Drew Snively was almost ready to close the door on the idea of playing college basketball when he was presented with an opportunity.
Not just any opportunity.
Snively, a 6-4 standout at Zionsville, received a call from Indiana assistant Drew Adams about the possibility of walking on at IU. For a lifelong IU fan — and one who was already planning to attend school on the Bloomington campus — it took all of about 2 seconds to accept.
“I was debating whether to play or not and I had a few options,” said Snively, a three-year starter at Zionsville who averaged 12.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season as a senior. “Then I decided to just go to IU for school. But when I got the call from coach Adams, it was hard to say no to that.”
Snively, who played on an Indiana Elite team with incoming freshman Trent Sisley, said he met the team and coaching staff during his orientation and made it official. He posted on his social media account Wednesday: “Childhood dream.” Included was a picture of himself as an 8-year-old at Christmas in an IU basketball shirt and candy-striped pants.
“I’ve liked IU forever,” Snively said. “It’s been my dream since I was 8 years old.”
Snively certainly could have been a scholarship player at a smaller school if he had pursued that route. He went on a visit to Ball State before the end of the school year and talked to coach Michael Lewis about walking on there and perhaps earning a scholarship later. But he decided to attend IU as a student… then another door opened.
“I’m majoring in business, but this (being on the team) obviously opens up a lot of doors and opportunities,” he said.
Snively was one of the best players in Central Indiana the past three seasons. As a junior, he averaged 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and shot 40% from the 3-point line. He scored 929 points in his high school career and shot 37% (81-for-220) from the 3-point line. Snively’s teammate, Maguire Mitchell, will be an incoming freshman at IU Indy.
Of course, going to IU means the likelihood of playing is low.
“Most of the teams I’ve been on, I’ve had a big role,” he said. “But even with that, I just love being part of a team. I love getting others involved and being a practice guy. Competing is one of my biggest traits. I’m trying to win and help bring that competitiveness to practice at IU.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.