Emanuel Sharp’s Obsessive Post Practice Shooting Routine Gives Houston Basketball an Early Edge — Metal-Free Guard Pushes For More

After the University of Houston guards are done with their post practice shooting as a group, Emanuel Sharp sticks around for more. The sophomore guard who is newly metal free (more on this later) is focused on a specific mission. Sharp is determined to keep shooting until he hits nine of 10 3-point attempts from five spots outside the arch (both corners, the two wings and the top of the key).

“By myself, I go around — five spots, nine for 10,” Sharp says of his self-imposed routine.

Sharp tries not to settle for an 8 for 10, If he misses even two threes from a spot, he’ll do it again. And again if necessary. You don’t become one of the most dangerous shooters in college basketball by cutting corners. Sharp has a good chance of being that this season. Few possess his shooting ability. But Emanuel Sharp and the UH coaches are looking for more than that.

There is the strong belief that Sharp can be much more than just a sharp shooter.

“He has a different build, but his game kind of reminds me a little of Rob Gray,” UH associate head coach Quannas White tells PaperCity, comparing Sharp to the first real star of Kelvin Sampson’s Houston program resurrection. “Emanuel’s a better shooter. Rob is a better scorer. Obviously, Rob spent several years here.

“And I think Emanuel will get to that level because he’s really talented.”

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Sharp leads a talented, guard deep Cougars team in scoring this season. He did pace UH in points in both the Red & White scrimmage and the first game of the Australian overseas tour. For White, Emanuel Sharp’s ability to have nights like hitting five of his seven 3-point attempts comes back to the extra work that this second year player is already committed to doing.

Those post post practice shooting sessions where nine for 10 is always the goal.

“It’s invaluable,” White says. “It’s extremely important. That’s why in the scrimmage, he lead us all in scoring. . . Well, it’s because of all the time and the work that he spends on it.”

Sharp is just glad to be working pain free. Many still don’t realize how devastating of an injury the broken fibula and dislocated ankle that robbed Sharp of his senior season of high school was. Sharp just had a metal plate taken out of that once shattered leg this offseason.

In many ways, he now finally feels like he has his leg back. No metal rod means much less pain and more freedom of movement.

“It’s a very big difference,” Sharp tells PaperCity. “Because during the whole season (in 2022-23), it was bothering me. But I just didn’t have time to take it out. I could play on it, so it wasn’t bad. But I was just waiting to have the right opportunity to take it out and rehab and get back to where I was.

“. . . It’s something that feels a lot better. I can put on any shoe and go play regular without any pain now. It just makes me feel better and more confident in my body.”

It’s the difference between playing the game in black and white and getting to play it in color in many ways. Sharp is confident he will be able to show more this season without that metal plate in his leg. More sides of his game than just 3-point shooting. This is a guard who’s always prided himself on creating off the dribble too. One who knows his rebounding must improve if he wants to ensure that he stays on the court.

“It’s invaluable. It’s extremely important. That’s why in the scrimmage he lead us all in scoring. . . Well, it’s because of all the time and the work that he spends on it.” — UH associate head coach Quannas White on Emanuel Sharp’s post post practice shooting routine.

Yes, Kelvin Sampson is already harping on Emanuel Sharp about how much more the 6-foot-3, 205-pound guard must contribute on the boards this season if UH is going to live up to the Top 10 preseason expectations.

“I think Emanuel had seven rebounds in practice today,” Sampson said after the last practice before the Cougars left for Australia. “And I didn’t think he was very good the other night. I’m not a fan. I don’t base it on how many shots he makes. He had one rebound (in the scrimmage). And his defense was horrible.

“He was better in practice today than he’s been defensively and rebounding. . . That’s the teaching points you make.”

It’s the difference between playing the game in black and white and getting to play it in color in many ways. Emanuel Sharp is confident he will be able to show more this season without that metal rod in his leg

Emanuel Sharp and The Realities of Kelvin Sampson School

There are no days off for learning in Kelvin Sampson’s Houston program. Sharp is already getting to the point where he knows what lessons are coming.

“I need to rebound more,” Sharp says. “I didn’t have any rebounds (in the scrimmage). That was a big emphasis for me definitely today in practice. I had to rebound harder. Find a way to get the tips that the bigs tip out to us. Because those are the rebounds that the guards have got to get.

“And defense too. I’ve got to stop relaxing so much on defense. That’s what (Coach) Q was telling me today. That I relaxed too much.”

The son of two professional basketball players — Emanuel Sharp’s dad Derrick Sharp and his mom Justine Ellison Sharp both played pro ball in Israel, where he spent a good chunk of his childhood growing up — Sharp is driven to take his game’s development seriously. Putting in extra shooting after the team’s extra shooting is part of the deal.

Emanuel Sharp will keep chasing that nine for 10 in every spot outside the 3-point arc. He’ll keep shooting until he mets his own expectations. And keep hustling until he mets Kelvin Sampson’s. If that’s even possible.

That’s the only way he knows.

This is the third in a series of offseason stories on the University of Houston basketball program as it prepares for a new season, its first Big 12 season. To read the first story on Baylor transfer LJ Cryer, click here. 

For more of Chris Baldwin’s extensive, detailed and unique insider coverage of UH sports — stories you cannot read anywhere else — bookmark this page. Follow Baldwin on Twitter here.