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CHAPEL HILL, NC — North Carolina Freshman Center Day’Ron Sharpe was as advertised Wednesday night. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound rookie from Greenville, NC entered the game at 4:11 PM and immediately announced his presence with two rebounds and one blocked shot. With a college-ready body, Sharpe was a formidable presence at the bottom, ending the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block in 22 minutes of action. He was 4 for 8 on the field and 5 for 6 on the free throw line.
For Sharpe, it was a “dream come true” to finally play for North Carolina, but not in front of a fan-filled Smith Center in what was a bizarre environment on Wednesday night. Behind Sharpe’s double-double, UNC beat the College of Charleston, 79-60.
Sharpe was a physical force as he attacked the glass and captured as many offensive rebounds as he was defensive boards. He showed a touch around the basket on offense and a knack for removing the ball from the glass. He displayed a quick and simple post movement for an easy shoulder put to the 6:53 scores in the first half. And then at 7:17 in the second period, he landed an offensive rebound and immediately hit an opening. Leaky black in the paint for easy installation, showing his underrated insight.
These are the types of games that will make the head coach love Sharpe Roy Williams.
“I’m just going to the boards,” Sharpe said in a neutral tone. “I’m a big guy and I love to move. High engine. So I’ll try to help my team win wherever I can.”
There has been a lot of praise and hype during the preseason for Sharpe, who arrived in North Carolina as a McDonald’s All-American, five-star 247Sports Composite, and No.15 in the 2020 category. impressed his teammates throughout the practice leading up to the opening.
“Day’Ron had a good strong game considering the time he had”, second-year center Armando Bacot said. “I thought it was a good start for the (grown-ups). They’ve both been great in training. Day’Ron is a beast, as you can see. He’s really good on the boards. I thought I was good. on the boards last year, but man he could break the double-double record with the way he’s on the boards. “
UNC Head Coach Roy Williams said after the game he was struggling to decide whether to pitch Sharpe rather than Bacot. Williams intended to start the first year in the second half, but Sharpe entered the break with two fouls. The Hall of Famer clearly recognizes the talent he has at Sharpe. The rookie was the first man to leave the bench for UNC and his 22 minutes indicate he will roughly split his time with Bacot.
“You know, that was kind of a coin that I was going to start with the big guys because Day’Ron had a wonderful preseason,” Williams told reporters.
“Gorgeous” is a word you rarely – if ever – hear from the UNC head coach about a freshman’s first few months on campus.
Sharpe was not the only promising development in the position. Although limited due to COVID protocols, another first year center Walker Kessler had an immediate impact on the attack for North Carolina in the second period thanks to his skill and incredible length. He finished with six points and four rebounds in just four minutes. Kessler is a change of pace from the more physical and athletic Sharpe, but the Georgia native is more skillful offensively. Either way, when combined with Armando Bacot (who had 12 points and 8 effective rebounds), and ACC preseason player of the year Garrison Brooks (who had an atypically offensive night calm), the much-talked-about front area of the UNC does indeed seem poised to do so. do great things this season.
“You have to play every game hard,” Sharpe said of his first game. “It’s not like in high school when you start beating teams and they give up and let you keep beating them… you have to play hard on every possession and not let go of anyone.
“It was what I expected in my first college game,” he added. “Playing for Carolina was a dream come true and something I wanted since I was young. Even without the fans it was a great experience for me.”
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