The senior on the University of Montana men's basketball team has embraced the many roles he's played throughout his Grizzly career, on and off the court.
On the hardwood, he's been a super-sub. Of the 100 games he's played over the last four years, he's started just 13. Minute-for-minute, pound-for-pound, he's the best rebounder the Grizzlies have.
Off the court, he's a role model for children and young adults with Type 1 diabetes, a condition Sharp was diagnosed with at the age of 12. His message is simple: With proper care, there are no limits to what you can achieve.
“There's a lot of guys out there that just because they're a senior and older they believe they have all this clout and they should be treated differently,” said Sharp, who came to Missoula from Hollister in Northern California. “I'm just like any other player. ... In my four years here I've always been a role player and that's been fine for me. It's the wins I care about.”
Watch Bill and Bob Hold Court.Those wins have been tough to come by the last couple of weeks. The Griz (0-1, 6-7) will take a three-game losing streak into Saturday's showdown with the Cats (0-1, 7-5), who have won three of their last four. Sharp, though, has been a bright spot during that span, averaging six points and six boards in the last two games.
The energy Sharp displays, particularly on the glass, has Montana coach Wayne Tinkle toying with the idea of starting him at center in place of sophomore Brian Qvale, who at 6-foot-11, has four inches on Sharp.
“It's our responsibility to continue to search and try to weigh what's best for the framework of the team,” Tinkle said. “If we throw Kyle in there, do we get that same energy and boost off the bench at that position? Certainly we know that he would be fine, because he's done well in other games he's started. We're not afraid of stepping on anyone's toes, we just want to make sure we keep everybody in the right frame of mind.”
As you might expect, Sharp's fine with it either way.
“It doesn't matter to me, I try to take the same perspective whether I'm starting or coming off the bench,” Sharp said. “I don't prefer either one, I just try to bring the same energy. Basically, I tell Tinks wherever he thinks I can help the team more, that's what he should do. If he thinks I should start ... or if I come off the bench and provide a spark, I'm good with both.”
Sharp's first start of last season came on Feb. 9 against Montana State. He was 7-for-7 from the field, 3-for-3 from 3-point range, scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The Griz won 88-76 as the team shot 58 percent from the field with six players scoring in double figures.
“It's like a blur, almost,” Sharp said. “Most games I remember almost every detail, but that game it just felt like I wasn't there. It was one of those games that I was so hyped to play and I was excited - it just went by so fast that I don't remember every detail. I don't remember where I scored from or how I scored, I just remember that it was a good feeling, kind of like good games I had in high school.
“It seemed like that game, more than others last year, our team clicked. It was just one of those games. I'm hoping we can have another game like that and maybe keep it going for the rest of the season.”
Tinkle really can't come up with a reason for why Sharp has had some of his best games against the Cats.
“He says the recruiting came down to us and Montana State,” Tinkle said. “He's had a good relationship with (MSU) coach (Brad) Huse both here as a freshman and the years that have followed, so maybe he always gets a little more fired up for that game. Hopefully he can keep that going.”
Even as an out-of-stater, Sharp grasped the importance of the intrastate game early on.
“It's not that I'm not enthusiastic before every game, but this one gives me more of an adrenaline rush,” Sharp said. “They've always been a great team and I enjoy playing them. You're around all the students who have lived here for all those years and you get that same feeling they do, that Cat-Griz thing. And the football rivalry is huge and that builds it up even more.
“My freshman year I didn't understand it as much, but you come to realize it's going to be one of the biggest games on the schedule. Everyone talks about it, everyone wants to hear about it. I'm looking forward to just getting back into it. We've had a couple of tough games so hopefully we can pick it up against MSU and play a lot better.”
Former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison, now with the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, brought diabetes into the consciousness of basketball fans during his career with the Bulldogs. Morrison, who like Sharp was diagnosed as a child, could be seen testing his blood-sugar levels on the bench during games.
In people who have Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce the insulin necessary to control the body's blood sugar. The simple tests that can be self-administered measure the blood-sugar level. If it's too high, people like Sharp and Morrison give themselves an injection of insulin. If it's too low, they ingest something sugary.
Sharp does not feel the need to monitor himself on the bench. He takes a test immediately before a game and at halftime. The injections, which can make some people squeamish, have become second nature to Sharp.
“I was like any other person, afraid of needles,” Sharp said. “When you have to do it, it's one of those things you don't think about anymore. I don't even realize I do it in front of all the other guys, who might be afraid of needles, so I try to avoid everybody watching.”
That's about the only thing Sharp conceals about his condition.
He has spoken to newly diagnosed children and their parents at Community Hospital. The Griz and Lady Griz had a Juvenile Diabetes Night last season where Sharp spoke to kids and signed posters.
“A friend of mine from Helena has a daughter who was recently diagnosed,” said Tinkle, who added that Sharp is one of the first players to volunteer for the Grizzlies' annual visit to the Watson Children's Shelter. “(Sharp) came in early that day to spend some time with that gal. He loves to try to educate and comfort the parents and the children, letting them know that it's something that can be dealt with and controlled.
“He's a great representative of Grizzly basketball. We couldn't be more proud of the individual he is and a lot of that credit has to go to his parents.”
Sharp, the role player, turns Sharp the role model.
“I would hope,” he said. “I definitely wanted to put myself out there to the Missoula community ... because I understand as a young kid - especially at the age I got it - it's tough to go through something like that. When certain kids get it, they feel like they can't do anything. I talk to them and make sure they stay positive with it. I've had diabetes for 10 years now and I've never not done anything I wanted to do.”
Sharp's life isn't just about basketball and diabetes. He carries a 3.5 grade point average as a business major and will graduate in December.
He played two years of high school baseball before setting his sights on becoming a Division I basketball player.
“I love playing sports other than basketball to get some relief,” Sharp said.
When the grass is green, he spends a lot of time on the golf course, although he's never played with Tinkle, a pretty fair golfer himself.
“He never invites me,” Sharp said with a laugh. “I don't know if I could handle him.”
He lists History of Jazz as his favorite college course.
“Going into it I thought it was going to be one of the classes where you can just make sure you keep your GPA high,” Sharp said. “It was one of the most interesting classes I took. I really didn't know that much about jazz. I still listen to it, Miles Davis and some of the legacy guys.”
And here's a media guide entry you're unlikely to find anywhere else in the country: John Adams is the person in history Sharp would most like to meet.
Who'd he play for?
“My dad and I are kind of history buffs, a little bit,” Sharp said in explaining his interest in the second president of the fledgling United States. “We watched a series on John Adams and I read a couple of books about him and became interested in him. He was not well liked by almost anybody ... but he had a huge influence on the way our government was set up.”
Even with the clock winding down on his college career, Sharp still isn't worried about the minutes. He'll keep chugging away in whatever role Tinkle throws his way. In that way, he's a coach's dream.
“It's a great thing to have,” Tinkle said. “There's only 200 (playing) minutes in a game and five players out there. He was frustrated early on - he backed up Andrew Strait and Jordan Hasquet his first few years - but he's just bought into it. He's such a good kid and he has such great character that he just wants to do the best he can to contribute. It's nice going into a game knowing that you have a couple of X-factors coming in off the bench and he's certainly answered that call.
“I think it's the epitome of selflessness, it really is. You take yourself out of the equation and put the program first.”
Sharp has another way of describing it.
“It's Grizzly basketball,” he said. “You worry about the team first and yourself later.”
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at sportsdesk@missoulian.com.
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