Leo Durocher was wrong.

Sometimes, good guys do finish first.

For Catasauqua’s Eric Snyder, it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

The longtime Rough Rider head coach and Lehigh Valley basketball staple recently led his team to their first district title since the 2005-06 season, and their ninth overall in school history.

It was Snyder’s third crown in his 33 years on the Catasauqua sideline - and he also has lost a few of them, too.

But this one was special for the beloved basketball mogul, who is one of the last, old-school mentors still around.

Snyder took a team whose majority of their members played through the past two seasons and endured their share of growing pains. It was a span that produced an overall 13-32 record.

Over that same time, Snyder often lamented the losses of players who began in the Catty system and transferred to what they believed were greener pastures at other schools.

It often was what could have been for the Roughie program, and a district title, or titles, they could have produced.

Now, Snyder has once again come full circle.

His team did it simply by what Snyder told them all season long – believe in yourself and keep the faith.

The Roughies started the season 0-4, and eventually fell to 2-6 before they won 16 of their next 20 games.

They believed in themselves, and so did Snyder. That’s called trust and belief in one of the Valley’s true basketball sages.

Snyder’s been on the basketball journey long enough to know. He can still vividly describe many of his moments along the Catasauqua course as well as the Lehigh Valley log. If you’re looking for a Philly sports or national sports answer from late 1960s to today, he’s your encyclopedia.

Snyder’s team will enter state play Saturday, hosting Philadelphia Academy Charter, the District 12 No. 5 team, in a 1 p.m. tipoff.

Win or lose, those who know him realize the impact Snyder has produced on many lives, not only in Catasauqua, but also in the Valley and beyond.

Son James, his assistant, and Andrew, a girls’ basketball assistant at Northampton, have felt the effect firsthand as many others have as well. Both are teachers, and followed their father – a teacher and guidance counselor – down the education path.

“Neither my brother nor me never got a chance to win a gold playing for him, so being able to be next to him as a coach is the next best thing,” beamed James. “The three biggest things I learned from him coaching are you have to give tough love, don’t care about the outside noise, and basketball is just a sport.

“Trying to make them better humans and understanding the bigger picture is more important sometimes.”

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and coach growing up because of him,” boasted Andrew. “I was at practices and games my entire life. I’m not sure I would be where I am if it weren’t for him.”

That’s true for many of us who have followed and listened to a truly nice guy.