 seed, will play Georgia Tech on Friday in St. Louis.
Reno, which bills itself as "the biggest little city in the world," is abuzz over a team that had not been in the NCAA tournament since 1985. Players said they were treated like celebrities Monday on the campus that sits some 4,000 feet above sea level and just east of the lightly snowcapped Sierra mountains.
"This is the biggest thing to happen to this town," said Nevada senior Julie Kass, "since the 1997 flood. Our school definitely needed it because our football program was down, morale was down. Anyone who was just a little bit of a fan is now a huge fan."
A crowd of autograph-seeking fans packed Reno-Tahoe International Airport on Sunday night after the Wolf Pack ousted second-seeded Gonzaga. The school's sports information director fielded at least 50 telephone calls from media before noon on Monday. Television stations filmed women dancing in navy blue and silver shoes.
"This," Mayor Robert Cashell said, "is our day in the sun."
For years, Nevada-Las Vegas was the state's premier basketball program. The Runnin' Rebels reached three Final Fours in five years in the late 1980s and early '90s.
"It's frustrating to a certain extent," Nevada senior guard Garry Hill-Thomas said Monday. "UNLV earned all the credit they deserved. This is a beginning of a new era for this school, this program. . . . We're trying to make a name for ourselves and this is a great way to start."
The Wolf Pack's makeup is a stark contrast from that of the high-profile recruiting classes former UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian signed. Three Nevada starters — Snyder, guard Todd Okeson and forward Kevinn Pinkney — were lightly recruited by Division I schools. Coach Trent Johnson took over an eight-win team five seasons ago and "built this program from the bottom up," university president John Lilley said Monday.
Snyder's ascension has been the key to Nevada's school-record 25-win season. The 6-foot-6 guard has demonstrated deft passing ability and versatility — he can play at least three positions — while averaging 19 points per game.
In an attempt to limit distractions, Johnson has curtailed media access to Snyder at times during the season. Snyder acknowledged that if he knows he will be a first-round NBA draft pick it will be difficult to turn the opportunity down, although he plans to consider his options after the season and consult with friend and NBA player Desmond Mason.
Snyder was raised in Upland, Calif., by his mother, who taught him everything from how to jump stop to how to square up to the basket. He didn't play in a top Amateur Athletic Union program, nor did he attend Nike or Adidas summer all-American camps, Nevada associate head coach Mark Fox said.
Top schools were reluctant to recruit him because of his academic status, so Snyder took visits to only Nevada, Boise State and Saint Louis. After signing with Nevada and falling short of a qualifying SAT score, Snyder enrolled as a part-time student in fall of 2001 and had a job "moving pipes," he said. "It humbles you quick." He retook the test, qualified and became eligible after the fall semester.
The coaching staff did not know the caliber of player it had until that January, when the Wolf Pack hosted a Fresno State team that featured two future NBA players. An 18-year-old Snyder made a teardrop 22-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Bulldogs. The shot, Snyder said, gave him the confidence that he carries today.
But the Wolf Pack, which finished 17-13 that season, was still a work in progress. Looking to strengthen a back court that had more turnovers than assists, Johnson signed Okeson, a point guard out of Dodge City (Kan.) Community College who appeared too skinny to be effective. Okeson, who wasn't recruited by a Division I school out of high school, has been the team's steadying force.
"I compare him to John Stockton," assistant David Carter said. "John was very similar in body size in college. When he got to the NBA, he took a lot of charges and took a lot of hits, too."
Johnson also found unexpected talents in Pinkney and Hill-Thomas, once an erratic, overly aggressive guard who has developed into a top defensive stopper. "We've got some guys nobody wanted," Fox said.
Nevada dropped three of its first five games this season, though it did stay close to then-No. 1 Connecticut on the road. The breakthrough came Dec. 21, when the Wolf Pack surged to a 20-point halftime lead against Kansas in Reno and cruised to a 75-61 victory.
After committing itself to defense during the season, the team has chemistry and confidence. And players aren't too enthused about being called the new Cinderella, or the new Gonzaga.
"I don't know about the new Gonzaga," Hill-Thomas said. "We're the new Nevada."
