City of Basketball Love

By Justin Procope (@1Procope)
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For a team with a starting five capable of exploding on any given night, finding a spark off the bench to light the fuse is essential if you want to stay hot deep into the season. For the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, they are hoping Aleah Snead can be that spark. 

In her second season with the Hawks, the 5-foot-11 Snead is emerging as a key contributor and a crucial part of the team’s rotation. After a freshman campaign that saw her make 28 appearances with two starts, Snead will be one of the first name called off the bench for head coach Cindy Griffin’s crew. 

“Aleah’s been fabulous”, Griffin said. “Regardless of what position we’re playing her at, perimeter or post, she’s able to adapt to what we need.”

Griffin’s investment in Snead is already paying dividends, as Snead hit her first three shots Wednesday night before finishing with a career-high 14 points, 5 rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot in just 25 minutes in St. Joe’s season-opening, 102-30 win over Division II squad Goldey-Beacom (Del.). 

The diverse skillset that has Griffin so excited were on full display. She was busy in the passing lanes all night and attacked the glass consistently. Offensively, she is decisive, makes smart passes, and never forces anything that isn’t there. 

Snead’s defense is still her calling card and is a big reason why she finds herself in this position, but Griffin is pleased with the all-around growth that she has seen out of her sophomore. As a freshman, Snead averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 28 appearances (two starts).

“She's been able to grow her game outside of the paint from last year to this year, and she's really worked hard on her shot. She's done an unbelievable job. She's a really great passer and she's tenacious on defense, she got a lot of deflections, she’s long and she’s smart,” said Griffin.

Snead’s exciting upside is apparent, evidenced by the 1,000 points she scored for Penn Charter on her way to collecting the Inter-AC MVP for the Quakers. In her first start last season, against Loyola (Chi.), she finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The challenge for Griffin will be tapping into that potential on a nightly basis. 

“I think her ceiling is so high, it's just continuing to find little ways to be able to put her in this spot or that spot,” said Griffin.

“And she always answers, so that's been really awesome.”

“Selfless, Relentless” are the two words stitched on the shoulders of the player’s warmup shirts. Two words that describe Snead’s game and fit with this team perfectly. 

Star power forward Laura Ziegler led the way in dominating fashion, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Her 17 point and 11 rebound first half matched the output of Beacom as a team.

The high-low game with St. Joe’s star bigs Laura Ziegler and Talya Brugler will still be their bread and butter, but the hope is that her expanded role off the bench will allow Griffin to rest her stars more often with the confidence that her team can still survive. 

“It was great you really didn’t see a whole lot of drop off with our second group,” Griffin said. “That’s going to be really important going forward with our depth.”

“We wanted everybody to come in and contribute,” Ziegler added. 

Relying on their second unit is something they weren’t able to do very often last season. After finishing with a program best 28 wins, the Hawks were eliminated from the WBIT quarterfinals by Villanova in a close game that saw their top six play 182 out of a possible 200 minutes. Snead only managed six minutes in that contest. 

With the majority of their superb starting lineup returning, expectations are high once again within the locker room. But for all their talent and recent success, the Hawks haven’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2014. Ziegler is determined to end this season with some silverware, but they know they’ll need to rely on Snead and the rest of their bench to get them over the hump.

“I think that we have a really deep group, you guys saw it today,” Ziegler said. “I think that gives them confidence too and they’ll definitely use it down the line.”

Snead’s not the only player who will look to provide punch off the bench. Freshman Rhian Stokes entered the game alongside Snead and provided solid production in her minutes. The 5-foot-7 guard finished with 10 points and three steals in 19 minutes. 

Vibes are always going to be high after a win, let alone a 72-point win. The real test for Snead and the Hawks starts now as they face a daunting regular season schedule that kicks off with a four-game road trip that includes stops in Syracuse, Villanova, and Utah. 

“It’s going to be a big task for us, but this team is ready,” Griffin said. 

“We have to go out and play the best to be the best. We’ll prepare like we do any other team and we’re excited for the opportunity to play.”

On a team filled with dynamic firepower everywhere you look, Snead’s versatility on both ends of the floor could be just the spark they need.