‘Such a big role model’: Chapin basketball coach dies after battle with cancer
Chapin High School basketball coach Mark Snelgrove died Sunday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Snelgrove was 60 years old.
Snelgrove, a Lexington native, was diagnosed with cancer in September. He coached in the early part of the basketball season before assistant Marquett Carr took over. Carr played and coached with Snelgrove at Midland Valley High School and followed him to Chapin.
“Coach Snelgrove is a man that I looked up to as a person. He was just always there for me and he was definitely more than a coach to me and many others,” Chapin senior Maddux Harrell said. “I am going to remember all of the close games and the speeches in the locker room before games. He was just an amazing man.
Snelgrove’s current and former players as well as coaches throughout SC posted condolences on Twitter on Sunday.
Harrell posted a photo to social media of him and Snelgrove with the message, “Thank you for everything you have done and will do in the future for me and my family. Love you coach. I will miss you.”
Harrell said Snelgrove helped him a lot after the death of Harrell’s sister, London, in June.
“He is such a big role model from us on the team and we wanted to take that mindset and put it on the court,” Harrell said in November.
Snelgrove had a big impact on Carr and his brother Daniel during their days at Midland Valley. He remembered the times spent at Snelgrove’s house and the post-game dancing celebration after Midland Valley won a state title.
“Coach Snelgrove was a guy who really empowered me to become the person I am today. Whether as a player for him or on his staff as a coach, he really allowed me to explore, make mistakes, grow, and when I was ready display my abilities. Few player-coach relationships get the opportunity to evolve into what our ended up evolving to,” Marquett Carr said Monday. “To sum up our relationship, he was the same guy who after receiving cancer treatment in Mexico, made it a priority to make it back in time to celebrate the baby shower of my first child. That situation sums up our relationship and the types of relationships he builds with his students and players. We were never just students or players to him, but rather family.:
The Chapin community rallied around Snelgrove after he was diagnosed with cancer. The school held a fundraiser for him when the boys and girls basketball team held a scrimmage before the season.
The South Carolina basketball program also had Snelgrove attend a game against Houston. He and his son sat behind the Gamecocks bench and met with coaches and players before the game.
“One of the first coaches I met upon moving to Columbia. What an awesome man. Came to watch us play towards end of season, loved having his spirit in the locker room. May God Bless your soul,” USC coach Frank Martin posted on Twitter.
“There are no words for the support we have been getting,” Snelgrove said in December. “It is amazing. God has a plan and put people in our lives for a reason.”
Before coming to Chapin, Snelgrove turned the Midland Valley basketball program, which was winless the year before he arrived, into state title contenders. Midland Valley defeated A.C. Flora to win the Class 3A crown in 2015 and lost in the championship the following year to the Falcons.
In 10 seasons at Midland Valley, Snelgrove went 152-110, including a 44-13 mark his final two seasons. Snelgrove was named S.C. Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year in 2014 and coached the North-South All-Star game in 2018.
Chapin went 12-13 this season, its best record in his three seasons. The Eagles’ biggest win came against Class 5A Lower State champion Dutch Fork.
In addition to his coaching, Snelgrove also liked to sing. He sang the national anthem at the S.C. Coaches Convention and before games including Midland Valley state title games. He sang the national anthem before the Eagles played Midland Valley on Dec. 10.
Snelgrove is survived by his wife Melinda and five children. The family will hold a private remembrance. A public celebration of Mark’s life will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to Kittiwake Baptist Church Building Fund or Chapin High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
This story was originally published March 29, 2020 at 2:13 PM.
