| 22 Leah Sharp |
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Sharp's Career Notes: One of three team captains, with LaQuanda Barksdale and Juana Brown
1999-2000 Season Notes: Recipient of the Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award ... Also earned the team's Hustle Award ... Top three-point shooter on the team with 47 makes in 128 attempts for a 36.7 percentage ... Started 31 of the 32 games in which she appeared ... Missed the Dec. 11 Radford game with a groin pull, suffered in the previous game ... Ranked fourth in the ACC with a 39.7 three-point percentage against conference teams ... Ranked sixth in the ACC with 1.7 three-pointers per game against conference opponents ... Scored a season-high 15 points against, Richmond (5-for-9 from three-point range), Virginia (4-for-5 from three point range) and Wake Forest (5-for-9 from three-point range) ... Against Clemson in the first round of the ACC Tournament, hit a three-pointer with 32 seconds to play that helped propel UNC to the win
1998-99 Season Notes: Appeared in 20 games and started the NCAA second round game against Alabama ... Season high was five points, scored against both Marshall and George Mason ... Averaged 6.4 minutes per game
1997-98 Season Notes: Top three-point shooter on the team with a 42.4 percentage ... Appeared in 25 games, starting eight ... Scored in double figures six times, against UNC Asheville (11 points), Miami (Ohio) (18), Western Carolina (13), South Carolina State (19), Florida State (10) and Wake Forest (11) ... Led the team in scoring and rebounding against South Carolina State on Dec. 30, with 19 points on 4-for-4 shooting from three-point range and six rebounds ... Shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in eight games and was perfect in three of those (4-for-4 vs. South Carolina State, 3-for-3 vs. Florida State on Jan. 4 and 3-for-3 vs. Wake Forest on Jan. 25) ... Her 42.4 three-point percentage would have set a school record had she made the minimum 40
At Oak Ridge High: Coached by Jill Pruden and Lynn Burkey ... Named Most Valuable Player of the state championship as a senior when Oak Ridge captured the Tennessee Class AAA title ... Also played for an AAU team, Shelbyville Sports Shop, that won an under-17 national title in 1996 in Spokane, Wash. ... All-State as a senior and All-East Tennessee as a junior and a senior ... All-region, All-region tournament, All-district and All-district tournament as a sophomore, junior and senior ... Student council president and a member of Young Life, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the National Honor Society
Personal: Leah Alaine Sharp was born June 28, 1979, and is the daughter of Judy and Don Sharp ... She has an older sister, Ashley, and a younger brother, Donnie .... She is active on campus as a Big Buddy mentor and a member of Carolina Outreach and the UNC FCA servant team ... Majoring in Business
Q and A with Leah Sharp
- What are your favorite classes you've taken at UNC? "Sports psychology and business law."
- What are your career goals? "I might like to run a health club. This isn't a career, but another goal of mine is to compete in a triathlon."
- How did you spend last summer? "Went to Australia with the team, then attended summer school for a session and worked out."
- What has been the highlight of the off-season for you? "The trip to Australia in May and having my sister getting engaged in July."
- On what part of your game have you focused in the off-season? "Defense and shooting off the dribble."
- What have you done in the off-season to improve your game ? "I've worked out a lot and played pick-up ball."
- What are your goals for this season? "For the team to work hard and improve every day."
- What has been the greatest moment in your athletic career? "Winning the Tennessee state championship in 1997 when I was a senior in high school. I also played on an AAU under-17 team that won the national championship in 1996."
- What do you do to prepare yourself before each game? "I do a lot of shooting and stretch with Jodi Hopkins, our strength coach."
- What is your gameday routine? "I always brush my teeth before the game and change my socks at halftime."
- Who or what has inspired you to excel in basketball? "My dad, Coach David Scott and Coach Andrew Calder."
- After what player have you modeled your game? "Larry Bird."
- What is your earliest basketball memory? "Playing girls club biddy ball in first grade. My dad was the coach of the team."
- What words best describe you? "Competitive, motivated, playful."
- What is the best advice you have received? "'You're up, you're out here, you might as well work hard while everyone else is home sleeping,' which game from David Scott, a coach I work with when I'm home during the summer."
- What advice would you give a girl beginning to learn the game of basketball? "Work hard and have fun."
- How would you spend your ideal day? "I would run with my sister, Ashley, bike with my dad and go to the lake."
- What are your hobbies or pastimes? "Waterskiing, swimming, fishing, riding bikes with Dad."
- What is one talent you have, other than basketball? "Waterskiing. I competed in the U.S. Nationals in 1995."
