Cavs player gives assist to families
By Jewell Cardwell
At 6 foot 3, Eric Snow looks up to many NBA players.
But few stand taller in contributions to the game and the community than the Cleveland Cavaliers star.
The Canton native not only has a heart for the game, but also for sending strong messages off the court.
His Full-Court Fathers initiative has a lesson for all.
I saw Eric Snow in pre-game action the other night at the Q in Cleveland.
While fellow Cavs players, including Akron's LeBron James, did a shoot-around on the court, No. 20 quietly sauntered over to meet and greet four important guests -- father and daughter Paul and Jocelyn Marshall of Kent and father and son Robert and Sean Harris of Columbus.
The parents and children who had motored to the Q at the invitation of Snow were provided with courtside seats, team gifts (some autographed), photos of themselves on the jumbo video screen and generous face time with Snow.
This happens at every home game with a different foursome.
Full-Court Fathers was put into play as a way for Snow to encourage and reward those positive relationships.
“Fatherhood is important, or should be,'' Snow said. “Fathers need to spend time with their children, teaching them the right values.
“It's not important to me if they're even into basketball,'' he said of his guests. “I see it as an opportunity for them to come out and spend quality time together.''
Snow and his wife, DeShawn, have three sons, ages 7, 3 and 2.
“I'm on the road a lot, but I always try to make time for my children,'' said Snow, who revels in the simple act of picking up his sons from school.
Snow's Full-Court Fathers program is open to all interested parties who visit
www.cavs.com and answer three questions about their involvement in their child's life. Winners are selected on creative responses.
Some of the responses have been poignant and others symptomatic of fathers working two jobs who are struggling to find quality time with their children.
Many of Snow's off-court efforts were launched during his five-year tenure as a starting guard and co-captain of the Philadelphia 76ers.
After joining the Cavs in 2004, Snow expanded his community outreach with charitable golf outings, read-to-achieve programs and fatherhood basketball clinics. He challenges more parents to strengthen their relationships with their children under the umbrella of his Shoot 4 the Moon Foundation Inc.
Snow also has a Steals and Assists Donation Program, through which he donates $20 to nonprofit groups for every regular-season steal and assist he makes.
And he's playing extremely well, so contributions are high.
Like LeBron James, Eric Snow also presided over a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in his hometown. Canton residents received 200 birds and vouchers for holiday food fixings.
Cavs players who have adopted the each-one-teach-one philosophy have set a pretty high bar when it comes to being real men off the court.
In addition to Snow and James, three other Cavs have foundations in the communities from which they hail.
Forward Drew Gooden, who assists families in need in the San Francisco Bay area, also joined Snow last year in a coat drive to keep Cleveland residents insulated from the cold.
Guard Larry Hughes' foundation, operated by his mother, assists children receiving organ transplants in St. Louis.
Forward Alan Henderson runs basketball camps in his native Indiana.
Clearly, Snow's guests this night were enjoying their one-of-a-kind outing.
Paul Marshall, a food broker from Kent, coveted this time with his 17-year-old daughter, a senior and a shooting guard on the basketball team at Kent Roosevelt High School.
Robert Harris, who is in health and medical products sales in Columbus, called his trip to the Q "therapeutic'' for his 7-year-old son Sean.
“He just started playing organized sports -- soccer and football,'' Harris said. “And he's just coming off a losing season. So, he's not too proud... ''
But the boy was all smiles this night.
It sounds like Snow, a 10-year NBA veteran, was aptly crowned with the association's Sportsmanship Award for his charitable works, the 2002 National Fatherhood Award by the National Fatherhood Initiative and in 2005 the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.
