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University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Sharpe Finds Perfect Fit
November 13, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
An exclusive conversation with Tar Heel freshman Day'Ron Sharpe.
By Adam Lucas
Day'Ron Sharpe's basketball debut was not auspicious.
"At first, I was terrible," he says. "I started playing in second grade. I couldn't even run down the floor without falling."
The player Tar Heel fans will see when the season begins in less than two weeks is significantly more polished. Expectations are high for the 6-foot-11 center from Greenville (N.C.)—he went to school in Winterville, but is quick to note that his family lives in Greenville—who played his senior season at Montverde Academy in Florida.
Sharpe's addition means Carolina will have significant post depth this year, and should be even more dominant than usual on the glass. Although he loves to show off his perimeter shooting touch, Sharpe will spend most of this season near the rim, where he has been, as Leaky Black put it, "a bully," during preseason practice.
That's meant in the most positive way possible, especially if you're a fan of Tar Heel basketball. The offensive advantages are obvious, and Sharpe's skill set appears to line up perfectly with how the Tar Heels use their post players. Defensively, Carolina needed a shot-blocking big man who makes opponents think twice before driving into the paint.
"I like blocking shots," Sharpe says. "A guy thinks he's open and I come and block it, I know he's feeling bad. When you go for a blocked shot, you can't always go for the ball. You have to time their release."
Understanding some of those nuances will help keep the freshman out of foul trouble and on the Smith Center court, which is exactly where he's dreamed of being for most of his life. A young Day'ron Sharpe was a devoted fan of Carolina's 2012 team, reveling in every Kendall Marshall lob to John Henson.
On multiple occasions this preseason, Sharpe has found himself posting up against 2012 ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller, who has occasionally practiced with the Tar Heels. It wasn't too long ago that Sharpe was a ninth grader who wondered if he'd ever get any attention from college coaches (the recruiting process happens fast these days). Now he's living a dream.
"When I first heard from Roy Williams, I was happy," Sharpe says. "Carolina was my dream school. That's who I was waiting to hear from. When I got the offer from Carolina, my dad cried and I was running around the house…My uncle is a huge Duke fan. He's the first person I called so I could talk junk to him."
Carolina was an ideal fit on both sides. Sharpe gets to live his childhood dream, and Roy Williams gets another big body to team with Garrison Brooks, Walker Kessler and Armando Bacot.
Imagine being an opponent and being worn out by any two of that quartet, then finally getting a break when they go to the bench…only to be replaced by the other two.
"My game is to run the floor and rebound," Sharpe says. "I fit the system perfectly. Coach is always yelling, 'Throw the ball to the bigs.' He wants the bigs to run the floor and he wants to play through the bigs."
Day'Ron Sharpe's basketball debut was not auspicious.
"At first, I was terrible," he says. "I started playing in second grade. I couldn't even run down the floor without falling."
The player Tar Heel fans will see when the season begins in less than two weeks is significantly more polished. Expectations are high for the 6-foot-11 center from Greenville (N.C.)—he went to school in Winterville, but is quick to note that his family lives in Greenville—who played his senior season at Montverde Academy in Florida.
Sharpe's addition means Carolina will have significant post depth this year, and should be even more dominant than usual on the glass. Although he loves to show off his perimeter shooting touch, Sharpe will spend most of this season near the rim, where he has been, as Leaky Black put it, "a bully," during preseason practice.
That's meant in the most positive way possible, especially if you're a fan of Tar Heel basketball. The offensive advantages are obvious, and Sharpe's skill set appears to line up perfectly with how the Tar Heels use their post players. Defensively, Carolina needed a shot-blocking big man who makes opponents think twice before driving into the paint.
"I like blocking shots," Sharpe says. "A guy thinks he's open and I come and block it, I know he's feeling bad. When you go for a blocked shot, you can't always go for the ball. You have to time their release."
Understanding some of those nuances will help keep the freshman out of foul trouble and on the Smith Center court, which is exactly where he's dreamed of being for most of his life. A young Day'ron Sharpe was a devoted fan of Carolina's 2012 team, reveling in every Kendall Marshall lob to John Henson.
On multiple occasions this preseason, Sharpe has found himself posting up against 2012 ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller, who has occasionally practiced with the Tar Heels. It wasn't too long ago that Sharpe was a ninth grader who wondered if he'd ever get any attention from college coaches (the recruiting process happens fast these days). Now he's living a dream.
"When I first heard from Roy Williams, I was happy," Sharpe says. "Carolina was my dream school. That's who I was waiting to hear from. When I got the offer from Carolina, my dad cried and I was running around the house…My uncle is a huge Duke fan. He's the first person I called so I could talk junk to him."
Carolina was an ideal fit on both sides. Sharpe gets to live his childhood dream, and Roy Williams gets another big body to team with Garrison Brooks, Walker Kessler and Armando Bacot.
Imagine being an opponent and being worn out by any two of that quartet, then finally getting a break when they go to the bench…only to be replaced by the other two.
"My game is to run the floor and rebound," Sharpe says. "I fit the system perfectly. Coach is always yelling, 'Throw the ball to the bigs.' He wants the bigs to run the floor and he wants to play through the bigs."
Players Mentioned
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