Lack of Height Is Everything at La Quinta : Prep basketball: Sophomore Todd Snyder stands only 5 feet 4, but he gets the job done at starting point guard.

The fun of watching people react to Todd Snyder starts in the pregame drills.

As the La Quinta boys’ basketball team takes the floor, those in the crowd unfamiliar with the Aztecs point to Snyder with startled looks on their faces. They smile at each other incredulously, perhaps wondering if some prankster is pulling their leg.

And when the public address announcer introduces Snyder as the starting point guard for the Aztecs, they mutter while scanning the place for the “Candid Camera” crew.

Can this kid who could pass for an altar boy in sneakers really play varsity basketball?

They find out as fast as Snyder can dribble between his legs.

Snyder, a sophomore generously listed at 5 feet 4 and about 99 pounds soaking with perspiration, was the talk of the Garden Grove League--or any place else La Quinta played--this season because of his size.

Few could believe initially that Snyder, who resembles the comic-strip character Dennis the Menace and whose uniform apparently was tailored with someone slightly bigger in mind, actually belonged on the team . . . or in high school, for that matter.

“That’s what he hears all the time,” said La Quinta Coach Kevin Kiernan, who returned to the school this season after coaching the Savanna boys for one season. Before that, he led the Lady Aztecs to five consecutive league titles and the Southern Section Division 4-A championship in 1990. “But I don’t think there is anybody he hasn’t won over in the course of a game. I’ve never had anyone tell me he shouldn’t be playing.”

One league coach who has been impressed with Snyder is Garden Grove’s Dewey Van Cleave.

“He plays with authority out there,” Van Cleave said. “You really have to defend against him or you’re in trouble. He’s very good at running the show. He deserves to play.”

That’s what Kiernan thought, too. He decided over summer league games to give Snyder a shot at making the squad and handed him the point-guard duties during the La Quinta tournament in December. Kiernan hasn’t regretted the move.

Going into Friday’s game against Foothill in the first round of the Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs, Snyder is averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 assists for the Aztecs, who finished 4-19 and 3-11 in league. Last week, he had a career-high 21 points, including five three-pointers, in an 81-66 victory over Bolsa Grande.

But it’s his ballhandling ability and his court sense that make him invaluable on a young team, and that excites the crowds.

From his customary spot several feet behind the three-point line, Snyder bounces the ball and constantly surveys the floor, always looking for the open man or putting up a shot if nothing else develops. Taller opponents--there aren’t any other kind against Snyder--harass him when he tries to take the ball upcourt. They quickly learn that’s when Snyder doesn’t give an inch.

“Some guys get on me about my size if I push them or something,” Snyder said. “They tell me I don’t belong on varsity. They think they can have an advantage. But if I do something against them, they get a little frustrated. But I tried to ignore all that stuff, especially toward the end of the season, because I was trying to become more of a leader.”

Snyder didn’t figure he would be anything on the varsity team this year. He averaged 11 points and eight assists on the freshman squad last season and thought he would, at best, step up to JV. But he impressed Kiernan with his performances during the summer and landed with the varsity when the coach opted to play primarily newcomers while trying to build for the future.

The promotion took the ever-confident Snyder slightly by surprise and fulfilled his dream of playing for the Aztecs sooner than he anticipated. Since watching his brother Bill--now a UCLA economics major no longer playing basketball--play point guard for La Quinta a few years ago, Snyder anticipated doing the same. He is encouraged by the fact Bill was about 5-5 as a sophomore before growing to 5-10 by his senior year.

“Hopefully I’ll put on some weight and grow a couple of inches by next season,” Snyder said.

Kiernan hopes so, too. He tabs Snyder as a serious college prospect in a couple of seasons if he grows and bulks up.

“He’s improving every game. The only problem he has is he wears down a little bit if the other team pounds him full-court, working the hell out of him,” Kiernan said. “I think if he grows a little, he’s going to go places. He’s got so much ability.”

Snyder first demonstrated talent in youth leagues after he picked up the game when he was about 7. He was always among the smaller players, but his quickness and savvy--”I think I know the game pretty well”--carried him. Now, Snyder plans to use that knowledge to help La Quinta compete the next two seasons.

Kiernan recalls a game earlier this year when Snyder got a standing ovation--from the opponent’s fans.

“We were playing Savanna in our tournament,” Kiernan said. “He dribbled through two guys, did a 360 just to get the shot off and missed it, but every parent on the Savanna section stood up and applauded him.”

Just people reacting to Todd Snyder again.