After waiting his turn, Brandon Sharpe has stepped up in his senior season for the Brookside Cardinals.
Avery Young graduated, leaving a void at the point guard spot for this team. Sharpe played as a junior, but he has now evolved into one of the best guards in the LC8. He has the ball in his hands a lot more and he’s earned it with the production this season.
“I kind of knew that I was going to be in this role this season,” Sharpe said. “Nobody even knew about me last season. Nobody interviewed me or anything when The Morning Journal came.”
Heading into this year, Nolan Waechter was going to be the clear-cut first option with some question marks behind him. Some players were going to have to make jumps to get Brookside to where it wanted to get to. So far with an undefeated start in conference play, that has happened. No one’s jump has bigger than Sharpe’s, as he’s been a huge second option for the Cards.
Coach Larry Babics referred to Young as a veteran who was a calming influence last season. Not only was he that, but he could fill up the stat sheet. This year, it’s Sharpe. He can’t be left alone from 3 and his ability to drive and make the right play has been noticeable.
“That’s what he’s done all year,” Babics said of Sharpe. “He’s a senior, he had to go up against Avery (Young) for three years. We put a lot of pressure on him every day in practice to make decisions. He’s a heck of a ball-handler and can find any crease.”
Standing at 5-9, Sharpe isn’t going to simply get to the rim and overpower opponents. Although he’s small, Babics complimented his strength. He can shoot and make 3-pointers, but he makes his hay by getting to the bucket. To take on bigger defenders, Sharpe has had to use his quickness and basketball IQ to be in the right position.
In the Cardinals’ 68-67 win over Open Door on Jan. 6, Sharpe showed off his skillset to score 17 points. He made jumpers, he attacked the basket and drew fouls. Brookside is off to another good start and a lot of it can be contributed to the play of its senior point guard.
“He wants the ball in his hands, he’s super comfortable,” Babics said. “He’s confident that nobody can guard him. He draws a lot of fouls because he’s so quick and he knows how to change speeds. He can shoot it, he can get to the rim. He makes us go.”
Drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line was very important for the Cardinals to pick up that win over Open Door. As a team, they made 13 of 14 attempts. In a close game, the Patriots were forced to foul down the stretch.
Sharpe hit four free throws in the game, including one to put Brookside up by three in the final five seconds. Open Door couldn’t tie it on the following possession.
Becoming a big-time player in closing time like that is what Sharpe worked so hard to become. After taking a back seat in previous years, it’s his turn to be the player that his teammates search for down the stretch.
“I worked all offseason and made sure that I would be able to handle myself in situations like this,” Sharpe said.
