Former EWU men’s basketball player Alvin Snow was the source of a number of “firsts” during his four years with the Eagles.

Team-wise, Snow was a main cog in the program’s first-ever berths in the NCAA Tournament (2004) as well as the National Invitation Tournament (2003). The team won 69 games in his time, and was a league-best 41-17 in Big Sky play. The Eagles never finished below second place in the Big Sky regular season or the conference tournament.

As a player, Snow became the first basketball All-American at the NCAA Division I level with an honorable mention from the Associated Press in 2004. Snow was also the program’s first Big Sky MVP (2004) and was the Big Sky’s inaugural Defensive Player of the Year in 2002.

When he was a senior, Snow became the first player to lead EWU in scoring, rebounding and assists in the same season. With 1,396 points, he became the school’s all-time leading scorer, and currently ranks ninth.

“My time at Eastern was amazing,” Snow recently told The Easterner. “On an individual, personal level, I had to learn to play the game a little differently than where I come from. So that prepared me for the professional level. And I’m grateful for that.”

After four years at EWU, Snow played 10 years professionally, including domestic stops such as the Continental Basketball Association and the NBA Developmental League. But his main experience in the pro ranks came overseas, as he played in Poland, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Israel, Cyprus, Slovenia, Ukraine and Kosovo.

Snow was largely on one-year deals continuing to move up to better quality teams and leagues nearly every year. As he continued to excel, the more money, opportunity and exposure became available to him. In 2014, he decided he needed a fresh start, but not before reflecting on his time playing professionally.

“The game’s been so good to me,” said Snow. “I’ve been fortunate enough to go to 30 countries just playing basketball […] I value my time overseas probably more than I value money. Like, I feel wealthy because of the experiences I had there.”

When Snow retired from playing basketball, he was unsure what he wanted to do. He considered all sorts of things, even contemplating becoming a fireman. But in the end, he decided to become a sports agent.

“All my relationships were in basketball and it just made more sense for me to do this,” said Snow. “And I can help more people doing this. And that’s my passion, so it made kind of sense and I feel great about doing it.”

Snow currently works out of Seattle for Worldwide Sports Management, where he represents 16 players, including EWU-product Jacob Wiley. As a graduate transfer, Wiley spent a lone season with the Eagles in 2016-17. He was named the Big Sky Conference MVP and an honorable mention All-American.

Now, Wiley is a two-way player for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. Two-way contracts are a new aspect this season, in which franchises can have a pair of players that move fluidly between the NBA and the team’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

Each individual player can spend 45 days with the NBA squad before the team has to make a decision on whether to keep them “up” or spend the rest of the season down in the G League.

So far, Wiley has spent a number of days with the NBA’s Nets, including notching four points, eight rebounds and a block in 21 minutes against the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 7.

“Every day is different,” said Snow. “I didn’t expect him to play this much, but he is. They’re really high on him. They’re really happy with what he’s done and the growth he’s had in the short time he’s been there.”

The one aspect Snow said will be particularly difficult is staying focused when moving between the NBA and the G League. But his advice to Wiley is simple: Do not worry about the uncontrollable. Take care of what you can, and the rest will take care of itself.

Aside from Wiley, Snow represents multiple other former Big Sky players, including Montana products Kareem Jamar, Martin Breunig and Jordan Gregory.

“Not only does it it mean a little extra to represent a former Eagle, it means a lot to me to represent guys from the Big Sky in general,” said Snow. “I find us to be kind of underdogs […] But we just ended up where we ended up […] I want to help as many guys as I can.”

As it turns out, Snow has connections to the current team as well. First-year head coach Shantay Legans and Snow first played against each other in AAU basketball, and also faced off when Legans played for the University of California.

Now, Snow is an example for Legans to show his players what can happen with hard work.

“What he’s doing now is great,” said Legans. “He’s helping the community back home. But he also helps the guys here, and he helps the guys throughout the Big Sky […] He’s doing a good job of finding guys and [helping] them fulfill their dreams.”