Former ‘Baler Kyle Sharp has career game against Montana
State
Montana’s Kyle Sharp did all he could to lessen the moment.
After teammate Brian Qvale rolled his ankle just a few days before Montana hosted Montana State last Saturday, Sharp was promoted to Qvale’s starting position for the big game against their in-state rival.
Starting for just the seventh time in his college career, and for the first time this year, Sharp tried to play down the moment despite a near-capacity and white-out crowd looking to see the Grizzlies avenge an early-season loss against Montana State.
“I knew it was going to be a big game for us,” Sharp said. I just wanted to go out there and play. If you think too much about it, you won’t be able to play to your potential.
“I knew I had to step up.”
Sharp, a 2005 graduate of San Benito High School, was simply seeking to fill the void left by Qvale. Instead, he delivered probably the best game of his college basketball career.
Sharp dropped a career-high 18 points on 7 of 7 shooting, 3 of 3 from behind the arc. The junior forward pulled down eight rebounds, which equaled his career high, and had a pair of blocks in 34 minutes of play.
One of Sharp’s treys even gave the Grizz a lead they would not relinquish, as Montana upended the Bobcats 88-76.
“He had great production of points and rebounds,” Sharp said of Qvale, “so I had to step up … I wanted to take it as a challenge.”
Not only did Sharp help his team toward a win, bringing the Grizzlies’ record to 5-5 in the Big Sky Conference, but he also perhaps shined a light on himself as to what he can bring to the table.
When the 6-foot-7 Sharp got the call to start last Saturday, Montana head coach Wayne Tinkle told Sharp to simply be the player he knows he can be.
Easier said than done, though, as Sharp was both nervous and excited for what was “definitely one of the biggest games of the season.”
“When you go into the game, even though I could hear the crowd and feel the crowd, it felt like we were just playing,” said Sharp, whose performance was witnessed by 7,321 fans donning white T-shirts and waving white towels. “Coach Tinkle was just excited … He’s one of those father-figure types where he puts his arm around you and says, ‘Awesome job, kid.'”
Sharp said the experience didn’t really hit him until he got home later that evening. And if he didn’t relish in the experience then, well, he certainly did after making the media rounds with the local newspapers and television stations.
Said Sharp, “I guess I picked a good one to start.”
