Rebecca Snyder takes charge of Emporia women’s basketball – Emporia Gazette

“He taught me a lot of stuff that I’m using in my game right now,” Snyder said. “Rebounding was his favorite thing in basketball and it’s now my favorite thing. He taught me how to spin and a lot of the basic things that I do in my game, which is good.

“His family loves basketball,” added head coach Carolyn Dorsey. “She has a great relationship with her brother. He was a big stud for the boys and he showed up at JV games when she was younger. He watched her in college and when she played in the fall and spring leagues. They just have a cool brother-sister relationship.

Snyder began playing competitive basketball in sixth grade, which she later noted than many of her teammates. Dancing has long been his passion, until “I realized that I fit in better on a basketball court than on a dance floor”.

What most people will probably notice first about Snyder on the court now is his height, standing at 6’0. But when she was younger, Dorsey first noticed her desire to go for the ball.

“We noticed it in middle school,” Dorsey said. “When you’re in the game long enough you see those qualities in kids that stand out and Rebecca’s drive is what we saw. In terms of talent she was raw but she had a nose for the ball and we can’t teach that to some kids.

Snyder logged college minutes as a freshman and was initially intimidated by the environment. But it turned out to be a good experience for her at the start of her second year.

“It was definitely a scary moment, but I feel like that’s what every freshman feels in a college game,” Snyder said. “I think that experience was helpful because I knew what to expect for my sophomore year.”

Growing up at the college level with a group of players who graduated last year helped make Snyder the player and leader she is today. Dorsey credits much of this to the exposure she got early on.

“She was always with the really strong class that graduated last year and she was the young kid, so she was able to take things a little less seriously,” Dorsey said. “But now she’s the main girl and she wears it well. She’s vocal and does a good job with the younger kids. It was fun watching her play that role.

Snyder admitted it took him a while to adjust to being a leader, but embraced it fully.

“It took me a while to realize how much leadership I had to do,” Snyder said. “I was always the youngest at this level. But when I realized that all these girls looked up to me like I did when I was younger, I realized I had to step into that leadership role.

While Dorsey knew there was potential, she didn’t expect Snyder to be the kind of multi-dimensional impact player she has become.

“We’ve seen something in her since she was little, but watching her polish everything, I don’t know if I would have told you that’s where we would have had her,” Dorsey said. “She has an incredible ability to get the ball over the edge that you don’t often see in rebounders. She has such a nose for the ball and then her ability to run on the ground. You watch her take off and she will if she wants to score.

Snyder also plays volleyball and runs for Emporia, but primarily focuses on travel basketball in the spring. The environment is what separates basketball from other sports she has played.

“The environment you get in basketball is so different than you get in any sport I’ve ever played,” Snyder said. “It’s so much fun. My whole family is enjoying it, I’m enjoying it and it seems like everyone around me wants to be there.

Although her focus is on returning to the state tournament and racing, she hopes to play at the next level. Dorsey absolutely believes she can do it.

“I think people would be crazy not to pick her up,” Dorsey said. “She has a good body and a good size. She can run and can move well. She has a tenacity and a will for it and wants to play. I think if you don’t watch it on average 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds] in the Centennial League, you’re going to miss a kid who can really play.