Emanuel Sharp Shares Thoughts On Time In Houston On Countdown To Gameday

One of Houston’s veteran players, who has been the backbone of the team, is senior Emanuel Sharp, who took time out of his day to speak with Countdown To Gameday.

So far this season, Sharp has been a staple on both the offense and defense and has consistently been pushed to be the player he can be under coach Kelvin Sampson. His stats have been solid and prove why Houston has been able to get off to the start it has this season.

As a shooter, Sharp acknowledged that part of his process has been unique, as the younger and older guy, but it has been a special ride along the way, as someone listed at 6-foot-3 who averages 15.9 points per game to go along with his 3.2 rebounds.

“We got some more young guys, so it's been a process from the jump, but that’s the good thing about this school, is the process has been the same,” Sharp said.

Last Season

Going on a run last season that took Houston to the Final Four and the National Championship Game was one of the memories that stuck with Sharp throughout his time with the program, and he realizes that it starts with taking every matchup game by game.

“With us, it’s really about focusing on one game at a time because it's really hard to win a single basketball game,” Sharp said. “I think that’s a thing that’s underrated. You got to get up for each game and every game, especially in the Big 12, every game is a game that you can get got.”

Sharp discussed how having the right attitude and mindset is also part of how he’s taking lessons from last season.

“Every day, you have to bring in the right energy and the right attitude because every team can beat you,” Sharp said. “In the tournament, getting up for every game is important. We had a tough run.”

That run for Houston went through Gonzaga, Purdue, and Tennessee, but it resulted in positive takeaways, starting with his teammates.

“In the tournament, getting up for every game is important,” Sharp said. “We had a tough run. We played against Zaga, Purdue, Tennessee. We could've lost every single one of those games, but we had the guys on the team to come every day to practice with the right attitude and the ability to get up.”

Sharp had a great attitude and strong support system last season as a junior, and now has it with more starting freshmen who have played huge roles this season.

This Season

As guys have exited and entered the Cougars program, Sharp noticed changes and differences in the last couple of years he has played, but not in a bad way.

“This group’s a lot different,” Sharp said. “We got some more young guys, so it's been a process from the jump, but that’s the good thing about this school, is the process has been the same.”

A couple of standouts who have come in as youngsters include Kingston Flemings, Isiah Harwell, and Chris Cenac Jr. Sharp had nothing but great things to say about the trio, which has shown huge strides under Sampson.

“Kingston, Sai, and Chris are some of the best players I’ve played with, but at the end of the day, they’re still freshmen, so they are going to need some guidance,” Sharp added. “We integrate the younger guys. Get our culture situated, improve our leadership over the summer. That’s the good thing about this program, that every year we’ve had a good leader or good leaders.

Sharp knows Sampson can come across as rough in practice or during the game, but it is from the heart that he develops players into stronger players.

“He coaches hard, but it’s with love,” Sharp said. “The longer you play for him, you realize you got to ignore maybe somebody yelling and the cussing cause there’s always a deeper message under it, and that’s what he’s doing it for. At the end of the day, he wants to win just as every other player on the court does, so you got to match his intensity. He’s intense. He’s up for the moment.”

Part of Sharp being the veteran of the team is getting players used to that and ensuring that he can be a leader who serves as a different voice for underclassmen who are still learning Sampson's ways through the highs and lows of a season.

“Having people, especially the seniors, the older guys being there to talk with the guys and keep guys lifted because the coaching is not easy – it’s been a process since this summer, but the good thing, I think, we’re getting better right now, and I can feel it.”