Jamarion Sharp (born August 26, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers of the Conference USA (C-USA). He previously played for the John A. Logan Volunteers. At 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), he is the tallest current Division I player and is one of the tallest living humans.
| No. 33 – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Conference USA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2001-08-26) August 26, 2001 (age 20) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hopkinsville (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) |
| College |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Sharp was born on August 26, 2001. His father, Mario Sharp, was 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and his mother, Shiby Watkins, was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m).[1] He admits that "growing up, [he] didn’t love the game of basketball".[2] Sharp's future high school coach, Tim Haworth, who knew him since he was five years old, encouraged him to play.[2]
It really means a lot because growing up, I didn’t love the game of basketball, but Haworth, he made me keep getting in the gym more and more and made me start to love the game.
— Sharp explaining the influence his high school coach, Tim Haworth, had on him growing up.[2]
Sharp had a growth spurt the summer after middle school and came into Hopkinsville High School as a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) freshman.[3] He grew to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) by his junior year and became a seven-footer as a senior.[3] He played basketball for the Tigers, where he appeared in the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen state tournament as a sophomore.[3] As a junior, he averaged a modest 2.9 points and three rebounds per game.[2] As a senior, he averaged 7.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, leading the Tigers to a 16–14 record and an 8th district semifinals appearance. He earned all-district honors and was selected to represent Team Kentucky in the 2019 Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game.[1]
Western Kentucky head coach Rick Stansbury noticed Sharp, then a junior, in February 2018 while scouting another player.[2] He caught Stansbury's attention during pre-game warm-ups but did not play in the first half.[2] After Stansbury inquired about "the big kid", Haworth worked Sharp out in front of him at halftime by having him shoot jump hooks.[3] Sharp was offered a scholarship "basically that night".[2] However, he did not meet the academic requirements to attend Western Kentucky, his dream school, out of high school.[1][2] On April 23, 2019, Sharp committed to John A. Logan College, a junior college (JUCO) in Carterville, Illinois.[4]
As a freshman for the John A. Logan Volunteers, Sharp was listed at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m).[5] He averaged 5.5 points, five rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in his first year, earning All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) honors.[6] While teaming with Jay Scrubb, they led the Volunteers to a 28–5 record and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time in school history.[6] On January 28, 2021, Sharp recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in a double-overtime victory over Three Rivers.[7] He recorded two triple-doubles in February against Kaskaskia College and Southwestern Illinois, including a season-high 12 blocks in the latter.[7] As a sophomore, Sharp averaged 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocks per game,[2] earning All-GRAC and all-region honors.[8]
Sharp was rated a four-star prospect and the top JUCO recruit in the nation by 247Sports.[1] He received offers from programs such as Arizona, Cincinnati and Oregon,[9] but committed to Western Kentucky on November 23, 2020.[6]
By the time Sharp arrived at Western Kentucky for the 2021–22 season, he had grown to 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m).[1] In his first game as a Hilltopper, an exhibition against Campbellsville, he recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 17 minutes.[10] Sharp said of the experience that it was "amazing to play for [his] dream school."[2] On November 24 he earned his first start in a 88–62 victory against Alabama A&M after Jaylen Butz was sidelined with knee soreness.[2] In just his fifth game, he contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks, recording the third triple-double in program history and setting the program single-game blocks record.[2][11] On December 4, he recorded 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in a 85–80 victory over in-state rivals Eastern Kentucky.[12] On December 11, he recorded 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in a 71–48 victory over Ole Miss at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.[13] On December 18, he had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in their 82–72 win over Louisville – the Hilltoppers' first win over the Cardinals since 2008.[14] In their next game against Kentucky, he recorded eight points, six rebounds and seven blocks in the first half before exiting the game with an ankle sprain.[15]
Sharp finished the season with averages of 8.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and a nation-leading 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 72.7 percent from the field.[16] His 148 blocks set a new single-season program record, surpassing Chris Marcus's 97 blocks in 2000–01.[16] Sharp was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention all-conference selection.[17] He was a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award,[18] as well as a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award.[16]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | John A. Logan | 33 | 13 | – | .641 | .000 | .380 | 5.0 | .2 | .3 | 3.7 | 5.5 |
| 2020–21 | John A. Logan | 24 | 16 | – | .559 | .500 | .582 | 7.3 | .7 | .2 | 5.8 | 7.7 |
| Career | 57 | 29 | – | .598 | .333 | .486 | 6.0 | .4 | .3 | 4.6 | 6.5 | |
NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders | |
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