SE: Sneed Doing Little Things to Create Big Impact for K-State MBB
Feb 21, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
There was a time when K-State's Xavier Sneed would miss shots, become frustrated and, as a result, lose some focus on the other ways he can help his team. If Sneed's recent play is any indication, those times are a thing of the past.
In K-State's last five games, Sneed has averaged 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 45.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Sneed's biggest sign of growth, however, was in K-State's win at Oklahoma State when he went 1-for-4 from 3-point range. The St. Louis, Missouri, native still finished with 13 points, fueled by going 4-of-4 from inside the arc. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds and provided lockdown defense against the Cowboys' Jeffrey Carroll, who finished with 13 points on 4-of-11 from the field and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
"If it's not falling, I'm doing other things like getting rebounds, stops, anything to help the team win," Sneed said, as K-State (19-8, 8-6) hosts Texas (16-11, 6-8) on Wednesday at 8 p.m., on ESPNU. "It's big, if the shot's not falling, to stay active and be productive on the court."
K-State's defensive "stopper" used to be a title automatically given to junior guard Barry Brown, the school's single-season record holder for steals. Lately, however, it's been Sneed.
In a road win at Texas, Sneed recorded four steals. After making life tough on Oklahoma State's Carroll, the 6-foot-5 Wildcat limited one of Iowa State's top scorers in Donovan Jackson to 13 points on 3-of-12 from the field.
"I thrive off defense, as well as the team, especially during this time of the season," Sneed said. "Defense wins championships and that's what we're trying to do, get us a championship still in the Big 12 Tournament. It just brings us energy as well, so that's just what I keep thriving off of."
Offensively, Sneed hit a rough patch a few weeks ago. In a three-game stretch, he averaged 7.4 points and shot 22 percent (4-of-18) from beyond the arc. Unlike last season when he hit the proverbial "freshman wall," Sneed was able to return to form this time around.
"That's all part of the process and getting better. Xavier's improved his game from a year ago," K-State head coach Bruce Weber said. "Xavier did some good things last year, and he hit a little bit of a wall. He's done better things this year. He's hit some lulls but I don't think he's hit a wall."
To avoid the wall this time around, Sneed said he simply went "back to the basics." He's also tried to commit more to attacking the basket. Both have paid off, as he has made 10-of-14 from inside the arc and 14-of-31 from beyond it in K-State's last five games.
"I think he's just a stronger, smarter player, all around. He's matured so much since last year. He'll miss a couple shots here and there but he understands that you're going to miss shots in games, so his confidence isn't really wavering," K-State junior Dean Wade said. "He's playing with great energy defensively. He's knocking down shots. He's playing at an all-around high level and we need him to do that and keep going like that. As long as he plays confident and is aggressive the whole game, I think we'll be fine."
Weber said he liked seeing Sneed put up 17 points on Saturday against Iowa State, but enjoyed the sophomore's seven rebounds, two steals and defensive dedication even more.
"I think a key is that he does all the other stuff," Weber said. "All those other things are important. The scoring will come. I think that's got to be his mindset here down the finish."
Sneed said he understands his role better than ever and knows that making 3-pointers is one small part of it.
"I just bring a lot of energy to the team. That's what I like to bring," he said. "A lot of others thrive off of that, so I just need to keep bringing that every day."
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There was a time when K-State's Xavier Sneed would miss shots, become frustrated and, as a result, lose some focus on the other ways he can help his team. If Sneed's recent play is any indication, those times are a thing of the past.
In K-State's last five games, Sneed has averaged 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 45.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Sneed's biggest sign of growth, however, was in K-State's win at Oklahoma State when he went 1-for-4 from 3-point range. The St. Louis, Missouri, native still finished with 13 points, fueled by going 4-of-4 from inside the arc. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds and provided lockdown defense against the Cowboys' Jeffrey Carroll, who finished with 13 points on 4-of-11 from the field and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
"If it's not falling, I'm doing other things like getting rebounds, stops, anything to help the team win," Sneed said, as K-State (19-8, 8-6) hosts Texas (16-11, 6-8) on Wednesday at 8 p.m., on ESPNU. "It's big, if the shot's not falling, to stay active and be productive on the court."
K-State's defensive "stopper" used to be a title automatically given to junior guard Barry Brown, the school's single-season record holder for steals. Lately, however, it's been Sneed.
In a road win at Texas, Sneed recorded four steals. After making life tough on Oklahoma State's Carroll, the 6-foot-5 Wildcat limited one of Iowa State's top scorers in Donovan Jackson to 13 points on 3-of-12 from the field.
"I thrive off defense, as well as the team, especially during this time of the season," Sneed said. "Defense wins championships and that's what we're trying to do, get us a championship still in the Big 12 Tournament. It just brings us energy as well, so that's just what I keep thriving off of."
Offensively, Sneed hit a rough patch a few weeks ago. In a three-game stretch, he averaged 7.4 points and shot 22 percent (4-of-18) from beyond the arc. Unlike last season when he hit the proverbial "freshman wall," Sneed was able to return to form this time around.
"That's all part of the process and getting better. Xavier's improved his game from a year ago," K-State head coach Bruce Weber said. "Xavier did some good things last year, and he hit a little bit of a wall. He's done better things this year. He's hit some lulls but I don't think he's hit a wall."
To avoid the wall this time around, Sneed said he simply went "back to the basics." He's also tried to commit more to attacking the basket. Both have paid off, as he has made 10-of-14 from inside the arc and 14-of-31 from beyond it in K-State's last five games.
"I think he's just a stronger, smarter player, all around. He's matured so much since last year. He'll miss a couple shots here and there but he understands that you're going to miss shots in games, so his confidence isn't really wavering," K-State junior Dean Wade said. "He's playing with great energy defensively. He's knocking down shots. He's playing at an all-around high level and we need him to do that and keep going like that. As long as he plays confident and is aggressive the whole game, I think we'll be fine."
Weber said he liked seeing Sneed put up 17 points on Saturday against Iowa State, but enjoyed the sophomore's seven rebounds, two steals and defensive dedication even more.
"I think a key is that he does all the other stuff," Weber said. "All those other things are important. The scoring will come. I think that's got to be his mindset here down the finish."
Sneed said he understands his role better than ever and knows that making 3-pointers is one small part of it.
"I just bring a lot of energy to the team. That's what I like to bring," he said. "A lot of others thrive off of that, so I just need to keep bringing that every day."
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