Last Thursday, former Nevada basketball star Kirk Snyder, the star of the Wolf Pack’s 2004 Sweet 16 team, was inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame.
In attendance was his son, Kade, who starting next year will start working toward that same goal of being a Nevada Hall of Famer.
Kade Snyder committed to the Wolf Pack earlier this month where he will suit up for the alma mater of his dad and mom, with mother, Haley, also playing hoops for the Wolf Pack.
“I’m really excited to continue the legacy and just have fun,” Snyder told NSN during Friday’s Wolf Pack Hall of Fame brunch.
The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Snyder also was considering offers from Montana, Weber State and UC Santa Barbara before pledging to the Wolf Pack. He took official visits to Montana, Weber State and Nevada before pledging to the Wolf Pack, wanting to make his college commitment decision before his senior season began.
“I would describe it as a weight off my shoulders just to get to play my senior season and just not really worry about college recruitment now, so it feels good,” Snyder said.
Snyder said he didn’t feel any pressure from his parents on his college destination, although they surely are happy he’ll be staying in Reno and suiting up for the Wolf Pack.
“They just wanted me to go where I wanted to go and where I was needed, so I chose Nevada and it just felt right,” Snyder said.
You don’t have to go back too far to find the last son of a Nevada basketball player to play for the Wolf Pack. Nick Davidson, whose father, Kirk, played at Nevada, also joined the Wolf Pack where he played for four seasons from 2021-25 before transferring to Clemson this offseason. Davidson blossomed into an All-Mountain West player after a redshirt season as a freshman.
Snyder has returned to Reno for his senior season. He played for McQueen High as a freshman and sophomore when he was one of the region’s top players before transferring to Sunnyslope High in Phoenix for his junior season in search of a high caliber of competition. He will play this year for Bishop Manogue, which is coached by another Wolf Pack Hall of Famer in Luke Babbitt.
“It’s a great fit because he knows the game so well, and he’s obviously been to the NBA and played at a high level, so he just teaches me good things that I can apply to my game,” Snyder said.
Snyder’s focus this season will be on improving his ballhandling and having a quicker release on his jump shot. Snyder said playing in college has been one of his goals since he could walk, and he’s thrilled to do that at a familiar school. Snyder has watched some of his dad’s old college games with his father’s energy and court presence sticking out as things he wants to replicate on the court.
Kirk Snyder played four seasons in the NBA and has long been considered one of the Wolf Pack’s all-time greats. Kade said watching his dad go into the school’s Hall of Fame was something the whole family cherished.
“My dad’s worked really hard, and I feel like he’s done a lot of great things, so it’s cool that they rewarded him,” Snyder said.
Snyder also played for his father’s AAU team, the Southern California-based Compton Magic, this offseason and is setting big goals for himself after committing to the Wolf Pack.
“I don’t want this to be the end of my journey,” Snyder said. “I wanna keep on going big.”
