FORT MYERS, Fla. _ When Xavier Sneed emerged from Kansas State's locker room following the opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday, eight of his biggest fans were waiting for him in matching custom shirts that featured his name, image and number.
Sneed didn't play well that night and the Wildcats suffered a disappointing loss against Pittsburgh, but the 6-foot-5 senior wing with NBA aspirations felt no pain afterward.
Having his family nearby always seems to make everything better.
"It definitely does," Sneed said. "Knowing they have my back no matter what and always having their support is just great."
Here's the thing: there was nothing special about this postgame reunion. It happens all the time. Seriously. All ... the ... time.
Whenever Xavier Sneed plays a basketball game, his family is there. It doesn't matter if he's wearing home whites at Bramlage Coliseum, if he's sporting road purples at the Erwin Center in Texas or making baskets at a neutral site in Florida. They follow him everywhere.
Name a college basketball venue and Sneed's family has probably been there in large numbers, sitting behind the K-State bench and wearing matching shirts. They've cheered for him as far away as Sacramento and the Virgin Islands.
As Sneed begins his senior year with the Wildcats, he can recall only one time he played without a family member in attendance _ a December road trip against Washington State when he was a sophomore.
"It's a great feeling to know they are always there," Sneed said. "I look for them before games and just smile knowing that I get to play in front of them."
