The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Manning's Ceasar honors father's memory with stellar play on gridiron, court

Whether it's on a Friday night at Ramsey Stadium or inside John F. Thames Gymnasium throughout the winter, there is often one nickname being chanted by Manning faithful: Snoop.

That moniker belongs to senior Jeffery Ceasar, the Monarchs' star football and basketball player. Snoop isn't typically the person broadcasting his own name. He's more of the quiet type who lets his name do the talking, but his jaw-dropping kick returns or electric ability to dive to the basket often incite the cheers of the home crowd.

Snoop helped lead Manning to their best football season in more than a decade, as the Monarchs pushed to the SCHSL 2A lower state championship. In basketball, Snoop eclipsed 1,000 career points last season, and he's been at the heart of multiple playoff runs. The senior has his eyes on another championship push on the court in February and March.

He does all of this to represent the other man who bore the name Jeffery Ceasar, his father. Snoop lost his father to gun violence when he was just 10 years old. Since then, he's dedicated his life to bringing positivity to the name Jeffery Ceasar.

"When they lost lower state, that really hurt him. Not only was he doing it for himself and his team, but he dedicated everything to his dad," said Tina Ceasar, Snoop's aunt. "That's what keeps him going, striving to be the best that he can be and go as far as he can."

BONDING OVER SPORTS

Snoop gets his love for sports from his father. Growing up in Gable, Jeffery Sr. was an athlete in his own right, particularly shining on the basketball court. After he had Snoop, he poured his love for the court and gridiron into his son.

"He would be playing basketball all day and night long, and people would say they hadn't seen anyone who loves basketball as much as he did. I'd say, 'Well, who do you think he gets it from?'" Tina said. "Both of them were very athletic. That's where he got his athletic abilities from - though I'm not going to count (the rest of the Ceasars) out. He would just be the best dad he could be for him. There wasn't much he would want or need."

Playing with his dad and other family members helped Snoop toughen up at a younger age. He always wanted to prove he was good enough to hang with the older crowd.

"They just motivated me to keep going," Snoop said.

Snoop's similarities with his father don't end at their love of sports. Both Ceasars would rather keep to themselves, according to Tina.

"That's how my brother was. He'd never really talk much. If you wanted to know something, you had to ask him, and he's going to keep it short, simple and brief. He's going to give you just enough to get off his back," she said. "I know that's what my nephew does. He's every bit of my brother."

Tina knew Snoop had a love for sports but didn't realize the type of athlete he was until after her brother passed away. At a family gathering, someone told Snoop to show off his handles. The rest was history.

"I was out of my mind, couldn't function, couldn't think, but that night, when I saw how he handled that basketball, I said he would be on somebody's recreational court when the season starts," Tina said. "That's when he started playing basketball with coaches."

Snoop went from Parks and Recreation basketball to playing both football and basketball in middle school. While he dabbled in football, basketball was his true passion.

"A lot of people told me it was my sport," Snoop said. "I got into junior high school, and I liked it more. I started JV my eighth-grade year, so that gave me motivation to keep going."

As his talents grew, so did comparisons to his father, even in ways he didn't realize.

"Last year during the Christmas tournament, somebody told me that was the first time they'd seen him play - they'd heard about him but never seen him - and they said he played just like his dad," Tina said, noting their shared talent of no-look passing. "The only thing that was different was that my brother never dunked. Everything else was just like my brother."

That connection will never be lost. With their shared name, Snoop carries on his father's legacy as he establishes his own.

"I always had the mentality that everything I do, I do it for him," he said. "That made me push myself even more to just make him happy.

"I just want them to remember that I was always a dog, I'm a kind person, I like motivating my teammates and people."

Snoop has quietly battled so much through the years. On top of losing his father, his grandmother spent most of the last year and a half in and out of the hospital after a heart attack and a cancer diagnosis.

"We're super proud. For someone to lose their father at the tender age of 10 to murder, and what he has accomplished in these eight years is truly amazing. Anyone that truly knows his story should be very proud of him," Tina said. "The love that he gets is overwhelming. The support he gets is overwhelming. Through it all, he deals with it with a breeze."

FINDING LOVE FOR FOOTBALL

While basketball was Snoop's first love, the gridiron has caught more and more of his attention during the past few seasons. He's been at the heart of Manning's resurgence as a program. This season, they played for their first lower state championship since 2010, and Snoop is one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle. His ability to change games as a kick returner and make highlight plays on both offense and defense have swung more than a few games this season.

"He's a game changer," Manning head coach Reggie Kennedy said. "He wants people to kick it to him, and he wants to make them pay. What you see on Friday night, you see during the week. He just explodes, and he can do things that you just can't coach. I think it's God-given, and he uses it the right way. He's won a couple of games for us with special teams."

Snoop was among the most elite returners in the state, taking four punts and three kickoffs back to the house for touchdowns. He averaged 34 yards per kick return and 38 yards per punt return. As the season wore on, he continued to be surprised when teams kicked the ball in his direction.

"They watch film on me, they know what I can do on special teams, and they still decide to kick it to me, so I'm surprised," he said.

Reggie said Snoop's instincts as a returner and natural athleticism can't be coached. He's truly a one-of-one talent.

"He's just got a way of finding that crease, and when he gets in the open field, he can separate," the Monarch head coach said. "Sometimes people can make that cut, but when they get in the open field, they get run down. He can separate from defenders, and that speed, you can't coach it, it's God-given."

But Snoop did so much more than return kicks. He earned All-State honors as a defensive back, for which he picked off seven passes and returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns. He added 41 tackles while breaking up seven passes.

"He does a great job in man coverage, and he's really disciplined in zone. He breaks on the ball really well, and it helps that he's a receiver; he gets the ball at its highest point," Reggie said. "He's not the biggest corner, so people feel like they can throw over him because of his size, but he's a basketball player, so he does a good job of attacking the ball in the air. I think that's his biggest plus. He attacks ball in the air, and when he's got it, he knows how to put it in the end zone."

While Manning has a run-first offense, Snoop made the most of every opportunity he had to catch the football. He snagged 39 catches for 530 yards, finding the end zone six times.

Snoop's well-rounded season helped him earn a spot in the state's most prestigious senior bowl. He represented South Carolina in the Shrine Bowl during the weekend, as the Sandlappers suffered a 49-24 defeat at the hands of the Tar Heels from North Carolina. Snoop had two tackles, a tackle for a loss and broke up a pass in the final football game of his high school career.

"I'm proud of myself," the senior said of earning a spot in the Shrine Bowl. "I never knew I would get a chance to make it to that, so I'm proud of myself, and I thank everyone that supported me."

Kennedy, who coached Snoop in the Shrine Bowl as the head coach for South Carolina, is glad to see his star senior get the recognition he deserves.

"I'm happy for him to get the opportunity to kind of rate himself against the state's best. And get a chance to spend a week with these guys and hear them talk about what they did to get here and compete with them during practice," Reggie said. "More importantly, it's good for our young kids, too, to see that hard work pays off by seeing Snoop."

Snoop's senior year was full of highlights, like his game-winning punt return to secure a rivalry win over East Clarendon and the Monarchs' overtime victory over Hampton County that included a critical interception and a late 45-yard touchdown that kept their hopes of a comeback alive.

"We always have a dog mentality, so we always love overtime because we think we can do overtime," Snoop said. "We're an overtime team. If we go to overtime, we're going to get a W."

But all good things come to an end. For Manning, it came a week sooner than they hoped. After playing Barnwell to a 14-14 tie in the first half of the lower state championship, the Monarch offense dried up in a 37-14 defeat.

"It was hurtful; half of the team was crying," Snoop said of the loss. "I felt like I let those boys down. I tried my best, though. We all wanted that ring, so we were fighting for it.

"It was very emotional. I took about two or three days off basketball to get my mind right for it."

HOOPS UP NEXT

Snoop had to wait a little bit to start basketball season. The Monarchs had to cancel their first few basketball games because the football team was busy deep into December. He was able to practice for one week and play in the Monarchs' season opener against Scott's Branch. Then he was back on the football field as he prepped for the Shrine Bowl. The District 9 Officials Christmas Tournament, which begins Thursday, will be the first time he's fully been able to commit to basketball this winter.

"I was ready for basketball season, but I always wanted a ring," Snoop said. "I thought this football season I could've got one, and we fell short, so now I'm ready for basketball.

"(I'm going to) Keep pushing and trying to get a ring since I didn't get one in football season."

This basketball season will also hopefully help Snoop make a decision on his future. He plans to continue his athletic career in college, but he isn't entirely sure about which sport will take him there.

"I love both 50/50, so after basketball season, hopefully I can find an answer to that," Snoop said. "Right now, I'm thinking football. But I might change my mind after basketball season. Depends on how I'm feeling, so I'm just gonna wait for that moment."

ORIGINS OF SNOOP

Snoop didn't always go by his now well-known nickname. According to Tina, Jeffery Sr. originally nicknamed his son Snoot, but no one really knows why.

"He would just give somebody a nickname, and it just fits them. He never said where he got it from, but it just fit them," Tina said.

But the Manning senior didn't love the sound of Snoot. He decided to swap out the T for a P, and it stuck, though a few members of the Ceasar clan still keep the old name.

"When we made him T-shirts, he said if it didn't say Snoop on it, he wasn't going to wear it," Tina joked.

When that nickname rings throughout the stadium or gymnasium, Snoop is simply honored to have the support of Manning.

"It means a lot to me. I love them, they love me," Snoop said. "I was getting called Snoop since third grade; all my friends have known me by that name.

"Snoop came a long way."