Snow's Job - Eric Snow has become the play-maker for the Philadelphia Seventy-sixers

Philadelphia's point guard has carved a niche for himself in the NBA by understanding his primary task: Get the ball to Iverson

ERIC SNOW IS PART OF A DYING breed, the pass-first point guard who takes more pleasure in hitting the open man than hitting the open jumper.

"I know my role," says Snow, who's entering his third season as Philadelphia's floor general. "I have to the run offense. I have to take care of the ball. I try to get the ball to the open shooter."

More often than not that open shooter, is Allen Iverson, who Snow replaced as the Sixers playmaker before the 1998-99 season. It was a win-win situation. By relinquishing ball-handling duties, Iverson could concentrate more on shot selection. And for Snow, it meant finally cracking the starting five after three seasons on the bench behind first Gary Payton in Seattle and then Iverson.

Not coincidentally, the 76ers have made the playoffs both seasons that Snow has been running the show. Last season, the Sixers finished 49-33, their finest mark in the last decade.

A deft passer, Snow also helps his team by playing attack-dog defense and even occasionally shooting the rock.

"We have some great players like Allen Iverson, Toni Kukoc, Tyrone Hill, and Theo Ratliff who can score," Snow says, "I take my shots within the flow of the game. Overall, I try to help the team win."

Snow was drafted in the second round of the 1995 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and then traded to Seattle. He was languishing on the Sonics' bench when Philadelphia's head coach, Larry Brown, traded a second-round pick to Seattle to acquire Snow. Although he didn't receive a lot of playing time with Seattle, Brown knew he would be a good fit on his team.

"He plays the game the right way," Brown says. "Eric plays great defense. He makes his mall work extremely hard to get open. He hustles all the time. He has a good attitude. Eric does so many things for us.

"He just needed a chance to play on a regular basis. He's a guy who has improved his game each year."

Off the court, Snow has strived to improve the lives of other people. Last season, Snow won the annual NBA Sportsmanship Award for his deeds, which included donating $10 for every assist and steal he made to the Universal Community Homes, a nonprofit community development corporation that builds townhomes for low- and middle-income residents of South Philadelphia.

In addition, Snow, returned home to Canton, Ohio, this summer to donate $12,500 to his Hartford middle school. Snow had the honor of shooting the first two baskets on the renovated basketball court, which now bears the name the Eric Snow Recreational Area. Canton mayor Richard D. Watkins issued a citation in Snow's honor proclaiming June 20, "Eric Snow Day."

Following the 1998-99 season, Snow donated $10,000 to McKinley High School, his alma mater, after winning the Atlantic Division Sportsmanship Award. This year he decided to split the $25,000 award money between his middle school and Philadelphia's Simon Gratz High School, which Snow's teammate and friend, Aaron McKie, attended.

"Aaron is a good friend of mine," Snow says. "I wanted to do something good for his school. He's a great role model. The kids at Simon Gratz should take a good look at Aaron. He's given back to his community. He works hard and carries himself in a professional manner. Hopefully, this award will inspire some kids to do something positive."

After a summer full of the distractive din of Iverson trade rumors, Snow remains focused on making the Sixers better. Philly was eliminated in the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers the last two seasons and Snow says the time has come for the Sixers to turn the corner.

"We have to take the next step," Snow says. "We've come a long way over the last two years. We have a good team. We just have to keep working, play a little harder and concentrate more. That's all it takes to be successful. If we can work together, there's no reason why we can't go further in the playoffs."

In last spring's playoffs, Snow got off to a fast start, tallying 19 points and 13 assists in Game 2 of the first round. But Snow suffered a chip fracture in his right angle, which forced him to miss the rest of the first round and allowed him to see only limited duty in the second round vs. Indiana. Many felt if Snow had been healthy, the Sixers could have beaten the Pacers.

Snow finished his college career second on Michigan State's all-time assists list behind Scott Skiles. In his senior year, Snow ranked fourth in the nation in assists, averaging 7.8 per game. He was also named Big Ten defensive player of the year.

When Michigan State won the national title last spring, Snow couldn't stop grinning. He still follows the Spartans very closely. "I was really happy to see Michigan State go all the way. I really enjoyed watching the game. I was very fortunate to go there. I wanted to play for a Big Ten school. My brother [Percy] played football at Michigan State. He had a good career there. That's another reason why I'm glad I had a chance to go there. I saw how things work out for him."

Snow, 27, finished tenth in the NBA in assists last season (7.6 apg) and 11th in steals (1.71), but he says he's not interested in any personal achievements. The only thing that matters for him is the ultimate prize. "I've already won awards," Snow said. "I've done a lot of things during my five years in the league. The thing I want is an NBA championship. That's the ultimate for me. Other than that, everything else is secondary."

Player File: Eric Snow

Position: Point guard

Birthdate: April 24, 1973

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 204

College: Michigan State

Drafted: Milwaukee, second round (42nd overall), 1995

Career Statistics

Year       Team             G    FG%   3FG%    FT%   RPG

'95-96     Seattle         43   .420   .200   .592   1.0
'96-97     Seattle         67   .451   .267   .712   1.0
'97-98     Sea./Phil.      64   .429   .118   .690   1.3
'98-99     Philadelphia    48   .428   .238   .733   3.4
'99-'00    Philadelphia    82   .430   .244   .712   3.2
Career                    304   .431   .222   .704   2.0
Playoffs                   44   .436   .419   .821   1.4

Year       Team           APG   SPG    BPG    PPG

'95-96     Seattle        1.7   0.65   0.00   2.7
'96-97     Seattle        2.4   0.55   0.04   3.0
'97-98     Sea./Phil.     2.8   0.94   0.08   3.3
'98-99     Philadelphia   6.3   2.08   0.02   8.6
'99-'00    Philadelphia   7.6   1.71   0.10   7.9
Career                    4.4   1.20   0.06   5.2
Playoffs                  3.6   0.59   0.07   4.6

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