By Matt Bradshaw —
In their final game at the KFC Yum! Center, men’s basketball’s Quentin Snider and Anas Mahmoud were honored on their senior night. Despite trailing for most of the contest, No. 1 Virginia stunned Louisville on a buzzer-beater.
Snider and Mahmoud arrived in Louisville in fall 2014 on the heels of the 2013 national championship. Since, they have faced off-court issues surrounding the program. The two have distinguished themselves as leaders through the multiple scandals.
Acting head coach David Padgett recognized the seniors in the ceremony before the game.
“The amount of adversity and challenges they have had to overcome has been remarkable,” Padgett said. “They’ve handled it with the utmost character and class, never complaining about the hand they’ve been dealt.”
As a freshman, Snider averaged 9.5 points and 3.1 assists. The Louisville-native proved his caliber at point guard when he averaged 11 points and 4.3 rebounds in the Cardinals’ four NCAA tournament games.
“I remember my time as a player here during summer camp,” Padgett said. “I always wanted to make sure (Snider) was on my team, because I knew I was going to have the best team in the camp.”
Mahmoud saw little action his freshman year, but made his time count. The Cairo-native had a career-performance against WKU when he scored six, rebounded five and blocked three shots in 23 minutes.
“(Mahmoud) arrived four years ago as a 7-foot, 180 lbs. freshman,” Padgett said. “He could hardly get through a practice because he would get physically beat up by the upperclassmen.”
Mahmoud’s shot blocking ability flowered his sophomore year, ending the season with 29.
Meanwhile, Snider came into his own as the go-to point guard for the Cardinals. He was second on the team in minutes played, recording 109 assists to 40 turnovers.
Snider was then the Cardinals’ top returning scorer his junior year. That season, he posted a career-high 22 points in an underdog-win over rival Kentucky.
Mahmoud’s junior year saw him become the Cardinals’ leader in field goal percentage (.623) and he finished second in the ACC in blocked shots.
Padgett closed the ceremony with high praise for both of his senior captains.
“Whether it’s basketball, politics or president of Egypt, he’s going to be extremely successful in life,” Padgett said of Mahmoud. “He turned himself into one of the best shot blockers and defenders this program has ever seen.”
Padgett continued to praise the hometown star.
“I wouldn’t trade him for any point guard in the country,” Padgett said. “He’s the latest in a great line of local 502 legends, and he’ll go down as an all-time great.”
Louisville travels to NC State March 3 for their final game of the regular season. The matchup with the Wolfpack is a must-win for the Cardinals if they want a sure chance of entering the NCAA tournament.
With seniors Snider and Mahmoud at the helm, Louisville is in steady hands as they look to end the season with a victory.
“They’ve always had one agenda, and that’s whatever is in the best interest of this Louisville basketball team,” Padgett said.
You can follow Matt Bradshaw on Twitter @bradmatt8.
Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal
