Snodgrass leaves on high note
After taking Valparaiso down to the wire last week in the Class 4A Chesterton Sectional championship game, Portage coach Rick Snodgrass figured it was time to do what he’d been thinking about for the past few years.
Retire from coaching.
Snodgrass said he’s stepping down after 37 years as a head coach at five schools so he can enjoy some time with his grandchildren and his grown kids. His son Brandon is the boys basketball coach at Rising Sun in southern Indiana.
Portage was leading the Vikings by a point with less than three minutes left in their 59-53 loss in the sectional final on March 6, a game that proved to be his last. Snodgrass finished 122-209 at the school.
“We put them in a good position for the future,” Snodgrass said. “I’m proud of what we did. I think we’re leaving them in a good spot.”
Snodgrass is well-traveled.
He was the coach at Hamilton Southeastern for five seasons. Then he went to Twin Lakes, where he won two sectional titles in seven seasons. He spent three years at Danville and then eight at North Harrison.
He took the Portage job in 2007 because he wanted to coach a 4A school.
Every school has different expectations for its program. For Portage, it’s not necessarily about winning but about being competitive. Snodgrass had two winning seasons back to back, in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
His teams usually were smaller than the other teams in the Duneland Athletic Conference but always played hard.
The fact that Snodgrass lasted 14 years is an accomplishment.
“I think Portage was an afterthought,” he said. “There were a few years where people weren’t taking Portage seriously. I think we got instant respect from the other coaches because they knew we’d come out and play hard.”
Snodgrass said he’ll continue to teach. He didn’t rule out a return to coaching if he gets restless.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “If something intrigues me, I’d consider it.”