Hooked on fishing: Emanuel Sharp finds peace on the water

When redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp steps away from the court, he gravitates toward the outdoors, oftentimes with a fishing pole in hand. It’s a setting where he looks at home.

“Every time he goes home, he always sends me pictures of these gigantic fish,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “He’s always got these boots on with shorts up to his knees. You can tell he knows how to dress to be a fisherman down there.” 

Sharp’s family resides in Tampa, Fla., where he found his love for fishing as a kid. Whether he is taking the boat out with friends, spending time on the lake behind his grandma’s house or taking his yearly trip to Captiva Island, where he enjoys reeling in his bass, snook and redfish he feels a calm cast over him.

“I’m a big nature guy, I love being out there by the water, in the sun, by the grass. I’m big on wildlife, I love animals,” he said. “A lot of people sit in the house all day, playing video games, but I like to be outside, be by the water, by the wildlife.”

For Sharp, the time outdoors offers a chance to decompress, a slower pace that contrasts sharply with his relentless style of play on the court.

“Sweetheart of a young man,” Sampson said. “Great competitor.”