FORT MYERS, Fla. When Xavier Sneed emerged from Kansas States locker room following the opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday, eight of his biggest fans were waiting for him in matching custom shirts that featured his name, image and number.
Sneed didnt play well that night and the Wildcats suffered a disappointing loss against Pittsburgh, but the 6-foot-5 senior wing with NBA aspirations felt no pain afterward.
Having his family nearby always seems to make everything better.
It definitely does, Sneed said. Knowing they have my back no matter what and always having their support is just great.
Heres the thing: there was nothing special about this postgame reunion. It happens all the time. Seriously. All … the … time.
Whenever Xavier Sneed plays a basketball game, his family is there. It doesnt matter if hes wearing home whites at Bramlage Coliseum, if hes sporting road purples at the Erwin Center in Texas or making baskets at a neutral site in Florida. They follow him everywhere.
Name a college basketball venue and Sneeds family has probably been there in large numbers, sitting behind the K-State bench and wearing matching shirts. Theyve cheered for him as far away as Sacramento and the Virgin Islands.
As Sneed begins his senior year with the Wildcats, he can recall only one time he played without a family member in attendance a December road trip against Washington State when he was a sophomore.
Its a great feeling to know they are always there, Sneed said. I look for them before games and just smile knowing that I get to play in front of them.
LOTS OF families devote time and money to college basketball, but Sneeds support group is special. His parents arent wealthy, nor do they live particularly close to Manhattan, Kan. But they attend more games than most boosters with access to private jets.
Sneeds parents, Erica (web developer) and Anthonie (delivery man), drive 11 hours round trip from their house in St. Louis for every home game, including exhibitions, and they often get creative for road games.
Car, plane, train or bus, Sneeds father, Anthonie, said. You name it and weve done it. About the only thing we havent tried is a boat.
The hardest trip theyve ever made happened when K-State qualified for the NCAA Tournament during Sneeds freshman year. The Wildcats made the field of 68, but they had to win a play-in game in Dayton, Ohio before they earned a spot on the bracket.
So Sneeds family drove from St. Louis to Dayton and watched K-State defeat Wake Forest. Then they took a Greyhound bus to Chicago and a train to the airport so they could board a plane to Sacramento for K-States first-round game against Cincinnati two days later. After that, they flew back to their car and eventually drove home.
