Since we talk about Emmanuel Sharp on this forum and since his dad likes to tweet about his sons, I thought I would share a piece that I wrote for the Bullspen many years ago before it became an open sewer. I wrote a couple pieces about historic games in the Bulls hoops past, but no one seemed to care much about them on the old 'Pen. I will share this one since it has Mr. Sharp in it and reflects the life story of every Bulls hoops fans.
“The Hardest Game I’ve Ever Been Through”
The 1992-93 USF Bulls men’s basketball team was in a major rebuilding mode. Gone from the team due to graduation were superstars, Radenko Dobras, Gary Alexander, Fred Lewis, Bobby Russell, and Tony Armstrong. Only one starter off the 1991-92 NCAA Tournament team remained. That starter, guard Derrick Sharp, was joined in the lineup by three freshmen and a sophomore transfer. This revamped line-up suffered through a difficult 8-19 (2-10 Metro conference) season.
As the season wore on, the young Bulls began to show some signs of life. After starting 4-14, freshmen Chucky Atkins, Donzel Rush, and Chris Coleman and transfer forward Jesse Salters began to gel. Winning two of their next three games helped bolster the team as they braced for a 14-7 Virginia Commonwealth squad that was due to pay a visit to the Sun Dome on Saturday, February 20, 1993.
The Bulls and Rams played a rare Saturday afternoon game in the Dome that day. The day was pleasant and warm with plenty of sunshine; a perfect spring training day in Florida. Despite their recent success, not many of the 3,956 Bulls fans that made their way into the Dome expected the diaper dandy laden home team to give VCU much of a battle. After all, the Rams had smashed the Bulls nine days earlier in Richmond, 79-59. But the young Bulls had other plans.
Behind the hot hands of guards Atkins and Sharp, the Bulls sprinted out to a quick lead in the first half. By halftime it was USF 40, VCU 29. The second half started much the same as it ended with the Dome rocking and the Bulls rolling. USF moved out to a commanding 67-41 lead with 10 minutes to go in the game. The game had all the makings of upset city. But then the trifecta turned.
Star VCU guard Kenny Harris was being schooled by Sharp, who ended up with 24 points, and freshman point guard Chucky Atkins who tossed in a career high 25. As fate would have it, Harris swished a three pointer for his first points of the day to cut the USF lead back to 23 points. It would be a portend of what was to come. In as remarkable of a performance as you will ever see in college basketball, Harris poured in 30 points against the Bulls in the last 15 minutes of the game. The once insurmountable 26 point lead that the Bulls had created dwindled to a manageable 9 point USF lead with 4:33 to go in the game.
In the final two minutes, VCU would get within one and then two points of USF, but an Atkins free throw with 17.7 seconds remaining that put the Bulls ahead 85-80 seemed to seal the nerve wracking victory. Wrong. Harris took the inbounds pass, drove the length of the court and scored to make it a three-point game. Then he stole the ensuing in bounds pass and was fouled. It was only USF’s sixth team foul so VCU would have the ball out of bounds with 3.1 seconds on the clock.
The Bulls and everyone else in the Dome assumed that the red hot Harris would get the ball on the in bounds play, but instead VCU Coach Sonny Smith opted to use Harris as a decoy. The ball went to Chris Brower who nailed a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the score at 85.
The overtime period was anti-climactic as the stunned Bulls watched VCU outscore them 10-5 to win the game 95-90. Bulls players and fans were in a daze wondering what had happened as VCU players and coaches celebrated on the court. Harris lead VCU with his 30 points. In addition to Sharp’s 24 points and Atkins’ 25, Jesse Salters scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
USF Coach Bobby Paschal was despondent after the game. “I feel terrible,” he commented. Salters shook his head and said, “It was a fairy tale, unbelievable.” Or as Coach Paschal put it, “This was the hardest game I’ve ever been through.” In reviewing the game later, Coach Paschal admitted that he should have had the Bulls foul whoever received the in bounds pass (Brower) before he could shoot which would mean a one and one opportunity thus denying VCU a chance to score three points. But as usual hindsight does not change the outcome of games already in the books.
On a personal note: I remember leaving the Dome with my wife and two small children on that beautiful day thinking how cruel fate could be to Bulls basketball fans. At the corner of the street in front of the Dome I saw a friend who was a long time Bulls basketball fan. He looked lost as he glanced around in every direction. I asked him if anything was wrong. He looked at me with glazed over eyes and said, “I can’t remember where I parked the car.” Games like that will mess with your mind.
Research for this article included material from the Tampa Tribune, USF Oracle, and the USF Men’s Basketball Media Guide.
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“The Hardest Game I’ve Ever Been Through”
The 1992-93 USF Bulls men’s basketball team was in a major rebuilding mode. Gone from the team due to graduation were superstars, Radenko Dobras, Gary Alexander, Fred Lewis, Bobby Russell, and Tony Armstrong. Only one starter off the 1991-92 NCAA Tournament team remained. That starter, guard Derrick Sharp, was joined in the lineup by three freshmen and a sophomore transfer. This revamped line-up suffered through a difficult 8-19 (2-10 Metro conference) season.
As the season wore on, the young Bulls began to show some signs of life. After starting 4-14, freshmen Chucky Atkins, Donzel Rush, and Chris Coleman and transfer forward Jesse Salters began to gel. Winning two of their next three games helped bolster the team as they braced for a 14-7 Virginia Commonwealth squad that was due to pay a visit to the Sun Dome on Saturday, February 20, 1993.
The Bulls and Rams played a rare Saturday afternoon game in the Dome that day. The day was pleasant and warm with plenty of sunshine; a perfect spring training day in Florida. Despite their recent success, not many of the 3,956 Bulls fans that made their way into the Dome expected the diaper dandy laden home team to give VCU much of a battle. After all, the Rams had smashed the Bulls nine days earlier in Richmond, 79-59. But the young Bulls had other plans.
Behind the hot hands of guards Atkins and Sharp, the Bulls sprinted out to a quick lead in the first half. By halftime it was USF 40, VCU 29. The second half started much the same as it ended with the Dome rocking and the Bulls rolling. USF moved out to a commanding 67-41 lead with 10 minutes to go in the game. The game had all the makings of upset city. But then the trifecta turned.
Star VCU guard Kenny Harris was being schooled by Sharp, who ended up with 24 points, and freshman point guard Chucky Atkins who tossed in a career high 25. As fate would have it, Harris swished a three pointer for his first points of the day to cut the USF lead back to 23 points. It would be a portend of what was to come. In as remarkable of a performance as you will ever see in college basketball, Harris poured in 30 points against the Bulls in the last 15 minutes of the game. The once insurmountable 26 point lead that the Bulls had created dwindled to a manageable 9 point USF lead with 4:33 to go in the game.
In the final two minutes, VCU would get within one and then two points of USF, but an Atkins free throw with 17.7 seconds remaining that put the Bulls ahead 85-80 seemed to seal the nerve wracking victory. Wrong. Harris took the inbounds pass, drove the length of the court and scored to make it a three-point game. Then he stole the ensuing in bounds pass and was fouled. It was only USF’s sixth team foul so VCU would have the ball out of bounds with 3.1 seconds on the clock.
The Bulls and everyone else in the Dome assumed that the red hot Harris would get the ball on the in bounds play, but instead VCU Coach Sonny Smith opted to use Harris as a decoy. The ball went to Chris Brower who nailed a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the score at 85.
The overtime period was anti-climactic as the stunned Bulls watched VCU outscore them 10-5 to win the game 95-90. Bulls players and fans were in a daze wondering what had happened as VCU players and coaches celebrated on the court. Harris lead VCU with his 30 points. In addition to Sharp’s 24 points and Atkins’ 25, Jesse Salters scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
USF Coach Bobby Paschal was despondent after the game. “I feel terrible,” he commented. Salters shook his head and said, “It was a fairy tale, unbelievable.” Or as Coach Paschal put it, “This was the hardest game I’ve ever been through.” In reviewing the game later, Coach Paschal admitted that he should have had the Bulls foul whoever received the in bounds pass (Brower) before he could shoot which would mean a one and one opportunity thus denying VCU a chance to score three points. But as usual hindsight does not change the outcome of games already in the books.
On a personal note: I remember leaving the Dome with my wife and two small children on that beautiful day thinking how cruel fate could be to Bulls basketball fans. At the corner of the street in front of the Dome I saw a friend who was a long time Bulls basketball fan. He looked lost as he glanced around in every direction. I asked him if anything was wrong. He looked at me with glazed over eyes and said, “I can’t remember where I parked the car.” Games like that will mess with your mind.
Research for this article included material from the Tampa Tribune, USF Oracle, and the USF Men’s Basketball Media Guide.
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