Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame

Alvin Snow had professional basketball stops all across the world in the past 15 years, but he's once again finding time to make his rounds in the Big Sky Conference.
 
The groundbreaking former Eastern Washington University men's basketball player will become a member of the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame after he was informed this week of the honor by his former head coach, Ray Giacoletti.
 
Eastern's first basketball All-American at the NCAA Division I level – and the school's first Big Sky Conference MVP in the sport – Snow has been invited back for the 18th induction taking place on Sept. 22. Snow will be at Friday's (Jan. 12) Eastern versus Idaho basketball doubleheader, and will be introduced to the crowd in the second half. At halftime he will be interviewed by SWX and via the Eagle radio game broadcast.
 
"Alvin was the first guy to buy into what we were doing here," said Giacoletti of the four seasons they spent together at EWU from 2000-2004. "He was a mainstay here, and was kind of the heart and soul of our team. His versatility and all the things he contributed is what separated him from other players and earned him the honors he received."
 
Bringing an incredible competitive fire and drive with him from Franklin High School in Seattle, Wash., Snow helped Eastern win 69 games with a NIT appearance in 2003 followed by the school's first Big Sky Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2004. He had 1,396 points, 212 steals and 318 assists in 118 games as an Eagle and was one of just 17 players in league history (now 20) to win first team All-Big Sky honors three seasons. He was the league's MVP in 2004 when he earned honorable mention All-America honors, and was also the league's 2002 Defensive Player of the Year.
 
"My time at Eastern was amazing," Snow told the Easterner student newspaper earlier this winter. "On an individual, personal level, I had to learn to play the game a little differently than where I came from. So that prepared me for the professional level. And I'm grateful for that."
 
He played professionally for more than 10 years, and he works in Seattle is a player representative for Worldwide Sports Management. His mission is to carry out the tradition of his hometown and home state, while finding unique ways to help kids and adults alike to push for greatness and elevate themselves and each other. He currently represents several former Big Sky players, including former Eagle Jacob Wiley now with the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA and the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League.
 
Snow credits his mother, Sherri Charleston, for being his inspiration throughout his life on and off the basketball court. Plus, he calls his 4-year-old son, Christian Snow, his motivation to "work daily towards becoming the greatest version of myself that I can."
 
More individual and team inductees will be announced later this winter and spring. The induction breakfast and ceremony is expected to start at approximately 8 a.m. on Sept. 22 at Reese Court in Cheney, and the public is invited to attend at a cost of $20 per person. Guests must register via a link that will be available later in July at http://goeags.com/HOF. Inductees will also be honored at halftime of EWU's football game against Cal Poly later that day (kickoff is TBA).
 
Established in 1996, the Hall of Fame currently consists of 83 individuals and 15 teams. In addition, there have also been 19 individuals and one organization honored as recipients of the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame Service and Contribution Award. All of the inductees and induction classes may be viewed at: http://goeags.com/HOF.
 
 

Alvin Snow (Athlete/Basketball)

Alvin Snow became EWU's first basketball All-American after 22 years at the NCAA Division I level when he received honorable mention All-America Mention from Associated Press in 2004. Snow became the first Eastern player and just the 17th in the first 41 years of the Big Sky Conference to earn first team All-Big Sky Conference three times (now 20 total through 54 league seasons). He was the Big Sky MVP in the 2003-04 season (the first such honor for an EWU player) and was the league's inaugural Defensive Player of the Year in the 2001-02 season. He helped Eastern to its first-ever berths in the NCAA Tournament (2004) and National Invitation Tournament (2003). He led EWU to 69 victories in four seasons, including a league-best 41-17 record in the Big Sky Conference. He was honored on four all-tournament teams during his time as an Eagle, including his last two Big Sky Tournaments. In addition, he was Big Sky Conference Player of the Week five times. Snow finished with 212 career steals, and at the time ranked sixth in league history (eighth through the 2016-17 season) and second all-time at EWU (remains second through 2016-17). He's the only player in school history to lead the team in steals four-straight seasons. As a senior he became the first player to lead Eastern in scoring, rebounding and assists in the same season, and led in steals as well. With 1,396 career points, he became the school's all-time leading scorer at the NCAA Division I level (22 seasons), and currently ranks ninth in school history (through the 2017-18 season). His 318 assists were the most for the Eagles in 14 seasons, and ranked seventh at the time in EWU history (now eighth). A finalist for Inland Northwest Amateur Male Athlete of the Year, he went on to a more than 10-year professional career that included stops domestically in the Continental Basketball Association and the early stages of the NBA Developmental League. He also played internationally in Poland, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Israel, Cyprus, Slovenia, Ukraine and Kosovo. He now works out of Seattle for Worldwide Sports Management, and he currently represents former Eagle Jacob Wiley. Wiley wasn't picked in the 2017 National Basketball Association Draft, but signed a two-way contract to play in 2017-18 with the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA and the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League.