Derrick Sharp
Encyclopedia
Derrick Sharp is an American-Israel
i former professional basketball player, and current basketball assistant coach for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Sharp was born in Orlando, Florida
. He played college basketball
with the University of South Florida
, and then went to Israel
to play basketball in 1993.
He played for the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club for 15 years, part of the time as team captain, and now serves as assistant coach under David Blatt
. With Maccabi, he won a record 27 trophies. In July 2011, Sharp retired as a player. He will remain with Maccabi Tel Aviv as an assistant coach.
in Orlando, and at Brevard Community College
, before playing for the University of South Florida.
– Maccabi Tel Aviv.
With Maccabi, Sharp won 13 national championships, 11 national cups, 2 league cups, and 3 European titles (2001 Suproleague
, 2004 and 2005 Euroleague
). He quickly became a crowd favorite for his tough defense, three-point shooting, and clutch plays. The most memorable example of the latter came on April 8, 2004, against Zalgiris Kaunas
. With 2 seconds remaining and Maccabi trailing by 3 points and facing elimination from the finals series, Sharp caught a long pass from Gur Shelef, turned to the basket and fired a game-tying three-pointer, forcing overtime. Maccabi won that game, advanced to the Final Four
(held in Tel Aviv
that year) and became Euroleague Champion.
He played basketball in Israel for 18 years, 15 of them with Maccabi Tel Aviv. His 195 games played were the fifth-most in the league since the turn of the century, and he was seventh in the league all-time in free throw accuracy at 88.9%. He finished his career seventh all-time on the team's scoring list, with 1,749 points.
In July 2011, Sharp retired as a player at the age of 39. He will continue with the team as an assistant coach, and had taken a coaching course at Wingate Institute
in 2010.
i citizen. He has played for the Israeli national team
(2000–03), including appearances at Eurobasket 2001
and Eurobasket 2003
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i former professional basketball player, and current basketball assistant coach for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Sharp was born in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. He played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
with the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
, and then went to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to play basketball in 1993.
He played for the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club for 15 years, part of the time as team captain, and now serves as assistant coach under David Blatt
David Blatt
David Blatt is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach, and a former professional basketball player. Today, Blatt is one of the most successful American coaches in European basketball, and is currently the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Russia national basketball team.-Playing...
. With Maccabi, he won a record 27 trophies. In July 2011, Sharp retired as a player. He will remain with Maccabi Tel Aviv as an assistant coach.
Early life
Sharp played basketball at Evans High SchoolMaynard Evans High School
Maynard Evans High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida, United States served by Orange County Public Schools. The school's name is often shortened to "Evans High School" and the mascot for the school are the Trojans....
in Orlando, and at Brevard Community College
Brevard Community College
Brevard Community College, founded in 1960, is a community college on Florida's Space Coast, in Brevard County, Florida. It has four campuses in Cocoa, Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Titusville, as well as an Aerospace program at Kennedy Space Center and a Virtual Campus...
, before playing for the University of South Florida.
Pro career
Sharp joined Maccabi Hadera from Leumit Bet (the second league at the time) in 1993. From 1994 to 1996 he played for Hapoel Migdal-HaEmek, also a Leumit Bet team, and then made the big jump to the most well-known team in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
– Maccabi Tel Aviv.
With Maccabi, Sharp won 13 national championships, 11 national cups, 2 league cups, and 3 European titles (2001 Suproleague
Suproleague
FIBA SuproLeague was the FIBA professional club basketball Champions' Cup for the 2000-01 season. Up until that season, there was one cup, the FIBA European Champions' Cup , though in this season of 2000-01, the leading European teams split into two competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and the ULEB's...
, 2004 and 2005 Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
). He quickly became a crowd favorite for his tough defense, three-point shooting, and clutch plays. The most memorable example of the latter came on April 8, 2004, against Zalgiris Kaunas
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
. With 2 seconds remaining and Maccabi trailing by 3 points and facing elimination from the finals series, Sharp caught a long pass from Gur Shelef, turned to the basket and fired a game-tying three-pointer, forcing overtime. Maccabi won that game, advanced to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
(held in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
that year) and became Euroleague Champion.
He played basketball in Israel for 18 years, 15 of them with Maccabi Tel Aviv. His 195 games played were the fifth-most in the league since the turn of the century, and he was seventh in the league all-time in free throw accuracy at 88.9%. He finished his career seventh all-time on the team's scoring list, with 1,749 points.
In July 2011, Sharp retired as a player at the age of 39. He will continue with the team as an assistant coach, and had taken a coaching course at Wingate Institute
Wingate Institute
The Wingate Institute is a sports training facility located south of Netanya, Israel, established in 1957. Named after Orde Wingate, the facility serves as the host facility for numerous Israeli national teams as well as a military training base....
in 2010.
Israeli national team
Sharp is a naturalized IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i citizen. He has played for the Israeli national team
Israel national basketball team
The Israeli national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Israel in international competition.The Israeli team has participated 25 times in the European championship tournament. Their best achievements were a silver medal in Eurobasket 1979, and 5th place in 1953 and 1977...
(2000–03), including appearances at Eurobasket 2001
EuroBasket 2001
The EuroBasket 2001 was the 32nd EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 31 August 2001 and concluded with the final on 9 September 2001. Yugoslavia won the gold medal,...
and Eurobasket 2003
Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
.
Personal
Sharp married an Israeli citizen, with whom he had a son. The marriage ended in divorce, and he later remarried, and went on to have three children with his second wife.Honors and awards
Maccabi Tel Aviv-
- EuroLeague ChampionshipsEuroleagueEuroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
: (2001, 2004, 2005) 
Israeli ChampionshipsLigat WinnerLigat HaAl , or the Israeli Basketball Super League, is the top tier of league basketball competition in Israeli basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball competition. For sponsorship reasons, the league is also referred to as Ligat Loto , lit...
: (1997–2007, 2009, 2011)- Israeli State CupsIsraeli Basketball State CupThe Israeli Basketball State Cup is the second most important basketball competition in Israel, after Ligat HaAl. The tournament began in the 1955-56 season, and is run by the Israel Basketball Association....
: (1998–2006, 2010–11) - Israeli League Cups: (2007, 2010)
- Triple CrownsTriple Crown in BasketballThe Triple Crown is a term in European professional club basketball that refers to a club winning their country's top tier national domestic league, primary national domestic cup, and the top tier European continental level competition in the same season. It is the highest accomplishment that a...
: (2001, 2004-05)
- Triple Crowns
- EuroLeague Championships