Two Snider basketball players received All-Star Selections; senior Dillon Duff and junior Michael Eley.
Duff was one of 15 Large School Senior All-State selections. He was the Panthers’ second-leading scorer (17.6 points per game), second leader in assists (2.5 assists per game), and their leading rebounder (7.6 rebounds per game) this year. Duff’s large school all-state selection was a step up from last year. He was given an all-state honorable mention in 2019.
“You know, being recognized is a really good feeling, especially after a season like that [that] ends early, a lot of guys feel like there was a lot left out there,” Duff said. “But I felt really good after that; like I added something special to the season, and I’m sure it felt good for everyone else who got picked.”
Duff has had a memorable career at Snider. He scored 1000 points in his career. He reached that milestone in the Panthers’ home win against New Haven.
“It’s just been so fun these past four years; the first few years just getting used to playing at the high school level, getting used to high school in general,” Duff said. “But then these last couple years have been so fun for me. I felt so comfortable [with] the team at Snider; Coach Rauch, we’ve gotten really close, and all the teammates. All the seniors especially, we’ve gotten really close over these four years. I couldn’t ask for anything better, honestly, it’s been amazing.”
Eley was one of 15 Large School Underclassmen All-State selections. He was the Panthers’ leading scorer (21.2 ppg), second-leading rebounder (6.0 per game), and third leader in assists (1.9 per game) this year. Like Duff, Eley also was an all-state honorable mention last year.
“Just to show how much I’ve matured, it just feels good,” Eley said. “And I’m really proud of what our team has accomplished and what I have [accomplished] this year, even though we didn’t get to finish the season out.”
Eley’s career has also been memorable. He has averaged double figures in points all three years of high school. Though his senior season won’t start until the winter, he is looking forward to another year of Snider basketball.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot because it’s my last year, and just the mentality I’ll have to have coming into the season will be a little bit different,” Eley said.
Duff and Eley helped guide Snider to a championship win at the Carroll sectional. They are indeed proud of each other for receiving all-state selections.
“He deserves it; Dillon’s just a hard-working man, and everything he’s done when it comes to winning for Snider basketball…he’s just really accomplished a lot like the 1000 points and stuff, he’s just a guy that’s accomplished a lot and he deserved it,” Eley said.
“I can’t wait to watch [Michael] next year especially, and see what he develops into and where he goes to school,” Duff said. “You know when I saw [that Michael earned an All-State selection], I was really proud of him.”
